Spook: Science Tackles the Afterlife

Mary Roach

Oct 2006 · W. W. Norton & Company

About this ebook

The best-selling author of Stiff  and Bonk trains her considerable wit and curiosity on the human soul. "What happens when we die? Does the light just go out and that's that—the million-year nap? Or will some part of my personality, my me-ness persist? What will that feel like? What will I do all day? Is there a place to plug in my lap-top?" In an attempt to find out, Mary Roach brings her tireless curiosity to bear on an array of contemporary and historical soul-searchers: scientists, schemers, engineers, mediums, all trying to prove (or disprove) that life goes on after we die.

Ratings and reviews

I loved "Gulp" and "Stiff", I could hardly put them down, so I bought "Spooks" without giving it much thought. I was sadly disappointed. She doesn't seem to have a handle on the subject the way she had with the other books. The chapters go on and on without really having a point to them. And Mary Roach's humour is mostly absent.

Doesn't live up to the level of writing present in her earlier works. Gotta give her a break as the subject is a hard nut to crack for a research journalist.

Death, can be scary. What happens after death can be even scarier. But with Roach's twist on it, you may just see that it's not all its cracked up to be.

About the author

Mary Roach is the author of five best-selling works of nonfiction, including Grunt, Stiff, and, most recently, Fuzz. Her writing has appeared in National Geographic and the New York Times Magazine, among other publications. She lives in Oakland, California.