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All That Remains

A Life in Death

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All That Remains

By: Sue Black
Narrated by: Sue Black
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Random House presents the audiobook edition of All That Remains by Professor Sue Black, read by the author.

Sue Black confronts death every day. As Professor of Anatomy and Forensic Anthropology, she focuses on mortal remains in her lab, at burial sites, at scenes of violence, murder and criminal dismemberment, and when investigating mass fatalities due to war, accident or natural disaster. In All that Remains she reveals the many faces of death she has come to know, using key cases to explore how forensic science has developed, and what her work has taught her.

Do we expect a book about death to be sad? Macabre? Sue’s book is neither. There is tragedy, but there is also humour in stories as gripping as the best crime novel. Our own death will remain a great unknown. But as an expert witness from the final frontier, Sue Black is the wisest, most reassuring, most compelling of guides.

‘Dame Sue Black writes about life and death with great tenderness but no nonsense, with impeccable science lucidly explained, and with moral depths humanely navigated, so that we can all feel better about the path we must all inevitably follow. I am genuinely glad I read this book.’ – Lee Child

‘Compelling, brave and extremely accessible... A must for anyone who thinks about the basics of living and dying. And there are jokes as well.’ – Rachel Joyce

Crime Death & Dying Law Social Sciences Sociology True Crime Forensics
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Critic Reviews

One might expect [this book] to be a grim read but it absolutely isn’t. I found it invigorating! (Andrew Marr)
Black’s utterly gripping account of her life and career as a professor of anatomy and forensic anthropology manages to be surprisingly life-affirming. As she herself says, it is “as much about life as about death”. (PD Smith)
An engrossing memoir ... an affecting mix of the personal and professional. (Erica Wagner)
A model of how to write about the effect of human evil without losing either objectivity or sensitivity ... Heartening and anything but morbid... Leaves you thinking about what kind of human qualities you value, what kinds of people you actually want to be with. (Rowan Williams)
For someone whose job is identifying corpses, Sue Black is a cheerful soul ... All That Remains feels like every episode of Silent Witness, pre-fictionalized. Except, you know, really good. (Helen Rumbelow)
This fascinating look by a world-leading forensic scientist at what the dead can tell us is a real eye-opener... Sue Black must be one of the most unusual people in Britain… extraordinary…part meditation, part popular science and part memoir...the book offers a close-up and startlingly clear view of a subject that makes most of us look away. (James McConnachie)
The real thing here is not the cause of death, but the nature of the life. Black is genuinely moving about the respect we should have for the dead … There is much to admire in this book.
Poignant and thoughtprovoking… it is the book’s humanity which will connect with readers.
Let [Sue Black] take you by the hand and lead you on a journey which will inspire your awe and devotion … A wonderful surprise of a book. (Brian Masters)
Most of us are terrified of death, but Sue Black shows us that death is in fact a wondrous process, intimately tied with life itself. Written with warmth and humanity, All That Remains reveals her life among the dead, who can surely count her as their best friend. (Tess Gerritsen)
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Thank you Sue Black for your awesome narration of your kindness even more awesome book! You've made me think, laugh, grimace & be grateful to those like you who bring "death" to life... by your well chosen & often humorous words. May your 'death' go as planned!!

Learned so much & very grateful for this book's author's knowledge & personable narration

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Sue is a fantastic orator, I’d listen to her rattle off the yellow pages.

This is a fantastic read, so we’ll written I’m off to buy the paperback to add to my collection.

Fascinating, insightful & heartfelt

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Gives a lot of interesting facts about forensic medicine in easily understood language.
Then the section about dealing with international disasters is riveting.

So Interesting.

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A nice combination of discourse and autobiography that somehow manages to both instruct and entertain in equal measure. Despite the grim subject, Dame Sue Black’s unique combination of pragmatism and warmth makes thinking about one’s own mortality somehow less daunting, more practical.

Interesting and inspiring

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Sensitively written, intriguing and captivating. I couldn’t put it down. Who would have thought anatomy could be so interesting? My favourite audio book so far, and I’ve read a lot!!

Riveting, beautifully written.

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