Spook: Science Tackles the Afterlife: Roach, Mary: 9780393059625: Amazon.com: Books (original) (raw)
Customers say
Customers find the book to be an entertaining and intelligent read. They also find the information insightful, informative, and well-researched. Readers describe the humor as funny and fun. They praise the writing style as witty and talented. Opinions are mixed on the skepticism, with some finding it non-judgmental while others say it's extreme at times.
AI-generated from the text of customer reviews
84 customers mention "Readability"69 positive15 negative
Customers find the book entertaining, intelligent, and accessible. They appreciate the author's running commentary and say she is adept at keeping readers engaged. Readers also mention that the book is thought-provoking and has easily digestible chapters.
"...detailed and informative narratives mixed with humor and easily digestible chapters made me give it a try. And it did not disappoint...." Read more
"...Overall, a worthwhile read which delves into some very interesting subject matter...." Read more
"...Roach offers an intelligent and accessible book, even admitting when some bits are beyond her..." Read more
"...STIFF was the first book of hers that I read, and it was amazing. This one I struggled to even finish...." Read more
75 customers mention "Information quality"61 positive14 negative
Customers find the information in the book insightful, informative, and detailed. They also say the book is well-researched and interesting. Readers mention the author's research style is idiosyncratic and serendipitous.
"...her gift of writing incredibly detailed and informative narratives mixed with humor and easily digestible chapters made me give..." Read more
"...Book cites extensive source materials; Notations on subject matter in each chapter. I read/ listened to digital editions." Read more
"...Her research style is idiosyncratic and serendipitous...." Read more
"What an interesting and entertaining book. I’d love to hang out with Mary Roach...." Read more
74 customers mention "Humor"53 positive21 negative
Customers find the book truly funny, fun, and entertaining. They also say it's filled with human stories and events that touch everyone.
"...Like "Stiff", "Spook" is a compendium of wit, morbidity, and hilarious anectdotes which converge to form a collection of loosely related..." Read more
"...She has a quirky sense of humor, but doesn't overpower me with it. Just flashes it to lighten what could otherwise be a boring subject...." Read more
"...In short, this is an entertaining fluff piece with no value beyond temporary entertainment...." Read more
"What an interesting and entertaining book. I’d love to hang out with Mary Roach...." Read more
57 customers mention "Writing style"48 positive9 negative
Customers find the writing style witty, detailed, and informative. They also say the author has a good sense of humor.
"...her gift of writing incredibly detailed and informative narratives mixed with humor and easily..." Read more
"...Like "Stiff", "Spook" is a compendium of wit, morbidity, and hilarious anectdotes which converge to form a collection of loosely related..." Read more
"...I don't know that it's great science, great journalism or even great writing, but Roach intends the reader to know her pretty well as a person after..." Read more
"The main thing for ME is that the author uses English in a gifted, professional manner. So refreshing to read this...." Read more
4 customers mention "Spookiness level"4 positive0 negative
Customers find the book not scary, but funny. They say it's a compendium of wit, morbidity, and hilarious anecdotes.
"...Like "Stiff", "Spook" is a compendium of wit, morbidity, and hilarious anectdotes which converge to form a collection of loosely related..." Read more
"...Entertaining and not at all frightening. Skepticism is a little extreme at times." Read more
9 customers mention "Skepticism"6 positive3 negative
Customers have mixed opinions about the skepticism of the book. Some mention the author is never aloof with her viewpoints, brings in a balance of opinions, and takes a non-judgmental tone throughout. However, others say the skeptism is a little extreme at times and the writing doesn't balance the lack of critical thinking.
"...She is brazen with her mistakes and is never aloof with her viewpoints...." Read more
"...with the treatment of the subject material and the obvious bias of the author toward metaphysics in general...." Read more
"...I’d love to hang out with Mary Roach. She brings in a balance of opinions, approaches things scientifically without resorting to dry facts..." Read more
"...She takes a heroically balanced, non-judgmental tone throughout, which must have been tough given the many... lets call them eccentric... people she..." Read more
5 customers mention "Illustrations"0 positive5 negative
Customers find the illustrations in the book lacking. They mention the images introducing each chapter are not included.
