I really found this one interesting! Dame Sue Black absolutely knows her stuff. I learned a lot about bodies, bones, and what tales they are able to tell. I learned a LOT more about the profession of forensic anthropology, more so than the TV show Bones conveyed, which I really appreciated. It was really interesting hearing some of her stories, and the resolution of them. Absolutely would recommend this one to anyone fascinated by true crime, anatomy/biology, or just interested in learning more about the profession. Thank you to the publisher and netgalley for a copy of this one in exchange for an honest review.

I felt this read a bit more like a textbook than what I’d been expecting. It is packed with lots of inspiration and was eye opening. Overall, a good read. Great for those interested in True Crime.

Sue Black is a forensic anthropologist and anatomist who studies human remains to determine a person’s identification and cause of death. Written in Bone works its way down the human skeleton, starting at the skull, detailing the kinds of information our bones contain—approximate age, sex, height, weight—even when that’s all that’s left. She includes anecdotes from her work in the field, relaying confounding cases where her knowledge of human development was vital. Did you know babies are born with, like, a zillion bones that fuse together to form a proper skeleton as they age? SO. COOL.

Written in Bone is a great title for a book authored by a forensic anthropologist. Sue Black, whose first book, All That Remains was a memoir of her internationally renowned reputation for one-on-one aftermath visits with the Grim Reaper, used Written in Bone to dive deeper into the world of forensic anthropology.
Now in this book, Black builds on that memoir, taking us on a guided tour of the human skeleton and explaining how each person's life history is revealed in their bones, which she calls "the last sentinels of our mortal life to bear witness to the way we lived it."
Her narrative follows the skeleton from the top of the skull to the small bones in the foot. Each step of the journey includes an explanation of the biology—how the bone is formed in a person's development, how it changes as we age, the secrets it may hold—and is illustrated with anecdotes from the author's career helping solve crimes and identifying human remains, whether recent or historical.
Full of entertaining stories that read like scenes from a true-life CSI drama, Written in Bone is infused with humor and no-nonsense practicality about the realities of corpses and death.

The author, Dame Sue Black, is a forensic anthropologist who works in Scotland. In this nonfiction book, Black takes the reader through her work and reveals what the bones can tell about a person and the manner of their death. She starts at the top with the skull and goes down the body, using real-life cases to illustrate ways that specific bones were used to unravel mysteries.
Black has worked on cases all over the world. She details her work on an Italian serial killer case, The Monster Of Terrazzo. This case has an interesting side story. Dame Black was asked to take the two heads of the victims back to her laboratory for additional work. She carried the heads on a commercial flight in her hand luggage and her dry retelling of going through customs with this case and what the inspector's reaction would have been to a search is priceless. She also worked on a case involving a serial killer from Thailand and identified victims of Scottish killer Dennis Nilsen.

She has also worked extensively in war crimes, identifying victims and providing evidence to bring perpetrators to justice. She was awarded an OBE for her work in Kosovo in 2001. She worked in Thailand after the tsunami in 2004. She also worked proving torture in victims arrested for political crimes after the Arab Spring uprising.

Another major interest of Black is child sexual abuse. She works on finding ways to identify the predators and bring them to justice. Using pictures captured in pedophile cases, she is able to identify other abusers. Her work with others in this project has resulted in 30 life sentences and over 400 years of prison time for those convicted. This book details one of the roots of her interest in this area; the fact that she herself was a victim of childhood sexual abuse.

Readers interested in forensic anthropology and true crime cases will find this book fascinating. It combines the scientific facts with interesting examples from the author's personal work. I listened to it and the author was also the narrator and did a wonderful job explaining her work and outlining all the cases she has worked on. Dame Sue Black has more awards from both law enforcement and the Scottish government as well as academia than I have time to list. She is an accomplished woman who has made her interest into an astonishing career. This book is recommended for nonfiction readers.

Thank you to Netgalley and publisher for an audio arc in exchange of an honest review.

I really enjoyed this nonfiction book. Sue Black goes through different bones in the human body and some interesting death cases related to them. She makes it very clear that evidence and "hidden stories" are often left behind in bones. A lot of the cases she goes over are crime cases and as a fan of true crime, I was enthralled. I highly recommend this to people who love shows like Forensic Files or even Dexter.

