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When We Die : The Science, Culture, and Rituals of Death
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Binding: Paperback
Dewey Decimal Number: 500
EAN: 9780312264116
Edition: 1st
ISBN: 0312264119
Label: St. Martin's Griffin
Manufacturer: St. Martin's Griffin
Number Of Items: 1
Number Of Pages: 384
Publication Date: July 24, 2000
Publisher: St. Martin's Griffin
Studio: St. Martin's Griffin
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Editorial Review:
We'd like to think that only depressed teenage poets and heavy-metal gods are obsessed with death, but let's face it--we're all interested in the great equalizer. Microbiologist and world traveler Cedric Mims writes, "We should accept it and talk about it more than we do--as we have done with the once taboo subject of sex." To that end, he has written When We Die: The Science, Culture, and Rituals of Death and started the conversation with wit and grace. Covering the physical facts and metaphysical beliefs concerning our last exits, Mims shows us that not all is dark and dreary, or even peaceful, on "the other side."
The broad, largely untouched topic offers much fascinating material: cannibalism, organ transplants, mummification, and euthanasia all receive their due. Mims explores questions such as "Are corpses dangerous?" and "Who owns a dead body?" from many perspectives, drawing on his extensive reading and travels to create an intricate mosaic of answers. Though written almanac-style, with facts and stories loosely grouped into chapters, When We Die still possesses a cohesion that makes reading straight through as much fun as browsing. Taking care neither to offend nor to give in to the rigorous solemnity normally weighing on such discussions, Mims takes death out of the goth closet, dusts off the romance, and shows us how it really is. --Rob Lightner
An unusually comprehensive study of death as both a social and scientific phenomenon, When We Die is as frank as it is informed. This far-reaching discussion considers mortality from the personal and the universal perspective, generously citing past and present poets and physicians from a diverse and telling range of traditions. Mims, who for two decades served as Professor of Microbiology at London's Guys Hospital, brings a humane, inquisitive, and learned sensibility to his topic. "This book is a light-hearted but wide-ranging survey of death, the causes of death, and the disposal of corpses," writes Mims. "It tells why we die and how we die, and what happens to the dead body and its bits and pieces. It describes the ways corpses are dealt with in different religions and in different parts of the world; the methods for preserving bodies; and the ways—fascinating in their diversity—in which corpses or parts of corpses are used and abused." The volume also explores such crucial death-based notions as the afterlife, the soul, and the prospect of immortality. By way of the book's main focus, Mims continues: "We should take a more matter-of-fact view of death [and] accept it and talk about it more than we do—as we have done with the once taboo subject of sex." This is a work that any student of social anthropology will find equally enlightening and essential.
Customer Reviews
Average Rating: 
Rating:  - Captivating!
This literary work is fascinating. It covers so many areas in a concise yet thorogh manner. Almost addictive reading. Mims takes an obscured subject and breathes into it a new retrospect.
Rating:  - An interesting - yet imperfect - overview of death & dying
In "When We Die," Biology Professor Cedric Mims provides a succinct overview of all things macabre. He touches upon standard death and dying subjects such as embalming, burial, cremation, organ donation, and bereavement, as well as more unusual topics, including cannibalism, cellular suicide, mummification, compostoriums, acid baths, and necrophilia. No stone is left unturned in his discussion of death, dying, and "the science, culture, and rituals of death."
As much as I enjoyed ... Read More
Rating:  - Poorly written book on a fascinating subject
I have mixed feelings about this book. On the one hand, the subject is fascinating, and Mims delves into many aspects of it: religious, ethical, archaeological, medical, etc. On the other hand, it is extremely poorly written. It reads as if it has not yet gone through an editor. Actually, mistakes like "This treatment costs at least $120,000 dollars" make me think it may *not* have, at least not a competent one. And consider this passage on suicide:
"The very careful, practical suicide ... Read More
Rating: - The Great Taboo Exposed
Death is one of the great taboo subjects- you can't get the real story because no one wants to speak frankly bout it. The subject is just to profound. You feel like a teenager trying to find out what sex means. You eventually find out what that means thru study and experimentation-separating fact from fiction. But with death you only get to experiment 1 time-hard to separate wheat from chafe. If you have an interest in life's 2nd greatest landmark(after birth), I couldn't recommend this book more. ... Read More
Rating: - Don't fear the reaper.
This book is wonderful. I learned something on every page. If you read one book on death this year, read this one. Better than an episode of Quincy.
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