Stiff: The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers - Mary Roach - ★★★★

AUTHOR: Mary Roach

GENRE: Nonfiction

PUBLICATION DATE: April 17, 2003

RATING: 4 stars.

In a Nutshell: An excellent (albeit little outdated) exposition of human cadavers and the various ways in which they have contributed to our lives. Went much beyond my expectations! The blurb emphasises on funny, but it is more sardonic than hilarious. A bit too gross in some chapters, but overall, informative and fascinating. Animal lovers – beware; this isn’t going to be an easy read for you. Recommended to those interested in the topic.

The prompt: ‘A nonfiction book about the human body’ in the #RFReadsTogether2024 reading challenge was another tough one for me. But not for the same reason as the Jane Austen one. I have quite a few books in my TBR about human organs and their wonders, so I was confused about which one to pick for this prompt. As I was staring at the prompt and trying to make up my mind, two words suddenly stood out: “Human Body.” Taking the words literally reminded me of this fascinating book that has been on my agenda since almost a decade now.

Stiff, which is a slang term for ‘dead body’, focusses on the life (afterlife?) of human cadavers. As the introductory note states, this is a book about "notable achievements made while dead". Most of us already know how important cadavers have been in the world of medicine, whether for surgical training or for organ donation. But these aren’t the only avenues where cadavers have contributed.

The book details a wide array of fields in whose development cadavers have played a role. These range from real-world technology (such as ballistics development – least interesting chapter for me), philosophical queries (Where in your body does the soul lie? – what a mind-boggling question!), or unexpected research topics. (“crucifixion cadavers” – aargh!) The focus is not just on the utilitarian side of human cadavers such as medical research and technological development (Cadavers have even helped make your car safer!) but also on the cultural side such as religious beliefs, funeral procedures, historical death investigations, and potential burial options. There are eye-popping insights about how cadavers are procured, treated, and disposed of, historically and contemporarily.

The blurb calls this book “an often hilarious exploration of the strange lives of our bodies postmortem.” Even Entertainment Weekly tagged it as “one of the funniest and most unusual books of the year....Gross, educational, and unexpectedly sidesplitting.’ I don’t know why there’s so much stress on the comic. Perhaps it is to make the book sound more merry than macabre. There is humour in the content, no doubt. The author often inserts her snarky observations even in between serious anecdotes. While this is entertaining at times, it also often appears forced and insensitive. I couldn’t reconcile the idea of using a facetious style for a morbid topic.

Just because the approach is dispassionate doesn’t mean that the topics will leave you unstirred. Many chapters are gross, which is to be expected in a book where the lifeless remains of humans and their decomposition is the central theme. The first two chapters are still okay. But the content turns more revolting as the chapters go by. (Ugh – the “medicine” of the 16th and 17th centuries!!) I had a grimace on my face throughout the second half.

As much as the content about certain “uses” of human cadavers was stomach-churning, the most traumatising to me were the details of the animal experiments. 😬🤢😥 As a book focussing much on medical research, there is a LOT about how animals are used in research labs. If you are a sensitive animal-lover, this content is nightmare-inducing. I can’t understand how humans can be so cavalier and ruthless in their (ab)use of animals. Some of the experiments in this book left me stunned beyond words.

This is not the first book I have read that is connected to death. Caitlin Doughty – the famous YouTuber, mortician, and author – has penned some amazing books on death. (I strongly recommend “Will My Cat Eat My Eyeballs?” and “From Here to Eternity: Traveling the World to Find the Good Death”.) However, Caitlin’s books are more about DEATH and more respectful. This book is more about the DEAD, and very clinical + irreverent in its style. The author’s being a journalist might have been a contributing factor, because even when the content becomes overly disgusting or horrifying, her approach is that of an detached bystander whose personal insights are restricted to cheeky one-liners. I think I prefer Caitlin’s style of writing more, even though the content in this book is engrossing.

All said and done, despite the trouble I had staying calm through some of the chapters, I would still recommend this book, but only to those with a strong stomach. (Or to those like me who are queasy about certain content but whose curiosity is strong enough to subdue the protests of the stomach.)

As this was published more than two decades ago, some of the “future burial possibilities” might have turned into reality – who knows! I’d love an updated version with an additional chapter focussing on the developments of the last two decades.

A Caveat: DO NOT READ THE BOOK WHILE COOKING OR EATING, especially if you are planning a non-veg meal. If you do, your mind will channelize its inner Haley Joel Osment and keep repeating...