I had this book on my list for a while, literally years, and I finally managed to get my hands on a copy. It’s a little older now, from the early 2000s, but since there’s so little writing on death and how we deal with it I think it holds up pretty well. The idea is that Roach follows up on what happens with dead bodies. This starts with anatomy medical school programs and goes to research on how bodies decompose or how morticians dress bodies or cremation or becoming compost.
Very clearly Roach has done her research. She frequently talks directly with the people doing this work and follows up for their thoughts on different topics. In one chapter she travels to China to follow up on an article alluding to a crematorium that apparently sliced off buttocks to make into food. (The article turned out to be bogus, but that’s one hell of a trip.) There’s so much work that went into this, it’s kind of incredible.
Roach also has a great sense of humor. She is frequently making jokes or sharing the silly questions that she’s asked people about bodies. In a way it is needed for this book, since it’s about death she has to find some way to lighten it up. It creates a very distinctive voice though that makes the whole experience very unique.
At the end of the book, Roach turns it back on herself and what she’ll do with her body after she dies. And she recognizes that it’s the living that have to carry out your wishes, and really they should only have to do what they are comfortable with. Of course, her husband doesn’t like to think about it, and as it turns out she has decided to only dedicate her body if he goes first. Which is a really just kind note to end on. It acknowledges how it impacts the people around you and who are affected by your choices.
This was a fascinating read, I would highly recommend it to
anyone. It might seem depressing, but I thought it was uplifting by the end to
see all of the ways we can give back after death. Try reading some of it if you
are on the fence!
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