Play Book Tag discussion

4 stars

This was an interesting read. The author covers things that happen or can happen to your body after you die. Organ donation, body donation, decomposition, embalming, cremation and other possibilities I was not aware of are covered. Some parts made me go ewww (body farm) and other parts made me chuckle. You can donate your brain to the Harvard Brain Tissue Resource Center. My daughter wants do do this, then she can say she is going to Harvard. In Sweden, Susanne Wiigh-Masak wants to compost bodies instead of cremating them. She has the backing of the Church of Sweden and King Carl Gustav. It would be cheaper and better for the environment than cremation. The book was published in 2003, so I don't know if Sweden is actually doing this yet. I personally don't care what happens to my body after I die. I am an organ donor but if that is not possible, I have no problem with my body being donated to science or my brain to Harvard. I just don't want a lot of many wasted to bury my body. I also really don't like the thought of decomposing.

Loved this book and loved the authors corny jokes thrown in where appropriate. I also learned a lot. I thought I wanted to be cremated but now I have no idea what would be "the best option", but overall I don't care, I'm dead.

I can't remember if this was in the book or not, but you can be made into a capsule that when planted a tree will grow. Also, your ashes can be put into a bullet, in case there is anyone you need to take care of without facing the legal penalties. haha.

I'd love to just be buried (no embalming or anything), so I can just decompose back to the earth. Not sure how many places allow that at this point, but the capsule/tree is probably the next best thing for me.

LibraryCin. the compost idea would be good for what you want but then they use you as fertilizer

I'd be ok with that! :-)

This was my first book by Mary Roach and she sure made a fan out of me.

I know that authors roll their eyes when asked where they get their ideas, but in her case, I think it’s a valid question! She comes up with some of the most out there topics, and they’re all fascinating.

This was the first book by her that I read and I REALLY liked it .... but then I wanted to be a forensic pathologist when I was in - oh - about 6th grade.

Ellen wrote: "This was my first book by Mary Roach and she sure made a fan out of me."

Same! I still enjoy grossing people out with facts from this book!

I'm reading Bonk: The Curious Coupling of Science and Sex, and am loving her style or writing. Definitely want to read more of her!!

That was a good one too, Joi.