Synopsis | Table of Contents | Reviews | Excerpts

Stiff Reviews:

"Authoritative, endlessly curious and drolly funny." —Adam Woog, The Seattle Times

"This quirky, funny read offers perspective and insight about life, death and the medical profession." —Tara Parker-Pope, The Wall Street Journal

"'Uproariously funny' . . . a book as informative and respectful as it is irreverent and witty." —Publishers Weekly, starred review

"Riveting. It is impossible to tear one's eyes away from Roach's descriptions." —Chicago Sun-Times

"Surprisingly lively." — The New Yorker

"The author's witty voice breathes new life into the study of human cadavers and their role in research." —The Daily News

"Mary Roach is one of an endangered species: a science writer with a sense of humor. She is able to make macabre funny without looting death of its dignity." —The Denver Post

"A joy to read. . . . This is wonderful stuff." — San Francisco Bay Guardian

"Death may have the last laugh, but, in the meantime, Roach finds merriment in the macabre." —Booklist

"Roach adopts the Michael Moore approach to the unliving . . . by getting very up close and personal with the cadaver industry. . . . Splicing humorous anecdotes and historical tidbits she leaves no corpse unturned." —Maxim

"Roach's conversational tone and her gallows humor bring her subjects to life." —People Magazine

"Roach seems intent on helping us (and herself) get a better handle on the meaning of death, or, at least, on making one's own death meaningful." —Chicago Tribune

"With determined probing, a focused eye, and a delightful sense of humor author Mary Roach has written a compelling study of the history and current use of cadavers." —Richmond Times-Dispatch

"[Stiff] is a fascinating book and, once you pick it up, you won't likely put it down." —Wisconsin State Journal

"[Roach] has written a curiously funny, touching respectful study . . . [she] bravely goes where we wouldn't want to go." —The Tampa Tribune

"Mary Roach's Stiff is genuinely funny and destined to be a classic read." —Tribune-Review, Pittsburgh

"A keen eye for observation of unique and ironic details . . . dead bodies have never been more fascinating." — Express-News, San Antonio

"As fascinating as it is funny, as sensitive as it is probing, Mary Roach's Stiff is above all an important account of how we treat the dead—literally. The research is admirable, the anecdotes carefully chosen, and the prose lively." —Caleb Carr, author of The Alienist

"Droll, dark, and quite wise, Stiff makes being dead funny and fascinating and weirdly appealling." —Susan Orlean, author of The Orchid Thief

"Mary Roach proves what many of us have long suspected: that the real fun in life doesn't start until you're dead. I particularly enjoyed the sections about head transplants, black-market mummies, and how to tell if you're actually dead." —Joe Queenan, author of Balsamic Dreams