The Ghost Map: The Story of London’s Most Terrifying Epidemic – and How It Changed Science, Cities, and the Modern World – Steven Johnson | Nonfiction
In this historical nonfiction book, Steven Johnson tells the terrifying story of the cholera epidemic of London in 1854. Two unlikely heroes, anesthetist Doctor John Snow and Reverend Henry Whitehead, worked together to defeat the disease through local knowledge, research, and cartography.
Stiff: The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers – Mary Roach | Nonfiction
Strangely compelling and often amusing, Mary Roach explores the lives of human bodies after death. For over 2,000 years, cadavers have been involved in some of the boldest revelations in scientific research – some willingly, some not.
How We Die: Reflections of Life’s Final Chapter – Sherwin B. Nuland | Nonfiction
From experienced surgeon, Sherwin B. Nuland, is an exploration of death. He describes the processes of 6 major types of death: heart disease, stroke, AIDS, cancer, accidents and suicide, and Alzheimer’s Disease. There is a personal spin on this examination, as Nuland draws on his own experiences from his career.
All That Remains: A Renowned Forensic Scientist on Death, Mortality, and Solving Crimes – Sue Black | Nonfiction
Sue Black is a Professor of Anatomy and Forensic Anthropology. She examines human remains in her lab, in graveyards, at crime scenes, and she also investigates mass fatalities from war, accidents, or natural disaster. Her memoir is simultaneously scientific, medical, and true crime.
Dissection: Photographs of a Rite of Passage in American Medicine 1880-1930 – John Harley Warner & James M. Edmonson | Nonfiction
From the 19th century into the 20th, medical students secretly photographed themselves with the cadavers that they dissected for their studies. This book includes 138 of the historic photographs and essays by two experts on the subject.
Smoke Gets in Your Eyes & Other Lessons from the Crematory – Caitlin Doughty | Nonfiction
Doughty took a job at a crematory. Her morbid curiosity about death and cadavers turned into her life’s work. Most people want to avoid the topic of death, but Doughty approaches her caring for dead bodies with candidness, humor, and sincerity.
