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September, 2011: The Blind Watchmaker
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What Members Thought
I enjoyed the read, but found it a bit chatty on the author's side. I learned almost as much about the author and her feelings toward death and the dead as I did about the science of cadavers.
Not a book to read while eating, I found. I suppose that for some people there will be a shock factor from the honesty that Roach writes about death. ...more
Not a book to read while eating, I found. I suppose that for some people there will be a shock factor from the honesty that Roach writes about death. ...more
This was a disgusting book, literally. But that's a good thing. Mary Roach unsqueamishly...OK there were a few squeams, of all the various things that can happen to our bodies after we're done using them.
The first 3 chapters were really the grossest and hardest to handle. How do those who work on these cadavers handle things? Some find it best to not think much about it at all and others rehumanize them. The part on how people are embalmed broke me down. My brother and friend died two years ago ...more
The first 3 chapters were really the grossest and hardest to handle. How do those who work on these cadavers handle things? Some find it best to not think much about it at all and others rehumanize them. The part on how people are embalmed broke me down. My brother and friend died two years ago ...more
I will read anything Mary Roach writes. Her analytical and zany take on things is fantastic. Who knew dead bodies could be so entertaining?
I enjoyed this book immensely, a very intriguing and thought provoking read which I found hard to put down. A book packed full of historic and current practices of the many uses of human cadavers including saving human lives through various research. Although this book is nearly 10 years old, people should read this and clue themselves up on a topic most shun, as this book will make you think about the fate of your own body and the options available.
The book layout felt like I was having a conve ...more
The book layout felt like I was having a conve ...more
3.5 stars
This book offers frank discussions of different uses of human bodies after a person dies. I believe that everyone who picks up this book knows what it will be about; however, I felt like throughout the book, the author kept expecting the reader to be shocked and appalled at the descriptions and her use of humor. At times the author's sometimes flippant attitude was annoying and seemed a little disrespectful, but not to the extent that I felt it overshadowed the content of the book.
As a ...more
This book offers frank discussions of different uses of human bodies after a person dies. I believe that everyone who picks up this book knows what it will be about; however, I felt like throughout the book, the author kept expecting the reader to be shocked and appalled at the descriptions and her use of humor. At times the author's sometimes flippant attitude was annoying and seemed a little disrespectful, but not to the extent that I felt it overshadowed the content of the book.
As a ...more
loved it
Considering that I don't like thinking about dead bodies and don't even want to look at them at funerals, I probably wouldn't have read this book if I hadn't read a book by Mary Roach already. But I knew I would learn interesting things and I knew I would laugh and I was right. I even got used to the ickiness after awhile! The chapter about analyzing the bodies after an airplane crash to piece together what happened was probably my favorite. Interesting stuff.
...more
Sep 07, 2010
Tippy
marked it as to-read
Apr 05, 2011
Hilary A
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Jun 09, 2011
Hipployta
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Jul 01, 2011
Eileen Conner
marked it as want-to-read-2
Aug 03, 2011
Tom
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Apr 25, 2012
Erika
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May 03, 2012
Josie Bell
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Apr 10, 2014
Hannah
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Jul 12, 2015
Juniper
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Dec 01, 2015
Sally
marked it as to-read
Nov 23, 2016
Stacy
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