The Writing Style of Mary Roach Mary Roach has written seven books in her time as an author. They all focus on the sciences and two of them, Spook and Stiff, arguably Roach’s two most famous books, have much more in common than one might think. There are multiple aspects that the books share, however, what stands out is their similarity not only in topic but in tone and style. Stiff: The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers is Roach’s first book. Published in 2003, Stiff tells tales of cadavers and the work they do to better our understanding of science and the human body. It’s chalked full of humorous stories and comments from Roach, scientific research done by herself and others and historical evidence. Roach tells us about her experiences
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This is a book perhaps better suited for those interested in the paranormal. Spook is a collection of ghost stories, paranormal investigations, research and questions regarding the afterlife and the human soul. Some of the information it contains can be found in Stiff as well but the style and tone are much the same.
Roach’s dry and off topic tendencies can be seen in Spook, though they’re watered down and her comedy has greatly improved since her first book.
Mary Roach writes in a rather predictable way once one reads multiple books of hers. You can expect long paragraphs and even longer chapters, beginning with a single black and white image that often has no obvious correlation to what you’re about to read. There will be words you don’t know how to pronounce, much less understand and when you read an entry from a medical journal written hundreds of years ago but some bald headed monk in Europe your response will likely consist of the words, who, what, when, why, where and how. You’ll ask yourself the questions she asks herself and try to find the answers because more often than not you won’t find them in the book and toward the end you’ll realize you didn’t gain a better understanding of the subject but you know plenty about cheesecloth, silk scales, aircrafts how to dehumanize a
This is a book perhaps better suited for those interested in the paranormal. Spook is a collection of ghost stories, paranormal investigations, research and questions regarding the afterlife and the human soul. Some of the information it contains can be found in Stiff as well but the style and tone are much the same.
Roach’s dry and off topic tendencies can be seen in Spook, though they’re watered down and her comedy has greatly improved since her first book.
Mary Roach writes in a rather predictable way once one reads multiple books of hers. You can expect long paragraphs and even longer chapters, beginning with a single black and white image that often has no obvious correlation to what you’re about to read. There will be words you don’t know how to pronounce, much less understand and when you read an entry from a medical journal written hundreds of years ago but some bald headed monk in Europe your response will likely consist of the words, who, what, when, why, where and how. You’ll ask yourself the questions she asks herself and try to find the answers because more often than not you won’t find them in the book and toward the end you’ll realize you didn’t gain a better understanding of the subject but you know plenty about cheesecloth, silk scales, aircrafts how to dehumanize a