It starts off slow and kind of dense, but once the action begins, it's hard to resist the story as it drives forward. It reads as a true epic, one that makes you feel the world really has been reshaped as you read it. Would recommend.

Imagine you are sitting in a required science class that you are not looking forward to. And, then imagine that Bill Bryson is the instructor. Soon, you will be sitting up and paying attention to every word! In his singular witty style, Bryson informs us through anecdotes and facts of what we know and how much we don't know about the human body. A delight from start to finish!

Bill Bryson is a favorite of mine because he can take any subject and make it fascinating and funny. He did a great job with the human body. It ranges from parts and how they work to diseases and how they are fought. Lots of interesting little details are brought out that really add to the book.

I was super excited to find a new Bill Bryson book available on Netgalley for review! I love most of his travel books, but I didn't make it very far through his last nonfiction. I've really enjoyed this one, though! It's full of crazy facts about the body and medicine, and there's a little bit of humor sprinkled in to keep it fun. It's one of those books that makes you annoy your friends because you keep saying things like, "I'm reading this book about the body and I just learned that..." 

A couple of my favs:

*According to the USDA, about a quarter of all chicken sold in stores is contaminated with salmonella.

*Almost 3/4 of the prescriptions written in the US for antibiotics are written for conditions that can't be cured with anitbiotics.

If you like reading nonfiction that gives you random trivia to spout off, this one is a lot of fun.

Bryson's latest offering is quite reminiscent of his earlier books -- filled with a multitude of scientifically & historically accurate tidbits that educate, inform, and entertain. I learned a lot about the human body, its systems, and functions. I'm certainly no expert, but if the pages & pages of references & citations at then end are any indication, the information presented here is accurate and engaging. If you want to learn more about the human body, but don't want to read a biology or anatomy book, this is for you. There's not a lot of depth on any one topic, but he hits all the highlights and it is very informative for the every day reader. NOTE: Yes, he does get "scientific" in places, and I was reminded of what I learned in biology & chemistry classes so long ago. I think he straddles a fine line -- just enough science for the scientist, just enough fun/gross/pop science for the average reader.

Excellent as ever, Bryson confounds with this massive, yet readable, tome full of knowledge. He makes even the most complicated things be relatable and understandable. Can't wait to read more from him.

The Body: A Guide For Occupants by Bill Bryson is a treasure trove of information about the human body. I learned so many new and interesting facts. His story telling about historical medical advancements was interesting and entertaining. He obviously knows his anatomy and has completed a great deal of research too. I think most everyone will enjoy this book.

This is another winner from Bill Bryson. I find his books to be must-reads and this had the same aspects of his books that I enjoy: tons of information, humor, and a bit of personal reflection.

I’ve been following Bryson’s work for decades (I especially like his older books about moving to the UK). This had a promising start, but unfortunately made me a bit queasy (probably more my issue than the book’s).

This took me a long time to get through, but that does not mean that I didn't like it or that I had a hard time reading it. I love just about everything Bill Bryson writes, and this book was no exception. His writing style always connects really well with me and I learned a lot. Reading this book made me realize that Bryson and I read a lot of the same books, because he ended up quoting from people I have read before. That was interesting.

I will recommend this book to everyone, just like I do with all Bryson's books. He's great.

I enjoyed this book. I had forgotten how much i love reading Bill Bryson's books. His writing style is full of humor and lots of facts but easy to read. It is the perfect gift for the non-fiction reader in your life. He has 29 chapters in the book that cover the entire body. He explores the head and brain, the skin and muscles and the blood and gut. I received a copy of this ARC in exchange for a fair and honest review.

***Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review***
Bill Bryson takes a topic and makes it so interesting. If you like Mary Roach, then you'll love The Body.

Many years ago I was required to take an Anatomy & Physiology class. If you had asked me then if I would ever read a book about the body for entertainment, I would have said no. Who would write such a book?

Enter Bill Bryson.

Not only is this informative, it really is entertaining. Mr. Bryson takes the body from top to bottom and outside to inside. He tells us how the body works. But the best part are the side stories - historical information on research and discoveries, along with funny little anecdotes. I think I will forever remember the 1-3-5-7-9-11 information about the spleen and the man who hiccupped for 68 years.

