In "Stiff: The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers," author Mary Roach explores the complex and often unsettling world of human cadavers. Through vivid and sometimes graphic descriptions, she illustrates the various ways bodies are used after death, highlighting practices in medical research, mortuary science, and forensic studies. Such insights reveal both the scientific value and the macabre nature of handling human remains.

Roach's writing incorporates dark humor and stark imagery, as seen in her descriptions of cadaver handling—like intestines resembling streamers and skulls cooking in boiling pots. These images serve to emphasize the reality of death and the unique role cadavers play in expanding knowledge in fields ranging from medicine to anthropology, inviting readers to confront the often taboo subject of life after death.