The last of five selections for our summer 2017 study of Young Adult books, Stiff: The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers by Mary Roach is a deep exploration of all the ways human cadavers are dealt with in the world. Actually, that doesn’t quite cover it. The book basically looks at cadavers from every possible angle: the science of decomposition, the intricacies of medical dissection, how bodies are used in vehicle safety tests, and so on. It’s fascinating. It’s really disgusting in a very specific way. And it is a phenomenally good read.
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Here is my video reflection, followed by a few notes:
Notes:
- This book would make an excellent mentor text for informational writing. Mary Roach is so incredibly skilled at writing about technical things in a way that is lyrical and hysterically funny. Even if students don’t read this book, I could see a teacher using passages from the book to illustrate outstanding writing.
- I don’t think it would qualify as a young adult book. If you teach students younger than grade 11, I would advise you to read it yourself first before making it available to students. The book doesn’t focus in on many topics that would be considered objectionable, but references occasionally come up; the book was clearly not written with a younger audience in mind, and yet it would be perfectly fine for older teenagers.
- This book would be a great choice for students who don’t mind gross stuff or who aren’t into fiction or fantasy. If you’ve never introduced students to high-quality non-fiction, this would be an awesome place to start.
What did you think about the book? Please share your thoughts in the comments below.
This book is the one that turned me on to non-fiction books! It’s entertaining, well-written, and layered with so much information. The opening chapter about plastic surgeons using cadavers is perfect to introduce students to excellent informational writing.
I read this book years ago and really enjoyed it. I have tried in vain to get students interested in it by reading key parts aloud, and have not yet been able to convince a student to read the whole thing. Where I live, in Quebec, high school stops at grade 11. Perhaps an older reader or group might be willing to dive in and swim through the whole book.
Still my favorite book! An excellent read, especially for those considering a career in medicine. You should be able to have a (sometimes sick) sense of humor toward, a steady fascination of, and an utmost respect for the human body if you’re entrusted to work with them, even after death. Mary Roach demonstrates this ability flawlessly!
This is a fascinating book. The topics explored were sometimes uncomfortable; for example, I had to decide whether or not I wanted to read the fifth chapter, “Beyond the Black Box,” while I was on a flight. (I did, in fact, read the chapter while cruising around 30,000 feet.) But, Mary Roach’s tact and sensitivity respectfully humanized the stories and allowed the reader to understand the perspectives of those who involved in the myriad aspects of cadaver research.
And her humor! I found myself chuckling throughout the book. It was appropriately sprinkled throughout the text, and it was often self-deprecating so not to offend the concept of life, death, and life after death.
I imagine her use of humor was to offset the seriousness and complexity of the subject material so it could be more readable.
I plan to share Stiff with the school’s anatomy teacher. He may have already read it, but if not, I think he will enjoy it.
If you enjoyed Stiff, you may also enjoy Dr. Mutter’s Marvels: A True Tale of Intrigue and Innovation at the Dawn of Modern Medicine by Cristin O’Keefe Aptowicz. Another fascinating read! After reading it, I convinced my husband to visit the Mutter Museum – The College of Physicians of Philadelphia in Philadelphia, PA.
Stiff is an interesting book, written with enthusiasm and commitment by a journalist that knows how to find the best sort of answers. As a consequence, it is highly readable and does not require any specialist knowledge, making it ideal for school and college students. It covers numerous topics that will brush against taboos, I loved it because of that – but I appreciate that not all teachers are in a position that would let them recommend it (I actually work with retraining adults so their reading choices are their own, not their parent’s).
However, this book was published in 2003 and suffers from dating on some of the chapters. The chapter on head transplantation presents the historical and more recent animal experimentation to come to a conclusion that it probably won’t ever happen in humans – but we have had successful human head transplantation recently. The chapter on human composting also feels dated. The other thing that I found frustrating was the very American focus of the social implications (understandably she must feel that this is her audience) and I would have loved to get a more global feel. Her more recent “Gulp!” was more global in feel and felt more inclusive because of it.
Overall, a book I would not hesitate to recommend to my students and to fellow teachers, but with the caveat of the age of the material and awareness of your student’s maturity and parental attitude!
I thoroughly enjoyed this book, and have recommended it to friends and colleagues. I especially enjoyed the way Roach mixed in history and science to make the subjects of each chapter multi-layered and enjoyable. The humour sprinkled throughout appealed and kept the subject matter easily digestible. I know some of my students will enjoy the read, while there are others who would struggle with the subject matter. This is not a grizzly book, despite its content, and I would love to read her other books, especially the one that deals with war.
Thanks for the recommendation!
This is definitely not a book I would have picked up without this book club-though I ended up loving it. I may recommend to individual kids, but I agree with others that it’s best for older kids who are not squeamish and have a mature attitude about death and dying. I might read sections of it to show how you can write non-fiction with personality in a 7th grade group.
Overall though, this was more a book for my family or my teaching team rather than for the 7th gr students I work with. It was something I couldn’t stop reading-I laughed out loud often and on most pages pulled faces and said “eewwww” as I read. Like others have noted, I was super impressed with Roach’s research and willingness to see what she studied in action(clearly she is not squeamish) and her willingness to be respectful and irreverent at the same time. I have a new appreciation for the cadaver. Something I know existed but really gave no thought to.
Interestingly, rather than feeling decidedly uneasy about dying, I feel more informed and more settled about the grossness factor of being a dead body. It is what it is. I appreciated the book.
Jen, thanks for the opportunity to read these really great books this summer. I enjoyed them all!
I have to admit that both the cover and titled turned me off, at first. However, after reading this book, I actually came to appreciate the title and cover more. It was actually a fascinating read!
This book is repetitive and should not be given to high school students. Maybe a more college level