School Library Journal Review
Gr 5-8-These tales of the bizarre and ghoulish "afterlives" of body parts include Galileo's fingers, George Washington's teeth, Lincoln's much-moved body, and other fleshly bits and pieces from actors, musicians, and artists. The book has 17 six-page chapters about wandering body parts, each concluding with a "Where are they now?" sidebar that provides their current locations. Chapters are followed by sections that offer information about related topics such as historical burial traditions and practices, the value of bodies for research, and advances in forensic and pathological science. This topic is one that has perpetual appeal to middle school readers, but the writing and presentation are flawed. Beccia is overly flippant: "The human teeth were sometimes George's own teeth or sometimes teeth he bought from his slaves. I know.pretty gross." Also, her attempts at humor frequently fall flat. The overuse of footnotes, which are a strange mix of additional information and jokes or asides where the author interjects information about herself or her opinions ("Well, duh") or her willingness to "totally" wear Nefertiti's headdress, will likely distract readers. Illustrations are simplistic black-and-white cartoons, many intended to be comical. This book is not as well written or compelling as Georgia Bragg's How They Croaked: The Awful Ends of the Awfully Famous. VERDICT An additional choice where gross-out books are very popular.-Mary Mueller, Rolla Public Schools, MO © Copyright 2018. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Publisher's Weekly Review
In this quirky, clever compendium, Beccia (Fashion Rebels) digs through history to unearth stories about the posthumous fates of notorious individuals' body parts. These include Galileo's fingers, vertebra, and a molar, purloined by men tasked with moving his body to a more prestigious spot a century after his death; Franz Joseph Haydn's head, swiped from his newly interred coffin for scientists to study; Sarah Bernhardt's leg, amputated after an onstage fall and preserved in a French medical school's storage room; and Thomas Alva Edison's literal last breath, captured in a vial and sent to the inventor's closest friend, Henry Ford. The author's chatty, irreverent narrative profiles each highlighted luminary and offers supplementary info on such topics as embalming, phrenology, and cryonics-and ample doses of downright creepy, kid-pleasing trivia. Footnotes contain some factual clarification, but largely provide off-the-cuff commentary that will further engage readers (comparing John Wilkes Booth to a "Hollywood A-lister" of today, Beccia adds, via footnote, "Ryan Gosling also happens to bear an uncanny resemblance to Booth"). Etching-like period illustrations echo the macabre underpinnings of the text and its playfully subversive tone. Ages 8-12. (Apr.) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
Booklist Review
*Starred Review* You've heard about Vincent van Gogh's sliced-off ear, but what about Mata Hari, whose head went missing from the Museum of Anatomy in Paris? Or Elvis Presley's (wait for it) wart, removed by a doctor in 1958 and eventually sold to a private collection? Heck, there are pieces of Galileo (molars! vertebrae! fingers!) all over the place. In this wacky, gross, and remarkably informative volume, Beccia collects the gnarly stories of famous body parts that have been preserved throughout history. In mostly chronological order, she dedicates chapters to these historical figures, some of whom will be familiar to young readers and some of whom will not. First up is Inês de Castro, who died in 1355 and whose entire body was kept by her lover, the king of Portugal, who placed her corpse on the throne next to his. Thomas Edison wraps things up: when he died, in 1931, his final breath was preserved in a glass jar. Interspersed with these chapters are sections on the science behind death, dying, and preservation, and bite-size tales of other thematically relevant deaths and death rituals. Frequent black-and-white spot art and snarky footnote asides add comedy to this already high-interest blend of history and science. Entertaining and fascinating, with a clever incorporation of STEM topics.--Reagan, Maggie Copyright 2018 Booklist
