Working Stiff
Two Years, 262 Bodies, and the Making of a Medical Examiner
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Narrated by:
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Tanya Eby
About this listen
Just two months before the September 11 terrorist attacks, Dr. Judy Melinek began her training as a New York City forensic pathologist. With her husband and their toddler holding down the home front, Judy threw herself into the fascinating world of death investigation-performing autopsies, investigating death scenes, and counseling grieving relatives. Working Stiff chronicles Judy's two years of training, taking listeners behind the police tape of some of the most harrowing deaths in the Big Apple. Lively, action-packed, and loaded with mordant wit, Working Stiff offers a firsthand account of daily life in one of America's most arduous professions. The body never lies - and through the murders, accidents, and suicides that land on her table, Dr. Melinek lays bare the truth behind the glamorized depictions of autopsy work to reveal the secret story of the real morgue.
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Using the most common postmortem process as the backbone of the narrative, The Chick and the Dead takes the listener through the process of an autopsy while also describing the history and changing cultures of our relationship with the dead. The book is full of vivid insight into what happens to our bodies in the end. Each chapter considers an aspect of an autopsy alongside an aspect of Carla's own life and work and touches on some of the more controversial aspects of our feelings toward death.
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Dull
- By Leah on 08-19-17
By: Carla Valentine
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Fatal
- By: Michael Palmer
- Narrated by: Michael Palmer
- Length: 13 hrs and 10 mins
- Unabridged
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The master of medical suspense brings us another novel of controversy, biology, and human greed. Internist Matt Rutledge has spent the last five years trying to find links between the deaths of his wife and his father. He suspects the Belinda Coke and Coal Company has released toxic chemicals into the environment that have caused the "Belinda Syndrome," a miasma of symptoms that include violent and deadly paranoia in some, Ebola-like hemorrhaging in others. But he lacks proof.
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A great audiobook by my favortie medical author!
- By Barry S. Sharpnack on 01-19-08
By: Michael Palmer
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Down Among the Dead Men
- A Year in the Life of a Mortuary Technician
- By: Michelle Williams, Keith McCarthy
- Narrated by: Liz Holliss
- Length: 7 hrs and 20 mins
- Unabridged
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Michelle Williams, an attractive young woman with close family ties and an active social life, describes her first extraordinary year in her unusual new job as a mortuary technician. It’s a year in which, with innate good humour, she encounters death at its most tragic, bizarre, and hilarious. Her tale, neither gruesome nor sad, is enlivened by a range of colourful and eccentric characters, from pathologists and coroners to hospital porters and undertakers, giving us a glimpse of life - and death - that few of us will ever experience.
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Things you never wanted to know about a mortuary
- By Martin on 09-25-12
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Perfect Poison
- A Female Serial Killer's Deadly Medicine
- By: M. William Phelps
- Narrated by: J. Charles
- Length: 14 hrs and 9 mins
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In Northampton, Massachusetts, at the Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Kristen Gilbert was known as a hardworking, dedicated nurse - so why were her patients dying? So many emergencies and sudden deaths occurred while Kristen made her rounds on Ward C that her colleagues jokingly called her the "Angel of Death".
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Men are naive
- By Veruka on 09-15-12
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That Darkness
- By: Lisa Black
- Narrated by: Kirsten Potter
- Length: 9 hrs and 3 mins
- Unabridged
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Maggie's latest case is an unidentified female in her early teens, discovered in a local cemetery. More shocking than the girl's injuries - for Maggie at least - is the fact that no one has reported her missing. She and the detectives assigned to the case (including her cop ex-husband) are determined to follow every lead, run down every scrap of evidence. But the monster they seek is watching every move, closer to them than they could possibly imagine.
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Slow and Boring
- By viv on 06-08-16
By: Lisa Black
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We Were There
- Revelations from the Dallas Doctors Who Attended to JFK on November 22, 1963
- By: Allen Childs MD
- Narrated by: Robin Bloodworth
- Length: 4 hrs and 53 mins
- Unabridged
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A true collective account of President John F. Kennedy's assassination. There are few days in American history so immortalized in public memory as November 22, 1963, the date of President John F. Kennedy's assassination. Adding to the wealth of information about this tragic day is We Were There, a truly unique collection of firsthand accounts from the doctors and staff on scene at the hospital where JFK was immediately taken after he was shot.
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Sedimental Sediment and Guilded Lilies
- By Peter on 08-15-15
By: Allen Childs MD
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Weekends at Bellevue
- By: Julie Holland MD
- Narrated by: Julie Holland MD
- Length: 10 hrs and 53 mins
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His name was Joshua Silver. He was 23 years old, educated, and had an impressive vocabulary. The NYPD had found Joshua Silver naked in Times Square, barking like a dog. It was just another night for Julie Holland, the attending doctor in the world famous Bellevue Hospital's psychiatric emergency room.
