Stiff is an oddly compelling, often hilarious
exploration of the strange lives of our bodies postmortem.
For two thousand 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.
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