I suppose I was less taken with the small sections near the beginning of the book that seemed to be more like a familial memoir or history rather than delivering facts and experiences.

I want to be able to recognise death, to hear her coming, to see her, to touch her, smell her and taste her . Join me as I meander through the quirky and curious aspects of history, indigenous spirituality, the natural world, animals, art, storytelling, books, philosophy, travel, Māori culture and loads more.She was the lead anthropologist for the British Forensic Team's work in the war crimes investigations in Kosovo, and she was one of the first forensic scientists to travel to Thailand following the Indian Ocean tsunami to provide assistance in identifying the dead. Just as thrilling, because Sue has experienced a fair share of ghastly situations, but shows you the relevance of her work, and why respectful treatment is important. This book expands on much of what was in that interview, as well as adding more details about her life, work, and the cases in which she's been involved.

Although her job is difficult, she is aware of the great honour and responsibility it entails to the family members of the missing person. And what if you want to live, but other people decide you have no value, that you're a "useless feeder" as Hitler termed it. The programme was even more fascinating than I could have imagined and helped me discover more about both the process of identifying human remains and what kind of person it takes to do it. I do think it helped that I have an anthropological/medical background however, as some of the terms used are quite medical in nature. But, just a bit heavy on the moralising for me, although I dare say you spend a lot of time thinking about morality in the author's job.Shortlisted for the CWA Gold Dagger for Non-fiction 2019, this incredible memoir from the Sunday Times Bestseller Professor Sue Black breathes new life into the subject of death. You are left with the feeling throughout this book that few people in the world know more about her subject than Sue Black. I think it was these chapters that effected me the most deeply, as the descriptions of some of the scenes Sue Black is involved with are, simply, horrendous.