"I purchased the kindle edition and discovered that none of the books illustrations were included. There was no warning before purchase that I saw...." Read more
"Warning. The kindle version does not have pictures. That is not made known upfront...." Read more
"...Kindle edition is less than straightforward: the images introducing each chapter are not included, and this is not made clear in the description of..." Read more
"...However, DON'T buy it on the Kindle. There are no images AND the footnotes, with few exceptions, are at the end of the book which makes them too..." Read more
4 customers mention "Difficulty to follow"0 positive4 negative
Customers find the book difficult to follow. They mention it's long-winded and hard to get through. Readers also say the book is highly technical, intellectual, and cerebral.
"...Some portions were interesting and others a bit hard to get through." Read more
"...familiarity and objective prose that becomes long-winded and difficult to follow in one or two spots...." Read more
"...But Amazon's marketing of the Kindle edition is less than straightforward: the images introducing each chapter are not included, and this is not..." Read more
"This book was highly technical, intellectual and "cerebral," and downright STUPID at times. I was disappointed." Read more
Reviews with images
Great book, Not so "great on Kindle"
Stupid "Great on Kindle" tag. It's meaningless. Not a great reading experience when the Kindle version says "Images in this book are not displayed owing to permissive issues."Had I known this would be the case, I would have bought it in a different format.
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Top reviews from the United States
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Reviewed in the United States on March 20, 2020
I came to this book by way of Stiff - Mary’s absolute masterpiece. And while Spook’s subject matter didn’t interest me much (I’m a skeptic and an atheist and do not believe in ghosts) her gift of writing incredibly detailed and informative narratives mixed with humor and easily digestible chapters made me give it a try. And it did not disappoint. Mary is beyond talented, I only wish she published more books.
Reviewed in the United States on November 25, 2006
It required very little convincing for me to immediately delve into "Spook," Mary Roach's sophomore literary effort. Her enthusiasm for her material is evident in her first book, "Stiff: The Curious Lives of Human Cadavars." Like "Stiff", "Spook" is a compendium of wit, morbidity, and hilarious anectdotes which converge to form a collection of loosely related (in fact, afterlife is often the sole connector) examinations of what, exactly, actually happens when we die. Ultimately, Roach seeks to answer what really may be the 'ultimate question': Is there an afterlife? While her attempts are ultimately futile in a definitive scientific answer, the conclusion is generally that something happens after death. What this something is remains ambigious - either because we do not have the science to understand, or have not developed an adequate study method.
Each section ('chapter' would be a misnomer , as they tend to be 20 - 30 pages in length) examines different methodologies of 'studying,' using what seems to be a generally loose version of the scientific method, the afterlife. The book begins in an anticlimactic fashion, with Roach's journey to follow an Indian researcher, who seeks to interview and categorize supposed instances of reincarnation. It is unfortunate that this chapter is the first delve into the material, as of all the sections, it seems to be the unflattering odd-duck: it is slow, verbose, and not as sharp with its language.
The book goes on to considerably better itself in subsequent chapters. In contrast to "Stiff," "Spook" improves throgh the course of the book, the humor never becomes forced. The greater inclusion of her opinions, thoughts, and foibles. Roach explores studies of the afterlife ranging from the infamous '21 gram' experiment, to scientists studying the effect of electromagnetic and infrasound upon the human brain. She is brazen with her mistakes and is never aloof with her viewpoints. Rather than blindly following, or outright denying, what is presented throughout the book, she is objective with her analysis.
Roach is talented at writing, for sure, and the inclusion of tangential stories and factoids keep the material fresh. The footnotes are not to be missed: each contains a snippet of Roach's wry, delightful insight paired with a quasi-related factoid. Indeed, the footnotes remain a gem of the book, housing some of the funnier tales of Roach's research.
My own praise aside, there are a few shortfalls to "Spook." First, Mary Roach is evidently at the the very start of her foray into the afterlife (even explicitely stating such in the epilogue). Her explanations for experiments read considerably differently than her usual prose: this literary behavior indicates (to me, at least) that she is pulling her definitions from other sources, and only superficially rewriting them. While Roach is clearly comfortable with her own prose, her tone shifts dramatically when it comes to explaining more in-depth science. The book,as well, tends to lack in any in-depth analysis. Roach is candid with her responses and reactions, but only superficially examines the experiment setups. She is slow to question or needle her subjects on their work, which makes her ultimate conclusions about the different scientists and experiments somewhat questionable.
