Death: Corpses, Cadavers, and Other Grave Matters (Discovery!) [Library Binding]

Elizabeth A. Murray (Author)

Book Description

Age Level: 11 and up | Grade Level: 6 and up | Series: Discovery!

Everyone dies . . . but what happens inside the human body when death occurs? What body systems are key for holding on to life? And what value does studying death have for those of us still living? Explore all of the answers with a forensic scientist who takes a look at the body's interconnected cellular systems and the links between life and death.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Gr 7 Up–Murray, a forensic anthropologist, has written a book that deals with the scientific aspect of life and death. Her experience as a teacher of anatomy and physiology comes through as she explains the living body, what happens when systems shut down, and how postmortem remains can give evidence to solve crimes and the mysteries of diseases. Some controversial subjects such as stem-cell research and euthanasia are presented but readers are left to develop their own opinions based on the facts offered. First-person accounts of terminally ill patients and those working in the fields of pathology, hospice, and anatomy clarify subjects presented in the chapters. Color photographs are included throughout, some of which are potentially disturbing. The glossary and bibliography are extensive and helpful. This book provides information for those who are curious about a subject that is not easy to discuss.Denise Moore, O'Gorman Junior High School, Sioux Falls, SD
© Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

From Booklist

Murray’s closing words would work just as well as an introduction: “Death is part of life.” Meticulously organized and admirably levelheaded, this tour through life’s final act is best suited for future medical professionals or resolute realists—the afterlife is given only a cursory shrug in favor of page after page of hard truths. One could divide the book in half, with the first four chapters cycling through the properties of life (basically, homeostasis) and death (defined as when “a certain number” of cells stop working), while sidestepping the sadness of near-death scenarios with a sober bedside manner. The final three chapters move into the realm of mortuary operations, autopsies, forensics, and decomposition. The colorful layout features plenty of photographs cropped just short of being icky, and sidebars proliferate, the most fascinating of which are job profiles (hospice nurse, body donation manager). Hot-button issues (stem cells, Terry Schiavo) are seamlessly integrated throughout. There’s not enough attitude to make this the YA equivalent to Mary Roach’s Stiff (2003), but it delivers almost as much morbid insight. Grades 8-11. --Daniel Kraus

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Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 11 and up
  
• Library Binding: 112 pages
• Publisher: Twenty First Century Books (April 2010)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0761338519
• ISBN-13: 978-0761338512
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 7.7 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,546,461 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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