Module 11: Bodies from the Ash

Bodies from the Ash: Life and Death in Ancient Pompeii

Book Summary 

This book is an informational narrative on the eruption of Mount Vesuvius and the deaths of the citizens of Pompeii as a result of the eruption. It focuses on a timeline of events and explaining how the people died. The author also includes pictures and stories of the people who have been found and what might have happened to them. 

Citation 

Deem, J. (2005). Bodies from the ash: Life and death in ancient Pompeii. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company. 

My Impressions

I found this book to be interesting and informative. I thought the writing was slightly above the intended grade level, but it wasn't watered down or dumbed down, which I enjoyed. I believe students would enjoy the perfect combination of gore with the photographs and information with the text. It would be a good book for someone who knew little about the events that led to the deaths of the people of Pompeii.

Review Excerpts 
Kearns, J., Jones, T. E., Toth, L., Charnizon, M., Grabarek, D., & Raben, D. (2005). Bodies from the Ash: Life and Death in Ancient Pompeii. School Library Journal, 51(12), 164-165.

"Dramatic photographs of the casts capture the horror of this event and help readers to envision day-to-day life in this civilization. With incredibly engrossing images and narrative, this is a powerful and poignant piece of nonfiction"

Cooper, I. (2005). Bodies from the Ash: Life and Death in Ancient Pompeii. Booklist, 102(5), 39.

"But the jewels here are the numerous black-and-white (and some color) photographs, especially those featuring the plaster casts and skeletons of people in their death throes. The horizontal format, with pages looking as though they were partially bordered in marble, makes an attractive setting for the art."

Suggestions for Use in a Library

I think this book would be a good basis for students to talk to their parents, grandparents, and other family members about events that have happened during their lifetimes. Grandparents, especially, are a wealth of information on historical events that students may be learning about. I think students could create a project that has them looking at photographs from a historical time in the lives of the family member and telling the story from the family member's perspective. It would give students a new perspective to look at other than just the one presented in their history books.