10/25: Stiff - Mary Roach

I finished reading this book and I will be participating in an online discussion of it next Tuesday.

My overall impression of this book was good. I enjoyed it, but I highly suggest not eating meat, french fries or fruit while reading it. Just my opinion....

Mary Roach gets down and dirty when it comes to her novels. She researches the heck out of them and goes deeper into her subjects than most authors I've read. For a non-fiction, research novel, I loved it.

Never will I think of the dead in the same way. I don't even see my own death the same. Not the dying part, but the being dead part. This book put a different spin on things and really makes you think about what happens to your body.

The history and awful things that cadavers have had to and still do endure amazes me! Who knew 'crash-test cadavers' were/are really used! I had no idea that throughout history, experiments on the dead were done to the extent that Roach uncovers.
I learned a lot of interesting facts that someday I hope to use in conversation somewhere and not appear like a complete weirdo. Until that time comes, I will hope a question about disection or cremation comes up in Trivial Pursuit and I can put my new knowledge to the test.
On another note, "Body World" was mentioned in the book and I am completely enthralled with finding out when the show will be in Calgary or Edmonton soon. I plan to go when I find out now that know exactly how the bodies in the show got there.