CADAVERS! Have I got you yet?

Mary Roach sure did! If you ever had any doubts about approaching this potentially daunting subject, let Roach sweep away all your doubts: she makes what might be an otherwise unsavory subject (for some, not all) into one from which you can’t quite tear yourself away. From discovering how much the average ribs can compress before the organs they protect are no longer exactly protected (2.75″, if you’re interested, p.88) to knowing all the different uses a cadaver might serve (apart from the aforementioned) and what took their place before (hello pigs! hello dogs! hello monkeys! to name a few. Though animal substitutes still serve in our place, sometimes alive rather than not. Take that how you will), Roach takes you through human cadaverhood in possibly the most approachable volume you’ll read. She litters the entire book with smart quips and witty remarks, both in the main text as well as in the copious footnotes, which I strongly advise you not to overlook, and renders the lives – if they may be referred to as such? – of human cadavers into stories in their own right, taking them through adventures where their physical safety is imperiled or allowing them to find a nice plot of land in which to decay under varying conditions, entertaining the living every once in a while to show them how they’re faring. There’s never a dull moment as a human cadaver! Have I got you now?

(“You had me at “cadavers”.” is the correct response.)

Stiff is also available as an e-book and an e-audiobook. As for Mary Roach, she has written on a variety of other subjects, such as eating, war, space (as in outer space), and sex.

As for cadavers, a cursory search shows there are a few more items we have that discuss the topic: The Undead, Becoming a Doctor, and Death’s Acre (on body farms). You might find more (about) cadavers if you dig a little deeper into our catalogue, so have fun!