Stiff: The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers

Use these activities to engage all types of learners, while requiring that they refer to and incorporate details from the text over the course of the activity. 

The Game of Things We Can’t Talk About: Mary Roach’s Stiff Edition

Taboo is a central motif throughout Stiff, and it’s how much of Western culture feels about the subject of death. Taboo is also a popular word guessing game first created by Parker Brothers in 1989. In the first part of this activity, students will create their own Stiff-themed word guessing game similar to the game of Taboo.

Part A: First, have students split into small groups. In each small group, one person should be designated as the “clue giver.” Next, have each small group write 20 words associated with the content, themes, motifs, and characters of Stiff on index cards (1 word per index card). The words could be as broad as “cadaver” or as specific as “Dennis Shanahan,” the injury analyst Roach interviews in Chapter 5 of the book. Have each small group exchange their stack of cards with the group adjacent to them, giving the stack to the designated clue giver. Instruct the clue giver not to look at the cards.