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"Stiff" by Mary Roach

book review by Riley Burnham 1/25/2023

i liked this one, & learned a surprising amount

the story [i went audiobook which was excellent] of a lady delving into the world of morticians, &, well, death & bodies

​​​​​​​we get an extremely up-close view of what kinds of educational experiences these folks have, from the many odd & interesting things that bodies do while decomposing to, actually, novel ways of participating in this process: from cremation to burial to dissolving

her ventures through institutions & history that make use of cadavers was illuminating [like explaining what is meant by brain death, or in a greater context, how we determine death at all -- especially when harvesting organs]

it wraps up nicely introducing the then newish technique of plastification, which is on global display in exhibits like Bodies [i've seen], which is like a museum of real cadavers in unique poses/conditions [like just a nervous system on a table, complete w/ eyes & brain]

great book -- fun, illuminating...