Stiff: The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers

This book was my introduction to Mary Roach and I have been hooked on her writing ever since. Mary Roach writes with a unique style that is part scientist, part down-to-earth lay person who has an inquisitive mind. Her writing is both humorous and fascinating at the same time. She covers the topic of cadavers in this book and gives a fascinating history of the topic. I work in the cadaver lab at Utah Valley University and so this book was of particular interest to me. It isn't morbid or written for shock value, but rather it was written as a true inquiry into the subject of cadavers and where medical knowledge is derived from. If you have ever wondered what happens in an operating room while a patient is unconscious, where cadavers come from, or how they are used, this book has an answer. This book is easy to understand and entertaining to read. I constantly recommend this book to my anatomy students, and I offer the same recommendation here. If you like this book you'll like her others as well. You can always count on Mary Roach for a great read.

This book was recommended by a fellow employee in my lab. My husband and I are both scientists at a university and enjoy books, movies, and TV to entertain as well as inform. This book was a good fit. It isn't the best book I've ever read (or listened to, we got the audiobook for a road trip), but it is pretty entertaining, and the author is down-to-earth and honest throughout, which I enjoyed. If you enjoy strange trivia and find death more fascinating than frightening, I recommend this book. I will be passing it on to others in the lab. Maybe don't play it where others could hear snippets of the book, they may think you're weird.