Home › Nonfiction › Stiff: The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers
A funny look at everything that happens to human bodies after death
2003Fast paceLight
What it is about
Mary Roach explores the surprising work done by human cadavers, from helping medical students and testing car safety to forensic research on decay. She visits labs and research centers and talks to the people who work with the dead. The tone is curious and humorous rather than gruesome.
Who will enjoy it
Readers who like science writing with a sense of humor.
What you will get
A readable tour of a strange subject. It contains frank descriptions but is never cruel.
Stiff: The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers Facts: Pages, Genre and Setting
Genre
Nonfiction · Science · Death · Humor
Length
303 pages · ≈ 9 h
More about this book
Characters
Mary Roach and the scientists and technicians she meets.
Setting
Labs, funeral homes and research sites around the world.
What makes it different
It treats a morbid topic with humor and respect.
Feel
Witty, curious and a bit gross.
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