ANN ARBOR, MI — Machines keeping hearts alive outside the body at a University of Michigan laboratory caught the attention of bestselling author Mary Roach.

She’s not a scientist, but she uses humor to make scientific knowledge digestible for everyday readers, as evidenced by her eight published books.

“People call me a science writer…but I have a strong inclination to make things entertaining and fun,” Roach, 66, said.

The California-based author now has a ninth book with a chapter covering her time at UM.

“ Replaceable You: Adventures in Human Anatomy ” published by W.W. Norton & Co., describes efforts to replace and protect human body parts with out-of-body machinery in simple, comedic words.

Roach will speak about the book Tuesday, Sept. 23, at the City Opera House in Traverse

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