Working Stiff Lib/E: Two Years, 262 Bodies, and the Making of a Medical Examiner

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.

About the Author :
Judy Melinek, MD, is a forensic pathologist and an associate clinical professor at UCSF Medical Center. She earned her college degree from Harvard and received her medical degree and pathology residency training at UCLA. She has worked and lived in San Francisco with her husband, T. J. Mitchell, and their children since 2004. T. J. Mitchell graduated with an English degree from Harvard and worked in the film industry before becoming a full-time stay-at-home dad in 2000. Tanya Eby is an Audie-nominated and AudioFile Earphones Award-winning narrator. AudioFile magazine says, "Listening to Tanya Eby is like listening to a full-cast recording." Tanya has a BA in English language and literature and an MFA in creative writing. Besides narrating, Tanya blogs and works on her own novels. She has published four novels and is at work on her fifth.

Review :

"Armchair detectives and would-be forensic pathologists will find Melinek's well-written account to be inspiring and engaging."

"Dr. Judy Melinek has a job few of us can imagine doing. She's a forensic pathologist whose tasks on the job include investigating deaths, performing autopsies, and interacting with grieving family members. Narrator Tanya Eby brings life to the dead and the stories their bodies tell. Eby captures Melinek's intellect, conscientiousness, and dark wit as she confronts difficult situations such as examining victims of murder and suicide and inventorying body parts from the September 11 terrorist attacks as well as from another plane crash a few months later. Eby presents a well-rounded picture of a wife and mother who happens to practice what many would consider a dark profession. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award."

"Far from the magic we see on TV, Working Stiff describes forensic pathology in the real world. The book is a compelling and absorbing read."