Overall, a worthwhile read which delves into some very interesting subject matter. It is light on the 'heavy science,' and tends to fall into the tried-and-true regiment of anectdotes and witty commentary. Does it answer, then, the 'ultimate' question? ...Not entirely. Even if the 'ultimate' answer waffles from person to person, it's sure a lot of fun getting there.
21 people found this helpful
Reviewed in the United States on February 14, 2024
I love Mary Roach. This is probably my favorite book of hers. (This topic id ver interesting to me.). The only disappointing thing is that they CHANGED THE TITLE! Many of her books have one word titles and this one was originally titled Spook.
4 people found this helpful
Reviewed in the United States on December 29, 2021
Title should be: The depths and variety of the folly of man - a brief look at biased science by a layman. This reader was disappointed with the treatment of the subject material and the obvious bias of the author toward metaphysics in general. The author is admittedly not a qualified scientist, therefore has no credential to write on this topic in any serious way. In short, this is an entertaining fluff piece with no value beyond temporary entertainment.
The scientific community is well aware of dangers biased research is having on the advancement of human scientific knowledge. This takes the form of agendas to the subtle results driven by cognitive dissonance.
It has been said that for a newly proven scientific fact to get a proper review in the scientific community, the older generation of scientist who will strongly resist the new idea have died.
Science is the pursuit of knowledge, even when it is known an earlier idea upon which the reputation and possibly income stream of one or more persons is dependant is proven wrong or incomplete.
Ethics in scientific research requires serious attention, in my view, along with equally serious attention to our educational systems, if humans are to advance our knowledge.
Most importantly we must remember our knowledge of our reality is simply a metaphor of reality. We barely have the knowledge to begin learning.
Common knowledge and fantasy seem to be supplanting real science today, and both present an incorrect view of our reality. Human knowledge is in peril.
7 people found this helpful
Reviewed in the United States on April 28, 2009
Mary Roach looks at the afterlife through the eyes of science, both past & present. It's a tough subject to pin down, as she shows in her typically thorough & funny way. If you read this looking for what actually does happen after you die, you've picked up the wrong book. She says that in her introduction - obviously some reviewers don't read introductions. Yes, she was trying to find out. She interviewed dozens of scientists, read up on more & even went on outings or classes with a few paranormal clubs. The upshot is, no one reliably knows. But her explorations & the facts she turned up makes a wonderful read.
Her research seems pretty exhaustive to me. I don't know much about the subject nor do I have a lot of interest. I confess, I bought the book because I enjoy her writing. She has a quirky sense of humor, but doesn't overpower me with it. Just flashes it to lighten what could otherwise be a boring subject. How many people want to read about someone going to medium school, after all? Well she did & made it interesting.
I can't wait to read her next book "Bonk - the curious coupling of sex & science". After having several kids, I probably know all I need to about sex, but the trip with her should be interesting!
5 people found this helpful
Top reviews from other countries
5.0 out of 5 stars Great read
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on March 30, 2021
If you're hoping to bolster your beliefs in the after-life this book is not for you. Well researched, fun, informative.
5.0 out of 5 stars Bon Produit, répond à mes besoins, comme prévu et décrit.
Reviewed in France on November 1, 2019
Bon Produit, répond à mes besoins, comme prévu et décrit.
3.0 out of 5 stars It's okay
Reviewed in Japan on February 4, 2020
Funny and informative. With Roach you’ll always learn something new. But when you have a lady who ate cheesecloth wholesale so she could regurgitate it later (many interesting individuals in this book), I think you can do a little bit less with the jokes.
5.0 out of 5 stars Another fantastic book by Mary Roach!
Reviewed in Canada on January 16, 2014
This is the 2nd of 3 books by Mary Roach I've read and non have been disappointing in the least. She's such a good researcher, thorough, meticulous, and humorous. She delves into all the aspects of life after death, from the medical mysteries to the early charlatans holding seances. Her writing style is so much fun, it's a book you can't put down. I love her work.
4.0 out of 5 stars Good author.
Reviewed in Canada on August 9, 2019