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Sue Black, a Scottish forensic anthropologist, uses the areas of the body to explain the process of using human remains to piece together the life & death of an individual.

This was a fascinating read! Definitely for any fans of Bones. Black is empathetic while discussing some truly horrific scenes, while also providing in depth (if a little too dry) academic knowledge at the same time, so there‘s a bit of tonal whiplash. 🌕🌕🌕🌕🌑

Sue Black is kind of like the Scottish Bones but with fewer near-death experiences.
As a forensic anthropologist, Black‘s job is to read human remains and tell the story of the decedent‘s life and death. Going part by part, she talks about how the human body is formed, how they‘re affected in life, and what they can tell her after death.
Incredibly interesting but it made me terrified of the human body. 😅

From head to toe, skull to metatarsals, the author explains how forensic anthropologists might learn what happened to the bodies and bones they are asked to examine.

There are lots of stories of horrific cases of abuse and torture in here alongside the science, so be aware of that before venturing to read it.

Black works primarily in the UK though she is requested at sites worldwide, and I wondered how close her practice is to US practices.

Seems appropriate to be reading this waiting to see the doc

As part of my reading more nonfiction reading challenge this year I picked this one up from work the other day. I've always been interested in forensics and what can be learned by studying the body. I found this to be an intriguing read, this author specifically with the way she describes things. For some, this may be a dry read as it does at times read textbook-like. Still, I found it a compelling read.

Hoping to finish this one today. I love Sue Black, she has some very interesting Ted Talks and YouTube videos if you‘re interested in forensic anthropology

I am posting one book per day from my extensive to-be-read collection. No description and providing no reason for wanting to read it, I just do. Some will be old, some will be new. Don‘t judge me - I have a lot of books. Join in if you want!

#ABookADay2023

My review of this book can be found on my YouTube Vlog at:

https://youtu.be/sL4NkZk-oAI

Enjoy!

This book is well structured and full of vivid, squirm-inducing details about what can befall the bones in the human body. If you are interested in forensics or medicine, or liked Black‘s first book (All That Remains), you‘ll probably like this one too. I read it in a morning 😁

I‘d 100% forgotten that Lush‘s Twilight bomb does this and it looks super cool! 😍

My second book by Prof. Sue Black. She has an amazing ability to describe the body, in all it‘s complicated detail to a lay person, with humour and clarity. This book takes the reader through the skeleton, section by section, and describes how our bones can be used to identify us. Fascinating.

Not usually much of a non-fiction reader - this was the first of this genre that I couldn‘t put down! Really engaging read, so interesting...I wonder if I should be a forensic anthropologist when I grow up...