Rating: 
Summary: Nonfiction as an act of devotion
Review: The phenomenon of "incorruptibles" -- venerated members of the Catholic Church whose bodies remain largely undecayed -- is treated here in great detail by Cruz. It's a fascinating subject, and frankly could stand even more illustration. As you read this text, it quickly becomes evident that Cruz meant this book to be a devotional work of sorts. Its language is sprinkled with formulaic expressions of praise, resulting in a sense that this is the longest holy card (sorry, there's a Catholic thing right there) you've ever read. As I read along, I found myself alternately queasily amazed and consoled by Cruz's sentiments. In the end, I closed the book still fascinated by this mystery. It's the only book in my knowledge which is close to a comprehensive look at this odd flange of Catholic history, and that alone would make it worthwhile.
Rating: 
Summary: This is a five-star book
Review: The phenomenon of "incorruptibles" -- venerated members of the Catholic Church whose bodies remain largely undecayed -- is treated here in great detail by Cruz. It's a fascinating subject, and frankly could stand even more illustration. As you read this text, it quickly becomes evident that Cruz meant this book to be a devotional work of sorts. Its language is sprinkled with formulaic expressions of praise, resulting in a sense that this is the longest holy card (sorry, there's a Catholic thing right there) you've ever read. As I read along, I found myself alternately queasily amazed and consoled by Cruz's sentiments. In the end, I closed the book still fascinated by this mystery. It's the only book in my knowledge which is close to a comprehensive look at this odd flange of Catholic history, and that alone would make it worthwhile.
Rating:
Summary: Nonfiction as an act of devotion
Review: The phenomenon of "incorruptibles" -- venerated members of the Catholic Church whose bodies remain largely undecayed -- is treated here in great detail by Cruz. It's a fascinating subject, and frankly could stand even more illustration. As you read this text, it quickly becomes evident that Cruz meant this book to be a devotional work of sorts. Its language is sprinkled with formulaic expressions of praise, resulting in a sense that this is the longest holy card (sorry, there's a Catholic thing right there) you've ever read. As I read along, I found myself alternately queasily amazed and consoled by Cruz's sentiments. In the end, I closed the book still fascinated by this mystery. It's the only book in my knowledge which is close to a comprehensive look at this odd flange of Catholic history, and that alone would make it worthwhile.
Rating: 
Summary: Superior text which awakens age-old tradition!
Review: This book is excellent. As others suggest that the dead may be found in similar condition, it ought be mentioned that these saints' bodies had no preservatives and in some cases, should have decomposed even more quickly based on where they were buried. The book is loaded with information and great pictures. This whole process of exhuming a body and placing it in a crystal coffin has been in place for years in Europe....only Americans would find this gross. Mrs. Cruz is commended for thorough research and the photographs. I use the book so often in my research that I have gone through several copies and recently had most last edition hard bounded. Highly recommend this and her many other books. It must be something in that New Orleans air!
Rating:
Summary: This is a five-star book
Review: This is a fabulous book to read if you are interested in Catholic saints and Catholic history. Mrs. Cruz has done extensive research and knows her subject well. I do agree with the other reviewers that more pictures should have been included but given the subject matter, more pictures may not have been available. This is a definite five star book to have on hand.
Rating:
Summary: AMAZING!!! I Absolutely LOVED This Book!
Review: This is one of the best books I've ever read! A MUST READ!
I couldn't put this book down.It is filled with fantastic stories of those special people who have achieved such sanctity during their lifetime, that the Lord saw fit to delay and in some cases, even prevent the decomposition of their bodies!!! If you chose to read only ONE inspirational book this year, please do yourself a favor and choose this one!
You'll be glad you did, and you will want to recommend to your friends and family as well. Thank you and God Bless! DMShae
Rating:
Summary: AMAZING!!! I Absolutely LOVED This Book!
Review: This is one of the best books I've ever read! A MUST READ!
I couldn't put this book down. It is filled with fantastic stories of those special people who have achieved such sanctity during their lifetime, that the Lord saw fit to delay and in some cases, even prevent the decomposition of their bodies!!! If you chose to read only ONE inspirational book this year, please do yourself a favor and choose this one!
You'll be glad you did, and you will want to recommend to your friends and family as well. Thank you and God Bless! DMShae
Rating:
Summary: You Will Be Amazed.
Review: You Will Be Amazed.
"The Incorruptibles" by Joan Carroll Cruz, Tan Books and Publishers, Rockford, Illinois, On the very first page of her introduction, Joan Cruz specifies that she understands that she is treating a very special case in the preservation of the bodies of saints. First, she notes that there are three classifications of preserved bodies: (1) deliberately preserved, (2) accidentally preserved and (3) the incorruptibles. Ancient Egyptian mummies are probably the most familiar examples of deliberately preserved bodies; many of us have seen them in various museums. In her introduction, Ms. Cruz presents more details than most of us want to know about the modern techniques of embalming and its impact on the body of the deceased.
(Pages 27 to 32). Accidentally preserved bodies include the more or less well known cases of bodies found in peat bogs in Denmark, Ireland and Scotland (page 32). Ms. Cruz presents the interesting case of Bremen Cathedral, Germany, where the cellar burial place tends to mummify any body left there. Experiments were run using the bodies of animals or fowls, hung in the open-windowed cellar, and the bodies of these animals became mummified. The incorruptibles, however, are those bodies which have been preserved only since Christian times and their preservation is ..."even more baffling..." since it "...seems to be neither dependent upon the manner of burial nor on the temperature or place of interment". Joan Cruz makes a case for the intervention of God as a sign of favor to His saints. The mystery is "...further compounded ... (with) ...the observance of blood and clear oils" which flow from these incorruptibles. (Page 27). Her introduction to the book is a clear and pressing statement as to why the 100+ cases she presents are different from mummifying the bodies or from accidental preservation. After her excellent introduction, Joan Cruz then presents, in chronological order, slightly more than a hundred documented cases of individuals whose bodies had been preserved from corruption after their death. In many of the cases, she provides photographs of the dead bodies, with, perhaps, the most striking and the most beautiful being that of the nun and saint, St. Bernadette Soubirous, (1844-1879), whose body has been preserved intact, "...without embalming or other artificial means", since 1879. This is a wonderful book, which will make anyone think again on his mortality, if the book is read with an open mind.
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