As the curator of a pathology museum containing 5,000 specimens of human tissue – most of them bones and skeletons – Carla Valentine works closely with the dead. In The Language of Bones, she delves into the physical and emotional aspects of our relationship with human remains and mortality. By literally and figuratively scraping away the soft tissue which protects us all, Carla investigates the treatment, display and basic nature of bones, as well as the incredible narratives – both humorous and harrowing – which surround them. Moving out of the mortuary, and into the darkness of the catacombs, she will seek out skeletons, bringing their stories to light along with myriad facts about our secret skeletal selves. With a deeply personal dimension for Carla, as her little brother died of bone cancer a few years ago, this fascinating and revealing journey uncovers secrets about life that relate to us all.
