---
product_id: 221585
title: "Stiff: The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers"
price: "KSh6490"
currency: KES
in_stock: true
reviews_count: 11
url: https://www.desertcart.co.ke/products/221585-stiff-the-curious-lives-of-human-cadavers
store_origin: KE
region: Kenya
---

# Stiff: The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers

**Price:** KSh6490
**Availability:** ✅ In Stock

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- **What is this?** Stiff: The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers
- **How much does it cost?** KSh6490 with free shipping
- **Is it available?** Yes, in stock and ready to ship
- **Where can I buy it?** [www.desertcart.co.ke](https://www.desertcart.co.ke/products/221585-stiff-the-curious-lives-of-human-cadavers)

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## Description

Stiff: The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers: 8601300104782: Medicine & Health Science Books @ desertcart.com

Review: Very good, but not for the squeamish - A most interesting book, provided the reader is not among the vast ranks of the squeamish or those who prefer to be ignorant of the physical realities of human existence and what happens to the body after life ends. Roach researched the book well, and what she wrote near the end, on cremation and the more environmentally friendly alternatives to the great heat of cremation, is as timely and pertinent now as when she wrote it.
Review: Compelling and hilarious reading - I defy anyone to dislike a book whose first sentence is "The way I see it, being dead is not terribly far off from being on a cruise ship." Mary Roach's grand tour of the afterlives of corpses makes for compelling--and very often hilarious--reading. The book opens with the first of many colorful scenes, a roomful of plastic surgeons practicing their grotesque (at the best of times) trade on a bunch of severed heads. "The heads have been put in roasting pans--which are of the disposable aluminum variety--for the same reason chickens are put in roasting pans: to catch the drippings." As this passage illustrates, the author keeps the tone of her book light. She is a clever writer, and she makes the sorts of observations of her grim material that the Mystery Science Theater bots might make. But however light her touch, Roach is describing some truly horrific things. There is, for example, the body farm at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory, where bodies go to rot for science, their skin sloughing off and their genitalia bloating in full view of researchers and their guests--who leave with their footwear uncleanably soiled with the "liquids of human decay." There is the graduate student who composted a ne'er-do-well to see how efficacious a means of disposal mulch-making might be for third-world countries. ("And because the man was buried whole, Evans had to go out with a shovel and rake to aerate him three or four times.") And there is Roach's attempt--failed--to verify the details of a 1991 Reuter's article which claimed that "a man who worked in a crematorium in Hainan Province was caught hacking the buttocks and thighs off cadavers prior to incineration and bringing the meat to his brother, who ran the nearby White Temple Restaurant." Roach hired an interpreter to facilitate her discussion with the director of the crematorium she believed had employed the buttock-hacker. But how to explain to the interpreter what she needed to know? "In the cab, I tried to think of a way to explain to Sandy what I was about to have her do. I need you to ask this man whether he had an employee who cut the butt cheeks off cadavers to serve in his brother's restaurant. No matter how I thought of phrasing it, it sounded ghastly and absurd. Why would I need to know this? What kind of book was I writing?" For those with a strongish stomach, Mary Roach's book is, really, a delightful read. And eye-opening. And unlike most books, it may have the quite real effect of influencing your after-lifestyle choices.

## Technical Specifications

| Specification | Value |
|---------------|-------|
| Best Sellers Rank | #115,685 in Books ( See Top 100 in Books ) #8 in Death #20 in Anatomy (Books) #122 in History & Philosophy of Science (Books) |
| Customer Reviews | 4.5 4.5 out of 5 stars (8,941) |
| Dimensions  | 5.5 x 0.9 x 8.3 inches |
| Edition  | First Edition |
| ISBN-10  | 0393324826 |
| ISBN-13  | 978-0393324822 |
| Item Weight  | 9.6 ounces |
| Language  | English |
| Print length  | 303 pages |
| Publication date  | May 17, 2004 |
| Publisher  | W. W. Norton & Company |
| Reading age  | 1 year and up |

## Images

![Stiff: The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers - Image 1](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/613T+ccvgiL.jpg)

## Customer Reviews

### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Very good, but not for the squeamish
*by W***Y on December 6, 2025*

A most interesting book, provided the reader is not among the vast ranks of the squeamish or those who prefer to be ignorant of the physical realities of human existence and what happens to the body after life ends. Roach researched the book well, and what she wrote near the end, on cremation and the more environmentally friendly alternatives to the great heat of cremation, is as timely and pertinent now as when she wrote it.

### ⭐⭐⭐⭐ Compelling and hilarious reading
*by D***L on August 7, 2003*

I defy anyone to dislike a book whose first sentence is "The way I see it, being dead is not terribly far off from being on a cruise ship." Mary Roach's grand tour of the afterlives of corpses makes for compelling--and very often hilarious--reading. The book opens with the first of many colorful scenes, a roomful of plastic surgeons practicing their grotesque (at the best of times) trade on a bunch of severed heads. "The heads have been put in roasting pans--which are of the disposable aluminum variety--for the same reason chickens are put in roasting pans: to catch the drippings." As this passage illustrates, the author keeps the tone of her book light. She is a clever writer, and she makes the sorts of observations of her grim material that the Mystery Science Theater bots might make. But however light her touch, Roach is describing some truly horrific things. There is, for example, the body farm at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory, where bodies go to rot for science, their skin sloughing off and their genitalia bloating in full view of researchers and their guests--who leave with their footwear uncleanably soiled with the "liquids of human decay." There is the graduate student who composted a ne'er-do-well to see how efficacious a means of disposal mulch-making might be for third-world countries. ("And because the man was buried whole, Evans had to go out with a shovel and rake to aerate him three or four times.") And there is Roach's attempt--failed--to verify the details of a 1991 Reuter's article which claimed that "a man who worked in a crematorium in Hainan Province was caught hacking the buttocks and thighs off cadavers prior to incineration and bringing the meat to his brother, who ran the nearby White Temple Restaurant." Roach hired an interpreter to facilitate her discussion with the director of the crematorium she believed had employed the buttock-hacker. But how to explain to the interpreter what she needed to know? "In the cab, I tried to think of a way to explain to Sandy what I was about to have her do. I need you to ask this man whether he had an employee who cut the butt cheeks off cadavers to serve in his brother's restaurant. No matter how I thought of phrasing it, it sounded ghastly and absurd. Why would I need to know this? What kind of book was I writing?" For those with a strongish stomach, Mary Roach's book is, really, a delightful read. And eye-opening. And unlike most books, it may have the quite real effect of influencing your after-lifestyle choices.

### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ DB
*by S***X on October 22, 2025*

One would not think a book all about cadavers could be anything but morbid and gross, but this book is entertaining and informative and funny. Mary Roach makes the subject approachable and educational. I had no idea about the many “lives” of cadavers. Includes an interesting chapter on burial/cremation/composting.

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*Product available on Desertcart Kenya*
*Store origin: KE*
*Last updated: 2026-02-21*