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Stiff

The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers

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Stiff

By: Mary Roach
Narrated by: Shelly Frasier
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About this listen

 An oddly compelling, often hilarious exploration of the strange lives of our bodies postmortem.

For two thousand years, cadavers (some willingly, some unwittingly) have been involved in science's boldest strides and weirdest undertakings. They've tested France's first guillotines, ridden the NASA Space Shuttle, been crucified in a Parisian laboratory to test the authenticity of the Shroud of Turin, and helped solve the mystery of TWA Flight 800. For every new surgical procedure, from heart transplants to gender reassignment surgery, cadavers have been there alongside surgeons, making history in their quiet way.

In this fascinating, ennobling account, Mary Roach visits the good deeds of cadavers over the centuries from the anatomy labs and human-sourced pharmacies of medieval and nineteenth-century Europe to a human decay research facility in Tennessee, to a plastic surgery practice lab, to a Scandinavian funeral directors' conference on human composting. In her droll, inimitable voice, Roach tells the engrossing story of our bodies when we are no longer with them.

©2003 Mary Roach (P)2003 Tantor Media, Inc. Biological Sciences Death & Dying History History & Commentary Surgery Witty Funny Heartfelt Amish

Editorial reviews

Mary Roach unzips the body bag and tells us far more than we thought we wanted to know about what happens to our bodies after we pass away. And yet somehow, she makes you want to know even more. It's like watching something repulsive but fascinating through cracks in the fingers you placed over your eyes so you wouldn't see. The author takes a deliberately humorous, academic tone as she describes these fascinating atrocities, and Shelly Frasier mirrors the author's tone perfectly. That very dry humor pervades the entire book; never cynical or condescending, never adolescent or tasteless, and it makes what could be a ghastly, repellent subject surprisingly upbeat and entertaining. Despite all that, we can't recommend that you listen to this audio book with a bunch of 11- or 12-year-old girls in the car with you, unless you enjoy hearing "Eeeew - gross!" squealed in a high-pitched voice over and over again. To some, that would be a fate worse than...well, death.

Critic Reviews

  • Alex Award Winner, 2004

"Uproariously funny....informative and respectful...irreverent and witty....impossible to put down." (Publishers Weekly)
"Not grisly but inspiring, this work considers the many valuable scientific uses of the body after death." (Library Journal)
"One of the funniest and most unusual books of the year." (Entertainment Weekly)

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Profile Image for Scott Wesley

interesting insight

everyone should think about what happens to their bodies after they die, and this is a thorough insight that also explores options. not a fan of the narration style, but that's probably just my personal opinion

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Well researched

I really enjoyed listening to this book. It was very well researched, read with a 'smile' and had humour to boot. It was entertaining and I learnt quite a bit. I have already filled in the paperwork to leave my body to science and this explained the sorts of things they will do with my carcass. Really impressed!

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Profile Image for Anonymous User

Simply brilliant

I wasn't sure what to expect with this book, but it was endlessly fascinating and had me hooked from first press of the play button.
The straight-laced narration makes the jokes come out that much sharper, because you can never tell when they're coming. It added a second layer of hilarity that I think complemented the author's words perfectly.
Didn't want to keep listening to the last chapter because that would mean it was the end!

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Profile Image for Michael

A down to earth, thought provoking discussion

I came into this book not knowing what to expect. I never knew who Mary Roach was until I heard her speak about her latest book Grunt on the podcast Sawbones. When I looked up her past writings, I found an array of fascinating subjects that I'd never thought to read about. Stiff is written in an informal yet respectful tone, funny in some places yet businesslike in others, much like the people who have to deal with corpses on a daily basis. A fascinating piece. I can't wait to read Roach's next book.

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Interesting Read

Great book, interesting topic. Narrator did not have alot of inflections in their speech which made it somewhat dreary and muddy in places.

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Diverse, interesting and a little funny

The performance really helped the author’s tone shine through. I felt like I was on a curious path with her. Some bits of human behaviour are a bit gory, but the book isn’t. Could probably use an update though as some references are a bit out of date.

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Fascinating and educational.

Signed up to be a donor. Informative and fun, captivating writing voiced by a great narrator. I am less afraid of dying now.

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Witty and educational

Excellently written! Educational as well as being quick witted and amusing. I’ll be seeking out more books by Mary Roach.

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Profile Image for Caroline

I'm horrified to say I loved this book

Brilliant witty writing combined with great narration made me love this book. The content however freaked me out on a number of occasions. It answered all the questions I wanted to know about death and dead bodies and raised other questions I never thought to even ask. If you're an animal lover this is fair warning you might find some of it disturbing. The things we have done in the name of science are quite frightening. It made me question who we are as a species on this planet and it certainly made me think about the legacy we leave behind.

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Cadavers have many "lives"

Interesting story of how cadavers are used. Went a bit off topic near the end.

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