atriotic badge in describing the former President. Dr. Maples helped to put to rest that President Taylor was not poisoned, but rather that he died from natural causes by verifying that no high doses of arsenic were present on the exhumed skeletal remains. On the subject of exhumation, I agreed with what Dr. Maples told Clare Rising on the subject of exhuming Zachary Taylors remains. Human remains are not the property of cemeteries. They dont belong to the nation, no matter who they were in life. Nor do they belong to the courts. They belong to the relatives who survive them (226). The last historical lesson deals with the assassination of Tsar Nicholas II and his family. Once again, we are given a great history lesson that lead to an anthropological resolution. Dr. Maples introduces dental records and mitochondrial DNA, which we just talk about in class (I was paying attention), to help resolve the identification of the family members. In the last chapter, Dr. Maples states that the Rolling case amply demonstrated the sheer power possessed by human bones: the power to bear witness to the truth beyond death; the power to avenge the innocent; the power to terrify the guilty (275). He illustrates one last time the fact that he has been repeating in all the previous chapters, if you listen the bones will talk.There could not have been a better storyteller than Dr. William Maples. To get me to read and like it is quite a feat. This man has evaluated, witnessed, identified with certainty, remains from all over the world. He speaks from experience and I appreciated how he laid out the story. He did not hide anything. I think that the book is so fascinating cause he doesnt try to put a rated R subject into a PG-13 book, after all we live in a rated R world, whether we like it or not. He helps to illustrate his world in all different varieties, I believe that is why the chapters were broken down the way there were. Dr. Maples ...