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An Uneven Memoir
- By A. M. Dalessandro on 09-24-10
By: Julie Holland MD
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Evidence of Murder
- By: Lisa Black
- Narrated by: Alma Cuervo
- Length: 9 hrs and 36 mins
- Unabridged
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Former forensic scientist Lisa Black taps her expertise for this tale of investigator Theresa MacLean and the perplexing case she tackles. A dead woman has been found in the woods, and the cause of death is unclear. The leading theory is that she wandered off and froze. But Theresa senses something far more sinister.
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You can be doing other things while listening
- By MM on 06-11-12
By: Lisa Black
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Deja Dead
- By: Kathy Reichs
- Narrated by: Barbara Rosenblat
- Length: 16 hrs and 2 mins
- Unabridged
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It's June in Montreal, and Dr. Temperance Brennan, who has left a shaky marriage back home in North Carolina to take on the challenging assignment of Director of Forensic Anthropology for the province of Quebec, looks forward to a relaxing weekend in beautiful Quebec City. First, though, she must stop at a newly uncovered burial site in the heart of the city. The remains are probably old and only of archeological interest, but Tempe must make sure they're not a case for the police. One look at the decomposed and decapitated corpse, stored neatly in plastic bags, tells her she'll spend the weekend in the crime lab.
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Perplexed over other reviews about the narrator
- By R. Klein on 04-26-14
By: Kathy Reichs
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The Cutting
- A McCabe and Savage Thriller, Book 1
- By: James Hayman
- Narrated by: Stephen Mendel
- Length: 10 hrs and 47 mins
- Unabridged
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Detective Mike McCabe moved from a top homicide job with the NYPD to Portland, Maine, to leave his failed marriage and suspicions of wrongdoing behind, and to find a more peaceful life for himself and his 13-year-old daughter. But the small New England city is not nearly as safe as he thought. On a warm September night, a missing high school athlete is found dead in a scrap-metal yard, her heart removed from her body with surgical precision. As outrage over the killing spreads, a young businesswoman disappears while out on a morning jog.
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Is It The Story? Or Its Telling? Hmmmm...
- By Ted on 12-01-15
By: James Hayman
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Patient Care
- Death and Life in the Emergency Room
- By: Paul Seward MD
- Narrated by: Jim Seybert
- Length: 5 hrs and 21 mins
- Unabridged
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Recalling remarkable cases - and people - from a career launched in the first days of Emergency Medicine, Dr. Paul Seward leads us in his memoir through suspenseful diagnoses and explorations of anatomy. Within the conditions of great stress and rapid decision-making that are routine in the ER, Dr. Seward tells us that medical staff must be more than technicians of the body: They must be restorers of the human.
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very enjoyable
- By Patricia Oxenham on 03-21-19
By: Paul Seward MD
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What listeners say about Working Stiff
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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Overall
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- Kathy in CA
- 03-09-15
Dead Body Soup!
This book is very interesting but be forewarned. It is not for the faint of heart. There are in-depth descriptions of dead bodies, mangled and marred by accidents, suicides, criminal activity, or just plain old time. That is, they weren't found right away. Ever wondered what happened to a decaying body? No, I didn't either, but now I have an idea! Some of the author's depictions of autopsies come with an interesting story, others are just about the autopsy. It is interesting how cause of death is determined--or not determined. It was unsettling to learn of how often the NY law enforcement were uninterested in learning a death might be non-accidental because they were just too lazy to do a criminal investigation. Ugh.
I found the 9-11 story fascinating in a ghoulish way. Actually, most of the book was ghoulish, but that didn't make it bad. You just have to be prepared for what is being presented.
I was taken aback when I first started listening to the author's description of her autopsies, which were presented in great detail and with great glee. Then, I had to remind myself the glee was coming from the narrator, not the author. The author is a medical doctor and the narrator is versed in chick-lit books, for heaven sakes! How does that compute? And once again, there were those renditions of buffoonish male voices. I knew I would persevere and keep on listening but am left wondering who picked this narrator for a very serious topic and why? Does an author have any say in the matter? I can't believe Melinek was very happy when she listened to her own book.
(As to my review title, this has always stuck in my mind. A very rude co-worker once asked her cubicle neighbor, who brought in an apparently aromatic ethnic soup for lunch, "What are you eating? Dead body soup?" Ugh, again.)
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6 people found this helpful
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- jess
- 07-28-17
Worst voice ever
The voice was like nails on a chalkboard. I could not get through and I really wanted to.
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1 person found this helpful
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- KM
- 03-02-15
Gory, Yes, But Clinically So
What made the experience of listening to Working Stiff the most enjoyable?
The narrator's voice worked very well with the material. She paced it wonderfully and injected sensitive topics -- and some of them really are difficult to bear without wincing -- with the right tone and delivery.
What did you like best about this story?
I appreciated that the author knew where and how to provide a break from the sometimes very emotionally intense subject. Having grown up with nurses and first responders, it seemed an appropriate treatment of the same. She does address child abuse and the attacks on 911, and these were toward the end of the book, despite the fact that her career in New York began just a few months prior. In this way, she was able to -- for lack of a better way of explaining it -- give a sensitive, yet wholly real explanation of the events as she experienced them.
