Stiff

The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers

By: Mary Roach

Narrated by: Shelly Frasier

Length: 8 hrs

Publisher's summary

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.

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)

Not for the squimish

A word of caution to animal activists, you may find some of the experiments unsettling. A good book , just be warned it's not for the squimish.

Informative and Funny

This book was hilarious at times. I actually had tears whilst driving during a couple of points.
It didn't always stay on topic, but it flowed well. The narration was great. Just enough detail to get the point across, but not too much that you want to be sick.
I would highly recommend it for some light reading on the subject.

Strong writing, irksome listening

The topic, research and writing of the book all seem pretty strong. The audiobook itself had several problems. If you look at the actual written work, you'll find that many of the funniest and most memorable bits are footnotes at the bottom of the page. These do not translate well to being read aloud as they make the reading seem disjointed. It's as if the reader just abruptly changes topic mid-paragraph and resumes after an occasionally lengthy digression. Also, the reader mispronounces virtually every medical word she encounters. If you're not in the medical or scientific world, this might not bother you. But, I am and it did. Bottom line: if you can, read this one rather than listen to it.

Interesting, morbid -- and funny!

You wonder why you want to read it and if you really want to know -- yet you keep on reading anyway! Ms. Roach combined enough of the gory details with just the right amount of humor. Hard to imagine the combination, but it's a strange mix of morbid imagery and comic relief. A really funny book at times!

Someone else mentioned about the narrator being unsuited, I didn't think that all. I thought the narration was exactly what it needed to be -- a little dry, a little slow, a bit comic and with perfect inflection, tone and timing. I enjoyed it.

It was probably a lot more than I wanted to know, but there's no doubt it will be a long time before I forget this book! Oh -- but unless you're the Adams Family -- you probably don't want to take this one along for the family car trip!

A curiously entertaining book

I purchased this audio book because it was required reading for a course I was taking. I was pleasantly surprised at how Mary Roach was able to balance her discussion of this generally unpleasant topic with a blend sensitivity and humor while providing solid information on the subject.

Enlightening and Entertaining

Despite the subject matter, this is a fun book, and the narrator is just right! She reads the book with a kind of tongue-in-cheek attitude that seems completely consistent with Roach's approach to her material. And the reader delivers every sarcastic side comment and humorous remark with just the right intonation.

I read Roach's "Bonk" a while ago, and this book is similar in tone and structure to that -- which I enjoyed. I didn't go check up on any of her research, which seems very thorough, with much of it first-hand observations and experiences.

This isn't just information; it includes Mary Roach's personal experiences, opinions, and attitudes. It is never dry (and the narration makes sure of that). Underlying the sense of humor about aspects of the topic, is a constant sense of wonder and a respect for the decision one or one's family makes regarding the disposal of remains. The discussion definitely offers much to think about!

Fascinating and funny, but not for the squeamish

This is a fascinating book, well-narrated by Shelly Frasier, and laced with gruesome but highly-interesting tidbits and dry humor. Well worth a credit, if you have the stomach for it.

Thoroughly Enjoyable Listen!

What did you love best about Stiff?

The wry humor was my favorite part. The author has a wonderful writing style that intersperses laugh-out-loud statements throughout the entire story. Always respectfully written, especially where deceased people are concerned.

What about Shelly Frasier’s performance did you like?

Shelly Frasier read the story as though she had written the book. You never felt like you were listening to a reader. You felt like you were sitting in a cafe or lecture hall with the author. She was amazing.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

Many times I rued having to stop listening as I arrived at my destination.

Any additional comments?

Although discussions regarding cadavers may strike some people as too disgusting to bother with, the book was so well written and read that I never felt turned off. Totally loved listening to this book!

I want my cadaver to go to a body farm!

This book was great! I couldn't stop listening. Mary Roach was able to present, what could have been, very dry information in a very comical but respectful way. I was excited for each new character & adventure the new cadavers would take me on.

Misleading title; Western/Christian bias

The book's first chapter is about cadavers used for medical research, past and present, and the rest of the chapters that I could make it through mentioned cadavers at the beginning and then talked about brutal ways that people can die (automobile accidents, plane accidents, Jesus' crucifixion, "bleeding heart" cadavers for organ transplant, etc.). After that first chapter, there was very little about cadavers vs. areas of interest that may have at one point used cadavers to solve some problem, but Roach focused more on the gory realities of dying.
I was particularly thrown by the chapter on Jesus' crucifixion, in which a cadaver was used at one point to help understand how he died on the cross - a myth we, as readers, were expected to take as historical fact and to have interest in.
As well, a native peoples were described by their colonizers as particularly "savage" and necessary of more lethal guns, which Roach did not challenge as racist. Finally, passing mention was made - jokingly, euphemistically - of women and children being molested by doctors while under anesthesia, and of cadavers in general being molested, without a longer, careful consideration of this practice.

Not the book for me, and not what I thought it was going to be.