In her book, Stiff, Mary Roach gives a vivid image of what happens to our bodies after we die and the broad world of human cadavers. She walks her readers through the steps of what happens with each body part, where it goes, and how it is used in future places. Throughout her book, her readers stay engaged with the different types of writing skills she uses. Whether it be a crime, dissection, or transformative surgery, our bodies go through much more than we think after we die, and Mary Roach gives us all of the gory details. When I first decided to read Mary Roach’s novel, I was looking for an intense read with vivid descriptions throughout the pages. After reading this book, I definitely accomplished that. By going through each chapter, which describes different parts of the body and how they are used after you die, I gained a bigger picture of the world, forensics, and how our bodies are donated to science in medical school. The parts I found most interesting include the section on cadavers and crimes. Roach covers some of the most incredulous crimes that occurred with thousands of human cadavers back in the 1800s. Many of these crimes left me wondering…what really does happen to our bodies after we die? Do we stay in our graves after all? In addition to the chapters on cadaver crimes, I found it intriguing to read about the process of bodies donated to science. Reading about the steps of dissection with the cadavers, as well as how medical students learned to deal with the dead in laboratories gets me even more excited for the time when I am in medical school after undergraduate college. To anyone remotely considering reading this book, I would give it my highest recommendation. This is one of the most captivating and unique books I have ever read, and I will now be looking for many more books written by this author in the future. Through Mary Roach’s vivid descriptions and interpretations of different aspects of her novel, readers are able to gain a sense of what truly happens to our bodies after we die.
When I first decided to read Mary Roach’s novel, I was looking for an intense read with vivid descriptions throughout the pages. After reading this book, I definitely accomplished that. By going through each chapter, which describes different parts of the body and how they are used after you die, I gained a bigger picture of the world, forensics, and how our bodies are donated to science in medical school. The parts I found most interesting include the section on cadavers and crimes. Roach covers some of the most incredulous crimes that occurred with thousands of human cadavers back in the 1800s. Many of these crimes left me wondering…what really does happen to our bodies after we die? Do we stay in our graves after all?
In addition to the chapters on cadaver crimes, I found it intriguing to read about the process of bodies donated to science. Reading about the steps of dissection with the cadavers, as well as how medical students learned to deal with the dead in laboratories gets me even more excited for the time when I am in medical school after undergraduate college.
To anyone remotely considering reading this book, I would give it my highest recommendation. This is one of the most captivating and unique books I have ever read, and I will now be looking for many more books written by this author in the future. Through Mary Roach’s vivid descriptions and interpretations of different aspects of her novel, readers are able to gain a sense of what truly happens to our bodies after we die.