A review by hmcgow83
Spook: Science Tackles the Afterlife by Mary Roach

2.0

Having previously enjoyed Mary Roach's books, I had no reason to believe I wouldn't like this one. I think maybe Roach does best with the intersection of humor and hard facts - which are few and far between with a topic like the afterlife. It was clear that Roach was approaching her research with a tone of skepticism, but that came off as smug in the writing. The first chapter was especially hard to read, with Roach using phrases like "poorly educated villager" to refer to someone who believes in Hindu reincarnation and describing herself throwing a tantrum over being asked to wear a sari. "I'm sorry about...I don't know. I'm not very submissive." she says to her host family, as though that's the problem with her being able to enjoy or appreciate Indian culture. Even if all of that was her attempt at humor, it was clear her research in India was not grounded in cultural respect. The subject matter itself saved the book from being a total wash, but overall I found it boring at best and insensitive at worst.