Spook: Science Tackles the Afterlife

· W. W. Norton & Company
26 reviews
Ebook
313
Pages
Eligible
83% price drop on Oct 13

About this ebook

What happens when we die? The bestselling author of Stiff and Packing for Mars "makes a clever investigator and a thoroughly entertaining, if skeptical, tour guide." (Janet Maslin, New York Times)

"A hilarious look at misadventures in paranormal research. . . . Surreal, fascinating, at times absurd" ( Boulder Weekly ).

"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 laptop?"

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.

"Roach makes herself a wry, enjoyable character throughout the book's escapades . . . a clever investigator and a thoroughly entertaining, if skeptical, tour guide." — New York Times

"Reading Spook is like attending a lecture who is equal parts Groucho Marx and Stephen Jay Gould, both enlightening and entertaining." — Sunday Denver Post & Rocky Mountain News

What happens when we die? The bestselling author of Stiff and Packing for Mars "makes a clever investigator and a thoroughly entertaining, if skeptical, tour guide." (Janet Maslin, New York Times) "A hilarious look at misadventures in paranormal research. . . . Surreal, fascinating, at times abs...

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Ratings and reviews

26 reviews
Yanik Proulx
September 5, 2013
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.
4 people found this review helpful
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Patrick Connor
July 20, 2014
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.
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Dave Lamb
January 4, 2020
The Book Is Great - Where Are the Pictures?! I was very disappointed to learn that the book I'd paid for was missing all the images because of "permissiveness issues." That's just nonsense. When I pay for something, I want the whole thing!
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About the author

Mary Roach is the author of seven 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 California.
Mary Roach is the author of seven 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 California.

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