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

3.0

Let me start by saying I LOVED Stiff. It was one of my favorite books that I read last year. With Stiff, we got tons of science and research with a little bit of Roach's charm and humor and it made the experience a special one, but with Spook, we get mostly Roach's jokes and only a little bit of science. This one was so heavy with the snark and funny anecdotes that it felt like Roach couldn't treat the subject seriously at all and didn't even try to - or any of the people she interviewed. I am not a religious or spiritual person, so I share the skepticism of the author, but even I felt a little offended at the tone.

My biggest gripe with this book, though, is how long we spent on Spiritualism. A slog of chapters making fun of mediums, which I already had zero interest in, made it difficult to get through.

Unfortunately there isn't much new information to share in the scientific search for the afterlife, so I'll save you a read: There is no proof. You can continue about your day.