My non-fiction reading therapy continues with Stiff by Mary Roach. The subtitle for this book is The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers, which I’m sure just caused your brain to malfunction. That is one hell of a expectations leap from title to subtitle, so I apologize for the slow reveal. But on the other hand, this is Mary Roach, the patron saint of non-fiction humor.
My first exposure to Mary Roach was through another book, Packing for Mars. In that review, I mentioned that I was burned out from reading fiction and wanted something different. Humor and science are always welcome on my nightstand, so it made sense to look for non-fiction mashups. Packing for Mars fit the bill and I greatly enjoyed it. I really connected with Roach’s humor and wanted more, so I dove into another title.
Stiff is her best-known book, and if it was half as funny as Packing for Mars, then I was in for a real treat. It didn’t take long to affirm my suspicion because I was howling after the first few chapters. Who knew that dead people could be so funny? And it’s all because of the scientists who use the dead for life-saving research. These people are, and I say this with great affection, some of the most unhinged maniacs on the planet.
In a book about the “curious lives of human cadavers,” one might assume that the cadavers are the main characters. In some cases they are, but it’s the people around the cadavers that inhabit the most interesting characters. It takes a certain level of detachment, alienation, and dare I say, total weirdness, to cope with such a life. When reading their stories, I found myself waffling between laughter and WTF.
Roach interviews several of these benevolent psychos and the stories get crazier and crazier with each new chapter. From crash test dummies to medicinal cannibalism (yes, you read that right), you quickly learn that a good corpse is a terrible thing to waste. There is definitely a grim undertone to every interview, but that’s where the humor comes in. Roach is a master satirist. She uses dark humor to turn a morbid subject into a delightful read.
Stiff: The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers is an excellent book that I can easily recommend, especially if you’re in need of a good laugh. At this point, I can count myself as a Mary Roach fan and I look forward to exploring the rest of her library. But first, I have to unlearn the fact that people once tried to reanimate decapitated human heads.
