Engaging and immersive. This is a recommended purchase for collections where true crime and thrillers are popular.

I am so glad that there is now an audiobook for this fascinating read. Originally published in 2004, the story itself has some information that is now out of date; however, the personal narrative nature of this work means that it is ultimately timeless. Since this is a personal narrative, I will not be rating this title, but I will be recommending it all the time as it was a fantastic and engaging read.

This is narrated by the author, which keeps the narrative raw and feels immediate in nature. This is not a history of forensic anthropology, nor is it an exploration of how forensic anthropology was used in these cases, rather this is the personal experiences of Clea Koff in the field in these post-conflict zones, and in some instances still active war zones.

Towards the end of the work there is some exploration of what it means to be a forensic anthropologist and what the relationship between post-conflict investigations and the people still living in these zones. I thoroughly enjoyed this read and would recommend to anyone with interests in history, international relations, human rights investigations, or other related topics.

Weaving themes of horror and humanity, The Bone Woman was a hard listen that will stay with me through my lifetime.
Following forensic anthropologist Clea Koff, readers get a glimpse into how scientist go about identifying the people who have fallen victim in mass graves and the conditions that the anthropologists endure to ensure the work gets done.
I found this writing style to ere more on the technical side than anything else. At times it felt more procedural than story. For my liking I would have preferred a more balanced mix. I personally feel that one of the best ways to bring such atrocities into sharp ficus is to juxtapose it with some beauty...I think in the end I was longing for some more triumphant or quiet moments.

Thanks to Netgalley for the early listen in exchange fro my honest review.

I've been trying to read more nonfiction and the subject of this sounded really interesting to me. I've read a ton about genocide, but not really with a focus on forensic anthropology. I really appreciated the opportunity to understand how war crimes are investigated and what anthropologists do to catalogue such tragedies. It is, of course, a difficult subject to read about, but one that I think people should be aware of.

As for the technical aspects of this book, I think this was well written. I was very engaged with the storytelling and the information was paced in a very even way. It is a tough subject, but not a difficult book to read.

This book is part memoir, part anthropology as author Clea Koff discusses her early forensic anthropology career working with victims of genocide in Rwanda, Bosnia, Croatia, and Kosovo. I would recommend having some understanding about the various genocides before reading the book as it will give the reader a better understanding of the situations Koff was working in as a young college graduate. Koff's style is very matter-of-fact (I often thought of Jack Webb's "just the facts"). Although she often discusses how she felt about the bodies she was unearthing and autopsying, it never overshadowed the stark nature of the work and the environment she was working in. I have always been fascinated by forensic anthropology since I read my first Kathy Reich's novel years ago, but this shows the impact the work has not just on those who are working with the bodies day-to-day but the families that survived massacres without knowing what happened to loved ones. This is important work and would actually be interested in a work more specific to each genocide and what the work accomplished as far as the UN and families are concerned. I appreciated the tribunal afterward as so little information was available at the time and the only name I remember from the Kosovo War was Slobodan Milosevic.

Thank you Netgalley for the advance audiobook copy of The Bone Woman by Clea Koff in exchange for an honest review. Unfortunately, this book was removed before I could listen to it. I would have really enjoyed listening to it as I am fascinated by forensic anthropology.

Clea is a forensic anthropologist working for the UN on the team tasked with investigating the Rawandan genocide. She describes the process of digging up mass graves to document how the people entombed within them died, using that evidence to prove murder and war crimes rather than deaths in battle. For those interested in science she goes into detail about the excavation, the state of the bodies, the specific analyses of bones and teeth to figure out age and help potentially identify victims. She tells us about "clothing day" where the clothes extracted from the graves are cleaned and laid out to help family members identify the bodies. But most of all she details what it's like to serve as a witness and even confirming graves were even present in places where propaganda convinced the masses otherwise. Following Rwanda, she takes us to her time on digs in Bosnia, Croatia and Kosovo telling us a bit about each conflict and how often the 'ethnic cleansing' is mostly government propaganda to get people to hate each other so the government can get access to the resources and reinforce their power.

I loved the deep dive into the scientific aspects but also the more philosophical exploration of identity and bias. I appreciated hearing both about the cause and effect of war but also what remains for those left behind. I was amazed at the danger these peacekeeping investigators are under, having to worry about being present for conflict or careful of old unexploded mines. I appreciated that Clea explored her own humanity and feelings in the day to day as well as what aspects haunt her when she's home. I also found it funny that she found it easier to deal with bodies and people who had died due to horrible trauma than the nonsense politics of being management and the lack of resources to do proper investigations.

The audiobook is read by the author and I loved the authenticity of that.

Thanks to Dreamscape Media for gifted access to the audiobook via Netgalley. All opinions above are my own.

The re-release of The Bone Woman is an interesting listen. Koff is a solid narrator of her story, and does an excellent job of both explaining, showing deference, but also a clear picture of what it was like to be a woman of African descent with relatives living in Africa to work with bodies in mass graves.

Death, especially for Americans, is an interesting concept. Death as a source of entertainment (gladiators, action movies, plot drivers in dramas and almost every Disney movie…) seems to degrade the reality of death, especially mass death in a global context. Through sharing her experience Koff opens up those wounds. She discusses the science and processes involved, as well as the conditions of the camps the scientists stayed in, interactions with locals, the ever present threats of violence (mines or direct person to person) of working in an area that was recently a war zone, and the emotional toll this work takes.

Koff’s work in Rwanda, Bosnia and Croatia and Kosovo, was a disturbing but necessary reminder of how closely these genocides occurred and how quickly we forget, which is its own type of violence.

This is not an overly dramatic book, and Koff manages to tell her story in a way that makes her profession just that, a profession and a calling.

Clea Koff takes us through the years she spent working on mass graves, and victims of genocide in various countries. While the crimes that were committed were terrible, Clea manages to keep a sense of humanity and humor around her work, even when it starts to wear on her.

This was a rough week in spots, as we deal with the terrible crimes that can be meted on others, and the realization for some in the areas that these crimes were actually committed. It was a good read though, and I really enjoyed the humanity that the author brought to the pages. She didn't forget why she was there and talked about her passion for helping families find answers. The ages of some of the victims really bothered me, as a mother. I was horrified that this could even take place, but as we have seen through history, humans are capable of truly evil deeds.

Good read overall.