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sourryebread's review against another edition
4.5
Graphic: Death, Medical content, and Death of parent
Moderate: Genocide and Murder
Minor: Rape and Sexual assault
avidreaderandgeekgirl's review against another edition
4.75
I think I came at this from a unique perspective of having come close to death, medically, multiple times, and not having a fear of dying/being dead. The only part of death I fear is the potential pain before the actual event.
The author said a lot I agree with, like how we should focus on having a good life while we're here and not focus so much on how long we live, but on the quality of it.
Also, this book inspired me to finally request the paperwork to donate my body to science, which I've been planning to do, but haven't gotten around to. Which I encourage anyone to do if they can't/don't want to be an organ donor.
Overall it was an excellent book and I learned a lot. It had a bit of true crime but was more of a memoir and science book.
Narrator Rating: 4.5 stars
The narrator was good if a bit dry. But it was appropriate for the subject matter.
Extra ratings: Fluff-NA Heartfelt-4.5/5 Helpful-3/5 Horror-NA Inspiration-1/5 Love aka Romance-NA Mystery-NA Predictability-NA Spice-NA Suspense-NA Tear-4/5 Thrill-NA Humor-0.5/5
Graphic: Child death, Death, Gore, Suicide, Terminal illness, Blood, Medical content, Dementia, Grief, Medical trauma, Death of parent, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Child abuse, Genocide, Gun violence, Incest, Pedophilia, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Violence, Mass/school shootings, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, and War
Minor: Animal death, Cancer, and Rape
apersonfromflorida's review against another edition
5.0
Graphic: Child death, Death, Medical trauma, and Death of parent
Moderate: Child abuse, Pedophilia, and Grief
Minor: Cancer, Rape, and Sexual violence
peppermint_kiss's review against another edition
4.25
Graphic: Child death, Death, Genocide, Gore, Hate crime, Violence, Xenophobia, Medical content, Mass/school shootings, Murder, War, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Animal death, Body horror, Confinement, Gun violence, Incest, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Pedophilia, Suicide, Terminal illness, Blood, Grief, Mass/school shootings, and Fire/Fire injury
Minor: Cancer, Chronic illness, Rape, Self harm, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Vomit, Dementia, Cannibalism, and Pregnancy
nyhofs's review against another edition
5.0
Graphic: Death, Genocide, Gore, Suicide, Terminal illness, Violence, Medical content, Dementia, Grief, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, and War
Minor: Child abuse, Pedophilia, and Rape
anovelbeauty's review against another edition
4.75
This book has been on my TBR for ages and I finally got around to it. It’s probably not for people who are a bit squeamish about blunt discussions about decomposing bodies and any of the trigger warnings mentioned above. However, given the topic matter, Dr. Black does a lovely job at thoughtfully and honestly portraying death from honouring those who donate their bodies to science to teach the next generations of scientists and doctors, but also harder topics like murder and mass tragedies. She takes you through her own journey from working at a butcher’s after school in Inverness and through her career as a distinguished forensic anthropologist. The book is meant to help us be more comfortable with the concepts surrounding death, but also understand the science that has formed modern day forensic anthropology. It’s honestly extremely fascinating and I really appreciated how well Dr. Black takes your hand to explore her world and career. Even if you’re not extremely interested in forensic anthropology as a field, I would still recommend this as a way to be more comfortable with death, as it’s one of the few things guaranteed to touch all of us in life. This is thoughtful, educational, poignant, and sometimes humorous. I hope you’re able to take as much out of it as I have!
Graphic: Death, Medical content, and Medical trauma
Moderate: Child abuse, Genocide, Gun violence, Pedophilia, Rape, Sexual assault, Suicide, Terminal illness, and Grief
Minor: Child death and Sexual violence