Roach, Mary - Spook: Science Tackles the Afterlife

[oyceter]

Despite the subtitle, Spook isn't actually a scientific debunking of various beliefs and practices surrounding the afterlife. Rather, Mary Roach undergoes a sort of journey to see what her take on things like reincarnation, near-death experiences and psychics is.

Roach is a bit of a skeptic, though I wouldn't say she's extraordinarily skeptical. But that may be because I'm a bit of a skeptic myself when it comes to these sorts of things. Mostly she finds that when it comes to the afterlife, none of the studies she witnesses or the people she talks to really convinces her of anything, although there are one or to moments in which she begins to wonder. Mostly it's just fun going around with her in the book and reading her opinions on things, particularly when she joins a school for mediums.

The chapter that I found the most interesting was the one on near-death experiences, but that may just be because I read Connie Willis' Passage, which has a good deal about NDEs in it.

Luckily, the strength of the book isn't in scientific debunking or anything of the sort. Roach just goes around and seems to have a great deal of fun poking her nose into various things, and she's got a wry narrative voice which is extremely fun to read. Spook actually ended up being much funnier than I thought it would be, despite rachelmanija telling me that it was pretty fun. Also, I'd tell people to read it if only for the irreverent but never mean-spirited commentary and footnotes!

Comments

[actoplasm.livejournal.com]

I was wondering how she was going to tackle the afterlife. I read, own and love Stiff about everything we do with the dead from the body farm in Virginia to strange Scandinavian burial practices that involve freezing then breaking up the body into bits and using them as fertilizer. I'll have to give it a try eventually -- the book I mean :-)

[oyceter]

Ooo, I've been wanting to read Stiff for a while, and now want to read it even more after this one.

Anyhow, I'd rec Spook -- it's funny and a really fast read, and I just like her writing.

[rachelmanija.livejournal.com]

I think my favorite part was when she went to the library to examine a preserved specimen of ectoplasm.

If you read Sarah Waters' Affinity, by the way, which I highly recommend that you do, it has a lot more about Victorian seances and their sexual overtones.

[oyceter]

Oh yeah, that was great! Especially with the bits on where the ectoplasm would emerge from, hee!

Sarah Waters... should I look for her in general fiction or genre?

[rachelmanija.livejournal.com]

Sarah Waters is in general fiction, trade paperback.

I loved the bit where Mary Roach says she went and had lamb for lunch.

[actoplasm.livejournal.com]

Next time we meet up, remind me before, and we can do our usual book swap and I'll be sure to bring it.

[qiihoskeh]

I'm interested in reading your thoughts about Passage.

[oyceter]

Niftiness! I actually linked to it in the above post because I am self-centered that way ;).

[qiihoskeh]

Someday my brain will learn to recognize and follow links. And someday it will learn to log in before posting comments. I made a couple on your Passage post which came out anonymous.