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A review by kerishma
Still Life with Bones by Alexa Hagerty
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
4.0
Part memoir, part history, part existential musings, Still Life with Bones is a thoughtfully written exploration of the discipline of forensic anthropology and the unspeakable acts of violence and rebellion that spurred its creation. It is a heavy read to be sure, but is also marked by beautiful moments of community grief, catharsis, and healing. I found parts where Hagerty brought in philosophers like Freud and Mbembe a little clumsily executed, but that's probably a personal style issue.
Not included in my rating, but: After completing this book, I perused Hagerty's website and social media and was disappointed to see that she hasn't commented or written publicly about the war in Palestine. I understand that her focus area of study is Latin America (at least, that's what I assume from the book), but as a public expert on human rights and genocide, and firsthand witness to the consequences of unchecked violence, I find it strange that she has had no public comment that I could find. It's especially disappointing because her book is a lesson not just in the memorialization of the dead, but in the efforts to fight the injustice that resulted in death and disappearance in the first place.
Not included in my rating, but: After completing this book, I perused Hagerty's website and social media and was disappointed to see that she hasn't commented or written publicly about the war in Palestine. I understand that her focus area of study is Latin America (at least, that's what I assume from the book), but as a public expert on human rights and genocide, and firsthand witness to the consequences of unchecked violence, I find it strange that she has had no public comment that I could find. It's especially disappointing because her book is a lesson not just in the memorialization of the dead, but in the efforts to fight the injustice that resulted in death and disappearance in the first place.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Genocide, Sexual violence, Torture, Violence, Police brutality, Kidnapping, Grief, Murder, and War