The audiobook itself was done really well. Easy to listen to.

*received for free from netgalley for honest review* ah yessss exactly my cup of tea, such an interesting read! a must own and will reread this for sure

"Written in Bone" is my favorite non-fiction book of the year. I remember dreaming of being a forensic anthropologist when I was in middle and high school- but was hopelessly bad at anatomy and was repeatedly told that it was a poor choice for a girl. I'm now in my 30s, taking graduate level courses in anatomy and pursuing a science-related career... I just wish I was able to go back in time and not be so swayed by what others wanted of me.

Back to this book. Sue Black is an expert in the field of forensic anthropology and human anatomy. Each chapter goes through a part of the body and anecdotes of cases specific to what was discovered from that body part. She emphasizes the importance of science-based facts when reporting what she has learned from the bones she is studying. It is fascinating to see that even with advancement in technology, human observation is still key in understanding the story that human remains tell.
Yet, this book was terrifying because of the horrible things that people sometimes do to each other. I admit that there were times I had to turn it off, crying because stories of abuse were too hard to listen to. There are parts of this book that are not for the faint of heart- I had to turn it off when my first grader was trying to listen with me. I guess in the end I wouldn't have been cut out for this career ;).

I listened to the audiobook version of "Written in Bones" and I highly recommend it. Sue Black has a wonderful voice and her reading of her book made me feel like I was listening to a lecture-- in a good way!

There is so much to learn from this book, and I like to think that I will give this book a second listen at some point. Thank you to Netgalley and Doubleday for an audio copy of this book. Thank you to Sue Black for sharing your knowledge and stories with your readers.

I had no idea that non-fiction could be written so beautifully. ❤️

Written in Bone is all about Sue Black’s experience as a forensic anthropologist. She discusses the science, the workplace, and herself. Black does an amazing job of making complex and detailed concepts in forensic anthropology easy to understand—and interesting!

I’ve known about Sue Black for a long time (as a former bio-anth student), and I was thrilled to finally be able to read one of her books. She did not disappoint!

If you have any interest in non-fiction, forensics, mystery, or even memoirs, read Written in Bone by Sue Black (published June 15, 2021)

I really loved this book and especially the audiobook.

It’s a great mix of the science behind the human skeleton along with some really interesting true crime stories to show how this research/knowledge is put to use.

I definitely recommend!

Having been interested in anthropology since a young age, I am very grateful to NetGalley, Dreamscape Media, and Sue Black for the opportunity to review an audio arc of Written In Bone: Hidden Stories in What We Leave Behind penned and narrated by Sue Black.

Written in Bone is organized head to toe, beginning with the skull and traveling down the body to the bones of the feet. In each section, Black discusses how the bones are formed and how our lives, our day to day experiences, affect those bones. Each area is accompanied with an account from Black’s career in forensic anthropology, mixing in recent criminal cases as well as historical finds. Black details how the smallest clue on the smallest bone can sometimes provide the information needed to break the case.

This book is a fascinating glimpse into the realities of forensic anthropology. It may not be a glamorous job, but it is immensely interesting. Black does a fantastic job of making this topic accessible to the average person without dumbing down the topic. It is witty and was a joy to listen to in the author’s own voice. Her dry sense of humor came across clearly, and made what could be considered a morbid topic into an educational look at what a forensic anthropologist does and how they go about their job.

I will definitely be checking out All That Remains, as well future books by Black.

Sue Black is a renowned forensic anthropologist. In Written in Bone she works her way down the body from crown to sole. She goes over different crime cases and historical mysteries and how the bones have helped her to solve them. In some cases there is resolution. In others, the findings bring about more questions. But that is how the process of science works. Every case though was intriguing and I enjoyed how she not only takled about the bones but included her personal experience as a woman in science dealing with authorities and the criminal justice system. '

As an anatomy instructor what I think that a student just starting my course would have a hard time following the audiobook as there are some differences in pronunciation between the US and the UK. In print the level of detail may be more accessible to beginning learners and laymen allowing to follow along with diagrams or look up anatomical terminology.

