4. Stiff - Mary Roach

Stiff is arguably one of the weirdest books I've ever read. Ms. Roach makes it funny and interesting, by the subject matter still isn't one of light and sunshine. Stiff's subtitle is "The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers". Like I said, not exactly a book that you read for the uplifting qualities.

If you've ever considered donating your body to science, this is the book for you. Unlike my own preconceived notion that donating one's body to science simply meant you were destined for a gross anatomy lab at a medical school, there are tons of things that you can be used for. Ever wondered how auto makers determine the amount of damage to the human flesh after an auto accident? Cadavers! What about crime scene investigation? That's chapter 3. (As a side note about that chapter, it's easily the grossest chapter in the book.) There is the requisite chapter about gross anatomy labs, but that's only the starting point. Cadavers have also had staring roles in some of the weirdest experiments not to come straight out of a science fiction movie.

But the book doesn't just cover the dead donated to science. What about organ donation? That's covered. What about the ways to dispose of the dead? There is a particularly interesting chapter near the end about some truly odd ways to discard the flesh after a person has died. Instead of cremation, what about dissolving your body in acid? You can go down the drain! There is also a chapter involving a truly bizarre story from China.

The final chapter is the authors' own comments on her views towards her own death and subsequent usage of her body. Needless to say, the material that she researched and saw during the work on this book has appeared to influence her decisions.

I found this book, while interesting, somewhat dry and not an easy read. Some of the chapters were far more difficult to read than others. I read several other books while reading this one, simply because I could not sit and read it for extended periods of time in certain chapters. It is well written and interesting, but I think I would have enjoyed it a little more had some of the topics been covered in less detail than others. I did enjoy the historical anecdotes sprinkled throughout the text. Overall, not a favorite, but not a bad book by any stretch of the imagination.