This book is fantastic. Seriously an all time favorite of mine. I even went so far as to video blog about it a few years ago.
Mary Roach exploded onto the "Notable Non-Fiction" scene with this bestseller. Who could pass it by in the bookstore? The toe tag screams "buy me".
This book outlines all of the possible things that happen to a body after it passes on to the other side. It goes all the way back to the olden days and exposes where the phrase "Saved by the bell" originated. Apparently, corpses weren't always dead when they buried them. The powers that be decided to tie all the bodies toes to strings attached to a bell, that way if the corpse started to become distinctively less corpse-like, an attendant would come running. Saved, by the bell.
I found the possibilities to be so interesting! I never really though about what happened to a body that is donated to science. This novel does a great job of showing all those possibilities.
Here is the video I made a few years ago. Enjoy!
Posted by Holly
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4 comments:
I read this book a couple of years ago and liked it. It's one of the few books in my personal library that people continually stop, look, and scratch their heads over. I have to explain that yes, it's pretty much what you think it is and yes, it is about cadavers. Not that they think this makes me weird. Most of my friends know I was born that way and just deal with it. LOL
I have literally had this on my shelf for years. I think since it first came out and I have yet to read it. Glad to hear that it's good
I heard about this book when it first came out and was fascinated by the topic. I still haven't picked it up yet but thanks for the reminder. I'll have to look for it again.
I've always been a big fan of Mary Roach's essays - she cracks me up every time - and I've wanted to read her nonfiction books but haven't had a chance yet. I'll have to check this one out!
Sue
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