The Body: A Guide for Occupants
Ratings119
Average rating4.2
NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • Bill Bryson, bestselling author of A Short History of Nearly Everything, takes us on a head-to-toe tour of the marvel that is the human body—with a new afterword for this edition. Bill Bryson once again proves himself to be an incomparable companion as he guides us through the human body—how it functions, its remarkable ability to heal itself, and (unfortunately) the ways it can fail. Full of extraordinary facts (your body made a million red blood cells since you started reading this) and irresistible Brysonesque anecdotes, The Body will lead you to a deeper understanding of the miracle that is life in general and you in particular. As Bill Bryson writes, “We pass our existence within this wobble of flesh and yet take it almost entirely for granted.” The Body will cure that indifference with generous doses of wondrous, compulsively readable facts and information. As addictive as it is comprehensive, this is Bryson at his very best, a must-read owner’s manual for every body.
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Not bad, just ... basic? I'm not sure what I wanted it to be instead, maybe deeper instead of so broad, but this didn't quite hit the spot for me like I was hoping it would, unfortunately.
I decided to read this because Brahm mentioned in his review that this was more breadth over depth, which was something that was opposite to his preference. I, however, don't read a ton of non-fiction and when I do I prefer a wide range of topics around a theme, such as Freakonomics or a Malcolm Gladwell book, so I grabbed the audiobook from the library.
This was a fun, easy read even if it wasn't super enlightening or anything. Each section on different parts/functions of body is generally basic enough that a high school biology class likely covered it, but almost every one of these sections also includes a fun anecdote about an early pioneering doctor or researcher that made discoveries in that area.
Things that did surprise me were the things that we still don't have answers for. Did you know that we don't have a good scientific explanation for why we sleep still? I assumed there was a specific regenerative process or something that I just forgot the details about when I wasn't paying attention in a class, but nope, we just need sleep for... some reason.
Glad I listened to this though! Was a great book to drive to and do chores to.
The body is so cool! This was a great crash course in human biology - basically everything I've forgotten since I last took it in high school. Peppered with medical history, interesting (and sometimes very disturbing) anecdotes from around the world, myth-busting and current expert opinion, this was a great informational read. Written in Bryson's distinctive clever and dry voice, I found it accessible as well. Now I'm loaded with great trivia that I will inevitably forget in a few weeks.