As is typical of books by Mr. Brsyon this is written with attention to detail and a wry sense of humor. I never hesitate to read a book by this author.

My thanks to Doubleday and Netgalley for this ARC.

Bill Bryson’s The Body: A Guide for Occupants, is a light, in both tone and substance, tour of the human body. Filled with intriguing details and replete with Bryson’s typical ease of style it makes for a fluid, fun, and often informative read even if it leaves one desirous of a bit more depth and cohesion.

Bryson begins with a general overview of “How to Build a Human,” noting how our DNA, if gathered into a single strand, would reach past Pluto or how much the various components of our body are worth on the current market. From there he starts off the more detailed examination from the outside in, looking at skin (its purpose, its coloration) and hair, which allows him to move from the microbes that live on us to those that live in us. Some benign, others far less so. In one of the scarier sections of the book, he explores the nightmare of antibiotic resistance, an arms race between medicine and germs that humanity is not only losing but, as he points out, are even somewhat conceding, not out of a sense of despair but because the big pharm companies have decided there aren’t enough profits in new antibiotics.

This is just one example of where Bryson is willing to dip into, if only briefly, into a few grim areas— the frightening, the morbid, the inhumane, or cruel. In the chapter on the brain he zooms through its various facets quickly and entertainingly, but also details the appalling history of the lobotomy and later, in the segment on the head, he lays out the virulent racism that lay underneath (and not deeply buried) much of the anatomical “science” of the late 19th/early 20th Centuries. Similarly, he explores, again in quick fashion, the impact of race and also class on health, illness, and experiences with the medical world.

Bryson doesn’t linger on the dark, however, always quick with yet another statistic that displays the sheer marvel of our everyday existence: the heart pumps out 1680 gallons of blood a day, bone is stronger than concrete, only 10 percent of what you “see” comes via the optic nerve; the rest is interpretation by your brain.

It’s all fascinating and wonderous in the true fashion of “wonder” (seriously, when you read, stop and actually ponder some of the miracle of what our body does), and Bryson, as noted, is a smooth, easy-going tour guide, showing a deft hand at the lucid analogy or witty aside as well as a good eye for the unfamiliar story of discovery/achievement. There’s some good advice in here as well, though as often is the case with health advice it basically boils down to “eat a little less, move a little more” (or possibly replace “little” with “a lot”). If I have any complaint it’s that despite its 400+ pages, The Body feels like it skates a little too much on the surface. Which maybe is impossible to avoid for such a broad overview. As such, I’d call it an excellent appetizer, one that tastes nice, goes down easily, and prepares you for a more full-course meal, say like Mary Roach’s Gulp, Sandeep Jauhar’s Heart: A History, or Siddhartha Mukherjee’s The Gene.

I really love science nonfiction books like this. Learning weird trivia about a topic that everyone interacts with on a regular basis, but might be overlooked. This book is definitely for a general audience, very easy to read and understand, and it's fun.

Bryson is a must have for my public library collection. People return to his books over and over, recommending them to friends who start their own reading journey. His older books are still circulating, and The Body is another deep dive that is worthy of the accolades.

The Body by Bill Bryson is not light reading but is easily read. It should be the book of the year. The amount of information in this book far surpasses anything you find elsewhere in a single book.
Don’t delay buying this book.

The Body is really different than other Bill Bryson books. It's denser, not as much narrative and definitely a lot of information packed into a lot of pages. It took me a lot longer to get through than other Bryson books (I'm a huge fan of his travel literature), but it's amazing how much information he packed into this books. It's a very holistic look at what it means to be human.

I requested as background reading so as to be able to best edit BookBrowse's review of The Body. You can read our 5-star review at https://www.bookbrowse.com/mag/reviews/index.cfm/ref/zi256896/the-body#reviews

Bill Bryson and a deep dive into human physiology and bodily functions--perfection. One of my favorite books of the year!

Nothing more needs to be said. Bryson's name is synonymous with a well-researched, well-written book that is a joy to read. Please publish anything he writes.