For me, the level of detail was spot on. I appreciated that Black demonstrated how science is a communicative field that requires different people and their specialities working together.

When I was granted this audiobook through NetGalley, I picked it up intending to only listen to one chapter. Next thing I knew I was halfway through the book. This was an enjoyable listen and I hope to add the print edition to my library.

I'll be honest. I was so scared of this book. The material peaked my interest, but I feared it would be so dry! I am so happy I was wrong. Having the author also be the narrator added a level of appeal to it. And the facts I learned and the stories that were told were amazing.

I really liked Sue Black's ALL THAT REMAINS so I was eager to dive into her latest. The structure was interesting as was the range of cases and the facts about human anatomy that are sprinkled throughout.

I really enjoyed Written in Bone by Sue Black and read by the author. Thank you #Netgalley for the advance reader copy in exchange for an honest review. I love learning about forensic anthropology and have taken many classes in it while getting my degree. I found this book to be very informative and interesting. Black goes through all the bones in the body from the skull to the toes. She explains what each are, how they grow, and how they have helped her with cases. She has had some really interesting cases and I was listening intently to the whole book. I feel like I flew through this book as it was such a pleasure to listen to. I am now going to go get her first on All that Remains.

What an entertaining and illuminating journey through the human body. The author, internationally renowned forensic anthropologist Sue Black, walks us through each part of the body, from skull all the way to feet, and demonstrates how each of our numerous bones can tell some detailed story about our past. What may first appear to be an insignificant detail to a lay person, forensic anthropologists can piece together these small puzzle pieces and give us a clue to the identity of the victim or the manner of death.

I love true crime shows, so it’s not surprising that I was blown away by this book. It is a scientific, albeit a bit macabre, roller coaster ride, and while it has some technical parts and descriptions, overall it would be an easy read to a medical outsider like myself. I also applaud the author’s humility and compassion that she demonstrated in her book and I am looking forward to reading more of her books.

This was an erudite and entertaining look at the human body (and particularly the skeletal system) and the stories it can tell about life and death. The author is clearly an expert in her field and has lots of entertaining stories about criminal cases involving the body parts she covers in each chapter, and these stories both deflate CSI myths and make the academic knowledge concrete and relevant. That said there is a <i>lot</i> of anatomical detail in this book, and I'm honestly not sure how much I'll remember in a few months. But even if I forget the details, the general themes were really interesting!

Very interesting look at forensic science while also just learning about the different bones in the body and how they grow. I liked the different case files pulled in to demonstrate how bones can be used to figure out who someone was and to give clues as to how they potentially died. The case used while talking about the skull and the small piece of bone found in a washing machine was fascinating, and the ability to get information from a bone fragment that small is amazing.

What a wealth of information. I loved listening to Sue Black, a forensic anthropologist, share her knowledge and experience studying bones. I am a fan of stories with fictional forensic scientists but getting the information from someone who is an expert in the field is more than fascinating. It is like a fun science class with a gifted teacher.

Ms. Black explains clearly, in layman’s terms the wide range of information that can be found in each human bone. Her warnings not to jump to conclusions and why is educational. Starting at the skull, she works her way down the body, sharing how the bones speak to a scientist and the cases she worked and help solve that relate to each bone.

The book is enlightening while amusing, light and easily understood by the layman. Who knew how much information can be gleaned from the ear bones and the clavicle? Written in Bone is a great resource for mystery lovers. If I were younger, I would consider changing careers. In fact, I purchased a copy of the book and audio for my granddaughter to inspire her.

I don't like many authors who narrate their own books, but Ms. Black knows her stuff and keeps the reader engaged. I suspect a lot of that has to do with her career as a college professor. A must read or listen.

This is a really interesting book if you are into true crime or the science of the human body/anatomy. There were some pretty cool stories from her experiences on the field. The only bad thing about this book is that her voice is so soothing that you may fall asleep while listening to it, as i did a couple times lol. Definitely worth checking out, especially if you like the work of authors like Mary Roach.