num_pages: 7
description: An oddly compelling, often hilarious exploration of the strange lives of our bodies postmortem.  For 2,000 years, cadavers—some willingly, some unwittingly—have been involved in science's boldest strides and weirdest undertakings. They've tested France's first guillotines, ridden the NASA Space Shuttle, been crucified in a Parisian laboratory to test the authenticity of the Shroud of Turin, and helped solve the mystery of TWA Flight 800. For every new surgical procedure—from heart transplants to gender reassignment surgery—cadavers have been there alongside surgeons, making history in their quiet way. In this fascinating, ennobling account, Mary Roach visits the good deeds of cadavers over the centuries—from the anatomy labs and human-sourced pharmacies of medieval and nineteenth-century Europe to a human decay research facility in Tennessee, to a plastic surgery practice lab, to a Scandinavian funeral directors' conference on human composting. In her droll, inimitable voice, Roach tells the engrossing story of our bodies when we are no longer with them.
language: English
title: Stiff: The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers
titlecomplete: Stiff: The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers
genres: Audiobook, Medical, History, Biology, Science, Adult, Death, Humor, Medicine, Nonfiction
ratings_count: 212272
series: Mary Roach's Curiosities
awards: awardedAt: 1041408000000
name: Guardian First Book Award
category: Also Commended, awardedAt: 1072944000000
name: ALA Alex Award, awardedAt: 1136102400000
name: Lincoln Award
publisher: Tantor Media