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.

Author: Mary Roach
Binding Type: Hardcover
Publisher: W. W. Norton & Company
Published: 04/17/2003
Pages: 304
Weight: 1.08lbs
Size: 8.47h x 5.94w x 1.12d
ISBN: 9780393050936

Accelerated Reader:
Reading Level: 9.4
Point Value: 16
Interest Level: Upper Grade
Quiz #/Name: 77823 / Stiff: The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers


Award: 2006 Garden State Teen Book Award Winner - Nonfiction
Award: Tayshas Reading Commended - Young Adult
Award: 2004 Alex Awards Winner - Adult/For Young Adults
Award: Georgia Peach Book Award for Teen Readers Nominee - Young Adult
Award: Eliot Rosewater Indiana High School Book Award Nominee - Grades 9-12
Award: 2006 Green Mountain Book Award Nominee - Grades 9-12


Review Citation(s):
Library Journal Prepub Alert 12/01/2002 pg. 96
Kirkus Reviews 02/01/2003 pg. 216
Publishers Weekly 02/24/2003 pg. 60
Library Journal 03/01/2003 pg. 113
Booklist 03/15/2003 pg. 1263
Entertainment Weekly 04/18/2003 pg. 75
BookPage 05/01/2003 pg. 13
People Weekly 06/02/2003 pg. 44
School Library Journal 07/01/2003 pg. 153
Entertainment Weekly 12/26/2003 pg. 152
SLJ's Best Books 12/01/2003 pg. 51
Booklist Ed Choice Adu Bk YA's 01/01/2004 pg. 778
Voice of Youth Advocates 02/01/2004 pg. 514
ALA Best Books Young Adults 03/15/2004 pg. 1280
Library Journal 12/01/2002
Entertainment Weekly 04/18/2008 pg. 68
Entertainment Weekly 03/22/2013 pg. 67

About the Author
Roach, Mary: - Mary Roach is the author of five best-selling works of nonfiction, including Grunt, Stiff, and, most recently, Fuzz. Her writing has appeared in National Geographic and the New York Times Magazine, among other publications. She lives in Oakland, California.