Stiff by Mary Roach — First Impression

Stiff by Mary Roach is all about dead bodies. Specifically, cadavers. Roach begins by trying to create a distinction from a cadaver and a person. For example, I am Bruce. However, when I die, my body is no longer Bruce, it is just a body.

Stiff is an interesting read because it explains the unique experiences of hanging out with dead bodies while also providing informative history on cadavers and medical procedures. Roach’s humor is a subtle addition to the the more informative aspect of the text, while also providing a human aspect to the text. It is, by far, not an easy read! While there are some aspects that are interesting to read, imagining decapitated heads isn’t my idea of a great read, but the slight amounts of humor that are used are still a bit of a pallet cleanser. Overall, it’s interesting to consider the ways that Stiff, published in 2003, has a more cautious style than I think it would now. It seems like the book has to explain itself and ease any fears of disrepect to dead bodies before it moves too far into the topic. While there is still a level of sanctity in dead bodies, I think that humor has evolved to be a bit more “extreme” in terms of 2003 standards. It’s not uncommon to see people joking about being turned into a tree when they die.