STIFF: The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers by Mary Roach

STIFF: The Curious Life of Human Cadavers    by Mary Roach

For anyone interested in the “messy” part of human science, this is the book for you. Mary Roach has a unique sense of humor that makes her off beat topics fun to read.  You will learn many facts while being  amused and bemused.  

STIFF tells what happens to the human body after death whether that death is natural or not. You will discover how long decomposition takes and exactly what happens.  You will find out who did the first autopsy and the first anatomical dissection and why those activities were and continue to be important. Roach covers plane crashes and gun shots and automobile crashes among other ways humans die. She discusses funeral practices and all the other topics dealing with death that you might (or might not) have ever wondered about.

The style is straightforward, no medical background is necessary. Teenage boys will love it. Girls will be grossed out and parents may be dismayed, but everyone will learn something – rather painlessly