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sassafras_kate's review against another edition
4.0
If you have any interest in human bones, this is a very accessible, enjoyable foray into that world. Switek's enthusiasm for bones shines throughout the book, and he covers things from the evolutionary formation of bones to unusual bone diseases/formations, questionable cultural practices around human bones, display/ornamentation using bones, and even what it would take for your own bones to become fossilized.
As a fan of ossuaries and things like the Mutter Museum, I enjoyed this. If I had any complaints, it would be that Switek covers so much ground so accessibly that sometimes I wanted him to spend more time, detail, and depth on things that I found really fascinating. But I think it's a fine balance to strike between enthusiasm and tedium, and he generally does a great job of providing insightful information and enticing a reader to want to learn more.
As a fan of ossuaries and things like the Mutter Museum, I enjoyed this. If I had any complaints, it would be that Switek covers so much ground so accessibly that sometimes I wanted him to spend more time, detail, and depth on things that I found really fascinating. But I think it's a fine balance to strike between enthusiasm and tedium, and he generally does a great job of providing insightful information and enticing a reader to want to learn more.
balletbookworm's review against another edition
4.0
A fun overview of the history of the human skeleton and what it can tell us about our past. Switek’s background is in non-human paleontology so he comes at the subject with an interesting mix of experience and self-education. He covers some famous cases of identification (such as when the skeleton of Richard III was positively identified) as well as the ethics of treating the skeletons of people who once lived as curios and objects to keep in museums. I think Switek did an excellent job presenting all the information here with due respect for indigenous cultures and striped back the history of racist and misogynist ideology which has permeated study of human skeletons.
alannathelioness's review against another edition
informative
medium-paced
4.5
I honestly loved how each chapter was set up as a discrete essay of sorts. This book tells you the history of bones, and how bones have been studied as well. It is a solid introduction to the anthropology of death and the human skeleton.
annieb123's review
4.0
Originally published on my blog: Nonstop Reader.
The Secret Life of Bones is a new popular science treatise on all things bone and skeletal by natural history writer (and paleontologist) Brian Switek. Released 8th Aug 2019 by Prelude books, it's available in paperback format. It's unclear from the publishing info available online, but the eARC I received also has a handy interactive table of contents as well as interactive links and references. I've really become enamored of ebooks with interactive formats lately.
The book itself is split into 10 chapters plus an erudite and entertaining introduction, each containing an anecdote and history around which framework the stories are woven. Covered in the book are Grover Krantz (famous anthropologist and proponent of bigfoot as real), the undying rivalry between Othniel Charles Marsh and Edward Drinker Cope, the discovery of English king Richard III buried under a car park lo, these 550 years since, and confidently identified through the magic of DNA analysis, along with several others.
This is a wildly entertaining book, scientifically accurate and layman accessible. I really enjoyed reading about some of the methods used by modern anthropologists and paleontologists along with the scientific background involved. This would make a really good read for fans of natural history.
Four stars.
Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.
The Secret Life of Bones is a new popular science treatise on all things bone and skeletal by natural history writer (and paleontologist) Brian Switek. Released 8th Aug 2019 by Prelude books, it's available in paperback format. It's unclear from the publishing info available online, but the eARC I received also has a handy interactive table of contents as well as interactive links and references. I've really become enamored of ebooks with interactive formats lately.
The book itself is split into 10 chapters plus an erudite and entertaining introduction, each containing an anecdote and history around which framework the stories are woven. Covered in the book are Grover Krantz (famous anthropologist and proponent of bigfoot as real), the undying rivalry between Othniel Charles Marsh and Edward Drinker Cope, the discovery of English king Richard III buried under a car park lo, these 550 years since, and confidently identified through the magic of DNA analysis, along with several others.
This is a wildly entertaining book, scientifically accurate and layman accessible. I really enjoyed reading about some of the methods used by modern anthropologists and paleontologists along with the scientific background involved. This would make a really good read for fans of natural history.
Four stars.
Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.
rj6578's review against another edition
4.0
I was hoping this would be more about how bones are made and regrow. However, learning the history and other facts was just as good.
85838384's review against another edition
5.0
‘The entire paleontological discipline is based on resurrecting the extinct, if only in our minds.’
‘A skull is a death’s-head, reminding us of what awaits us all. “As I am now, so will you be. As you are now, so once was I.”’
‘After all, we are not seperate from nature but an especially unusual manifestation of it.’