Written In Bone: hidden stories in what we leave behind
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Average rating4.3
Our bones are the silent witnesses to the lives we lead. Our stories are marbled into their marrow. Drawing upon her years of research and a wealth of remarkable experience, the world-renowned forensic anthropologist Dame Sue Black takes us on a journey of revelation. From skull to toe, via the teeth, spine, chest, arms, hands, pelvis and legs, she delicately reverse engineers events, piecing together the evidence in our remains to discover thedetails of lives once lived. All that we eat, where we go, everything we do leaves a trace, a message that waits patiently in our bones for the forensic anthropologist to decipher it. Some of this information is easily understood, some holds its secrets tight and needs scientific cajoling to be released. Sue Black's Written in Bone will astonish and amaze as it unravels with intimate sensitivity and compassion the inside story of what we leave behind.
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Engaging and informative.
It was a surprisingly easy and pleasant read given the subject matter. Black managed to blend technical questions and anecdotes well enough that nothing came across as jarring or droning. Some anecdotes are cute or funny but some are also pretty heartbreaking so it's never boring. It's not lacking in “case studies” so even if you have read quite a few books on the topic you'll probably still find new information but at no point did I feel that the author was drowning me in technicalities.
If you like true crime that isn't focused on the sordid how and why of the killers or in the shock value but on the science that goes into giving some victims their identity back and bringing the perpetrators to face the law, you'll find a very human approach to just that in this book.
Black never comes across as haughty or self-important and she constantly stresses the importance of collaboration and of considering all the actors in a situation, something I found quite endearing.
I received a review copy of this book from Skyhorse Publishing through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
