Other Books I've Read

Friday, January 28, 2005 , late at night

Stiff

It’s with a bit of sadness that I announce I’ve finished reading Stiff: The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers, by Mary Roach. I’ve been wanting to read this book for ages and happily, it was well-worth the wait. Surprisingly, it was really funny, not something you’d expect from a book about dead bodies. It was just the right mix of information and black humour, the latter helping to take the edge off some sections which were rather disturbing. It’s not a book for the overly-sensitive, and especially not for the overly-sensitive animal lover, as many of the experiments which now use human cadavers were once performed on animals, often live animals. If you can overlook those things (I gritted my teeth and tried not to think about them too much), you’ll find the book is a great overview of the positive contributions you can make after you die. By the time I’m old and grey, medical schools might not be using human cadavers for dissection anymore (more and more of them are starting to use sophisticated computer models), but there will probably still be opportunity for my body to be used in experiments to ensure safer vehicles, safer protective gear for military and police, etc. I could also probably make a contribution to forensic science by being allowed to decompose under supervision. I actually feel a bit chilly at the thought of lying naked in a field, exposed to the elements for months on end, but if scientists could clothe me in something soft and fleecy I might be up for it (especially if there’s a nice view of a lake or something). The one thing I know for sure I don’t want is to be embalmed—it just seems like an invasive process which just delays the inevitable. I also don’t want to be buried in a coffin, as it’s a big waste of money and space. I’d always been set on cremation because it’s neat and tidy, but thanks to Mary Roach, I now know how I want to go out: Ecological Burial. To put it roughly, your body is freeze-dried, pulverized with ultrasonic vibrations until it’s reduced to dust, and then it’s placed in a small, biodegradeable box made of corn starch. The box is placed in the ground, and a plant can be put in the ground as well, with the corn starch box and “freeze-mains” acting as organic compost. In a way, you eventually become a tree, or a bush, or a flower, or whatever has been planted with you. That’s exactly how I want to be remembered.

Oh, one more thing I enjoyed about Stiff: a medical student quoted in the book finally put into words a feeling that I’ve carried around for many years. When I was working on human cadavers in anatomy lab I was never bothered by their faces—it was their hands which gave me the willies. I still remember shivering as I brushed against the hand of the female cadaver (even as I was endeavouring to avoid it), and I remember finally forcing myself to reach out an touch it, as if on a dare. The medical student in the book hit the nail on the head when she said that she too felt that cadaver hands were the most intimate part of the body, because when you touch them, they touch you back.

Posted by Leigh-Ann on 01/28 at 11:41 PM
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Friday, January 21, 2005 , late at night

Stiff

I’ve been reading Stiff by Mary Roach, and I just love it! It’s sometimes gross and icky and makes you feel uncomfortable, but it’s also funny and approachable and full of information we really all need to know. I’m just starting chapter 4 now so I’ve got a while to go—I’ll report back when I’m finished.

Posted by Leigh-Ann on 01/21 at 11:55 PM
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Tuesday, January 18, 2005 , late evening

The Stupidest Angel

I think I’ve developed a sudden love/hate relationship with Christopher Moore.

My father sent me a copy of The Stupidest Angel as part of my birthday gift, and I started to read it the day it arrived. After the first couple of pages I worried there would be a problem, as I thought the individual sentences in the book were hilarious, but found the chapters as a whole were unbearably frenetic. The first two nights I picked it up to read I ended up shutting it after only a few pages out of sheer mental exhaustion, and I had to go back and re-read the initial pages for reminders of all the wild and wacky characters. I think that was the problem I had when I started reading—there was so much wackiness and facetiousness and sarcasm and parody that my head felt as if I was watching an IMAX film about rollercoasters after downing a gallon of gin. For me, The Stupidest Angel was not so much a light and fun read as it was a reading challenge.

Now the good news. About halfway through the book, I started to really like it. The characters were fleshed out, and instead of just being wacky and cartoonish, they had depth and real personalities. The craziness of the plot also settled down into a nice rhythm that was comfortable and intriguing. By the time I finished reading I wanted to know more about the characters, and have put a couple more Christopher Moore books on my wishlist so I can find out the origins of Roberto the Fruit Bat, for example. I’d become so used to Moore’s style of writing that when I started reading Stiff by Mary Roach, it was a bit of a let-down. It was like eating a big bag of spicy jalapeno potato chips, and then being given a Ritz cracker. There’s nothing wrong with a Ritz cracker—they taste great and I love them—but it’s not a wild ride like a jalapeno chip. I can’t eat (or read) jalapeno chips every day, but I think they’ll make a great occasional literary snack.