Which scene was your favorite?
To say that any one of the scenes was a "favorite" is to perhaps be irreverent. These are dead people we're talking about, after all. Let's just say that some were especially fascinating, and some were downright sad, and others made me very angry... and none of it made me want to stop reading.
If you were to make a film of this book, what would the tag line be?
"Death in the City That Never Sleeps"
Any additional comments?
I recommend this book to anyone who enjoys learning about the workings of the human body. You will learn things from this book. Also, if you've ever watched a crime show on TV and wanted to know how much of it was hokey, this book will set you straight.
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- Krys B
- 03-02-15
amazing story of a medical examiner!
This was an amazing story of a medical examiners experiences while living in new York city. the stories aren't for the squeemish. I'm pretty tough when it comes to gore, but there was one story that even made me cringe. the narrator spoke quickly but it worked for the tone that I assume the author was trying to portray (i.e. fast talking new yorker). overall excellent story and excellent narration. 5 stars
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- MBM
- 01-09-17
To some, may be morbid- I found it tastefully done
I work in a profession in which I see death on a regular basis so I didn't find the gruesome details disturbing in any way. For those that may have less exposure to explicit medical descriptions of trauma to the body, this may be too much. I still feel that the narrative was tasteful and honors the dead rather than displaying them as a circus sideshow. Very interesting read.
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- Anonymous User
- 09-13-19
Good book but bad reader
The reader does a males voice in a deep voice that is absolutely cringe worthy...and constant
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- Toogar's Tails Foundation
- 09-04-16
not for the faint of heart! great medical standpoi
only a great read for those who enjoy the physiologically inclined thinkers. I personally ally loved it but it's descriptive readings of the human body is not for everyone.
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- genkat
- 07-21-16
Amazing Insight
This book was amazing. I loved the insight. Not a good book for faint of heart.
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- Tracee
- 05-14-15
Great Book, like a real-life CSI memoir
What made the experience of listening to Working Stiff the most enjoyable?
ALL of it. This book was super interesting. It features a hyper-career surgeon who realizes she wants some work/life balance, a great husband who loves to take care of the kids, and landing a job at the NYC morgue. There's so many interesting stories about how people die, and some of the chapters are devoted to a single cause of death - homicides, suicides, overdoses (30% or more of cases are overdoses), as-seen-on-TV construction site accidents. The good news is that we're unlikely to die a gruesome death unless we shoot, or shoot up, for it.
The final chapters are about the NYC clean-up, as Judy's team processed all of the bodies from the World Trade Centers over the following weeks. The actual process, and the recounting of fire fighters and ordinary New Yorkers from the disaster, are worth the read. The final few chapters gave some insight into what investigating into an airplane crash wreckage must be like.
What did you like best about this story?
I loved T.J. and his reflections. Judy's husband (and co-writer) serves as a character for the audience, who doesn't know all the medical lingo. Judy seems immersed in cutting open chestplates and using Latin lingo as an expert, while T.J. asks the questions we would ask off the top of our heads about a case. Judy brings the crazy stories to the table, and T.J. writes them down in a witty prose. The kids come along for the ride (I want a sequel!)
What does Tanya Eby bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?
She sounded a bit Valley-Girlish. Not unprofessional, just more the voice of a middle-aged friend at the mall telling you about their homemade organic cookies and taking their teenage daughter to soccer practice. I grew to enjoy the distinctive voice after a while, and it made the book better in the end because there was a juxtaposition between a female, gushy friendly voice reading a chapter all about internal organs. It worked though, because it was similar to Judy Melinek - a mother and doctor who happens to cut up dead people and find their secrets. Something about Tanya Eby's voice made the awkward scenes more hilarious.
I thoroughly recommend this audiobook. It's like if Tina Fey were a medical examiner, dealing with death on a daily basis.
Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?
There were a lot of moments that I found myself relistening to, or that I had to retell to the people around me. I'm sure they thought I was a bit crazy as I talked of homicides and suicides for that week. I listened through the book pretty fast - I couldn't put it down.
Any additional comments?
This book is probably not for everyone. If you like watching CSI, don't mind a dead body on TV now and then, and are okay with life's farts and falls off of a twenty-story building, then you will LOVE this book. If that stuff makes you squeamish, don't listen. Personally, I'm hoping for a sequel or two or three. Please T.J., write more!
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- tlss
- 05-30-15
Excellent, clinical book
I very much enjoyed listening to this book about New York City medical examiner. Medical details about autopsy are very interesting as the author interweave them with the real life reasons for death. The part at the end talking about the 911 disaster response was fascinating and helped me feel like I was paying more tribute to those lost by understanding the work needed to be done by the medical support teams. This book will keep you engaged for its duration; if you have hard time keeping yourself involved in nonfiction audiobooks this is a great one to try.
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