The Stiff: The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers Summary & Study Guide Description study guide includes the following sections: Plot Summary, Chapter Summaries & Analysis, Characters, Objects/Places, Themes, Style, Quotes, and Topics for Discussion.
Terrible book and not because of the subject matter. This was a book club pick and I was really looking forward to reading about how human cadavers have been used to advance medicine and science. The history alone is interesting. But oh my. This author just gets in her own way. The writing is terrible and the humor sophomoric and grating. The author takes what should be fascinating stories about medicine, history and science and manages to make them boring and cringeworthy. Don't even get me started on the ridiculous footnotes of which there were many.
I love all of Mary Roach's books, but this one and "Packing for Mars" are my absolute favorites. She is ready to tackle any subject matter, even if slightly taboo and/or gross, and her books are informative, engaging and funny. The perfect trifecta in my opinion. Plus, they are well-written. If Mary Roach was writing textbooks for our public education science classes, I think more young students would be interested in becoming scientists to help find solutions to global issues.
What an excellent book! Highly recommended! I would love it if Mary Roach wrote another book investigating all of the advancements and new protocols from the time of this book's publication in 2003!