Posted by Leigh-Ann on 01/18 at 10:59 PM
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Tuesday, January 11, 2005 , late at night

Life of Pi

When Life of Pi by author Yann Martel was first released, I read a lot of “buzz” about it and thought it sounded interesting. The more reviews I read, however, the more I was bothered by the possibility of gory violence against animals as part of the plot, and I avoided the book because of those fears. Curiousity eventually got the best of me though, and as numerous friends had read it, I decided to ask for a copy for Christmas. Thanks to my “Secret Santa” in Maryland I was finally able to find out what all the fuss was about.

My concerns about disturbing, violent animal imagery weren’t unfounded. Incidents such as a zebra being eaten alive by a hyena over a 24 hour period were described in graphic detail, and I didn’t enjoy it. I didn’t think the detail added anything to the plot, and it just made me uncomfortable. Perhaps it was intended to show the “true nature” of animals, and eventually, of humans, but I just didn’t need so much specific information. Many people wouldn’t think anything of it, but as an animal lover and someone who’s far too empathetic, it bothered me. I did enjoy the story itself, as it was both entertaining and fascinating. The “man-eating island” full of meetkats was a unique surprise and unexpected. I was quite bewildered by the main character’s assurances that the story would “make you believe in God”, because I didn’t think the book was any more spiritual than a Disney production of “Swiss Family Robinson”. Pi’s religious faith seemed superficial and bordering on mania—he worshipped God as if worshipping a rock star or famous athlete. Perhaps I’m supposed to believe that his faith helped him survive, or that his survival was proof that God was by his side. All I ended up thinking was that if there really is a God, PI wouldn’t have ended up orphaned and shipwrecked in the first place.

So, an entertaining story, quite violent, and confusing in its message if you’re a heathen like me.

Posted by Leigh-Ann on 01/11 at 11:15 PM
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Saturday, January 01, 2005 , mid-afternoon

Fatherland

I’ve just finished reading the book Fatherland by Robert Harris. I’d enjoyed “Pompeii” by the same author, which is why I picked up both “Fatherland” and “Archangel” (but I haven’t read the latter yet). I thought “Fatherland” was interesting, but it seemed to drag every so slightly in places. I was also unprepared for the very graphic account of the Holocaust and mass executions which came near the end of the book. While I’m aware such events took place and am horrified by them, I prefer not to voluntarily read about them in graphic detail. For example, I’d rather read a biography of a person who died in Auschwitz than a second-by-second account of their last 5 minutes of life. I read the last part of “Fatherland” right before trying to fall asleep last night, and it was some disturbing imagery to have left in my head.

Posted by Leigh-Ann on 01/01 at 03:50 PM
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Saturday, December 25, 2004 , evening

Books and stuff

I didn’t think the words “too much chocolate” would ever come falling from my lips, but as of this morning, I definitely don’t care if I see any for a while. We were given gifts of candy bars, gifts of sundae sauces, gifts of cookies, gifts of brownies, gifts of boxed chocolates, gifts of products to help you cook stuff with chocolate… it made me crave potato chips. Tomorrow morning it’s all going in the freezer and I’ll sort it out later. I know I’ll appreciate it all eventually, and I love to be prepared for any chocolate emergency, but right now I’m on chocolate hiatus.

I was very excited to receive some great non-edibles as well. Nancy’s parents gave me an ASPCA t-shirt, which I’ve coveted ever since I first spotted it in the ASPCA.org online store. The shirt says, “I found my best friend at at animal shelter”, and I have to admit that might not be the absolute truth. Our most celebrated animal shelter find is Phoenix, and I often think she doesn’t even like me very much, let alone think of me as her best friend. That’s the price I pay for being the one who does the doggie dirty work—baths, ear cleanings, toenail trims, allergy shots, etc. No one ever appreciates the scut work. They also gave me the Dead Like Me Season 1 DVD box set. Nancy and I just love “Dead Like Me”, but discovered the show a bit late and haven’t seen some episodes from season 1. Now we’ll be able to catch up at our own pace. From some other friends (my online “Secret Santa”), I received Life of Pi and A Writer on Writing by Margaret Atwood. I need to start going to bed earlier so I can get more reading accomplished.

Speaking of “accomplished”, I just finished reading, Swimming to Antarctica by Lynne Cox. Not the most grippingly-written book, but a pretty fascinating story about a woman who has incredible endurance and can withstand intensely cold temperatures for long periods of time. Read it while you’re huddled up under a blanket even though your furnace is at 74 degrees so and you’ll really appreciate what she was able to accomplish.

Posted by Leigh-Ann on 12/25 at 08:21 PM
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