Before this book, I had not read any of Bill Bryson’s work. I had heard of his talent and the light but informative style he so skillfully uses, so when this book came up for me to review on NetGalley, I snatched it. And now I am going to move some of his other books up on my to-read list.

The Body gives us an entertaining overview of our inner parts and how they work and why they sometimes don’t. As Bryson describes the efficiency of one system or the problems another system presents, his tone is sometimes witty or wry but always approachable, and he is able to explain in simple terms for almost all readers important basics about the body and even some new developments in treatments that in other hands would be difficult to understand.

I’ve always been interested in science and medicine, and this past year alone I’ve read two books just on the heart. So I feel I’m more informed than most laypersons about the body. But Bryson still gave me plenty of useful tidbits to chew on and to read aloud to my husband or teen daughter. For instance, I had no idea that chemotherapy treatments were “discovered” when a chemical expert during World War II was studying the effects of mustard gas on the body. Lt. Col. Stewart Francis Alexander noticed that mustard gas “dramatically slowed the creation of white blood cells in those exposed to it. From this, it was realized that some derivative of mustard gas might be useful in treating some cancers.”

“ ‘What is quite remarkable,’ one cancer specialist told me, ‘is that we are basically still using mustard gases.’”

Well, blow me over! (And I’ve read Siddhartha Mukherjee’s The Emperor of All Maladies: A Biography of Cancer, and that didn’t show up in there, even though Bryson references Mukherjee a couple of times in his book.)

Now that we’re really coming into cold and flu season, I was also surprised to learn that sneezing, though it does shoot particles several feet (and sometimes much further) into the air, is not the most effective way the cold virus gets passed to others; neither is kissing, even! “The only really reliable way to transfer cold germs is physically by touch,” Bryson writes. And spreading those germs to a lot of people happens in a very short time. One study showed that it took only about four hours for a simulated “virus” to spread through an entire office building once it had been put on a door handle. So, as is mentioned several times in the book, wash your hands. A lot.

If you’d like to know more about your whole body and like to be entertained while you learn, Bryson’s for you. You should end up with plenty of tidbits to share with your family and friends.

I have read - and enjoyed - several of Bryson's earlier books, so his name always catches my eye. This one, his latest, is not at all a memoir, but instead a rather comprehensive view of human biology. This overview touches on many subjects - from the specifics of diseases, impacts of lifestyle choices, details on how organs function alongside quick biographical highlights of many Novel prize winners and others who have made significant discoveries in medicine and deepening your understanding of your own body.

There is a lot crammed into this volume - with many interesting footnotes, anecdotes and facts that are fun to share as you read along. The chapters are clearly broken down by subject and though there are a few references to information revealed in later or earlier chapters, for the most part, there isn't even a reason to read this consecutively (so if you are the most interested in the heart - start there!). I think this would be a perfect book to slowly read - a friend of mine mentions that she has a few books always on the go like that (one on her nightstand for just before bed reading, another in the car for reading while waiting on her kids in the pick up line). Because I did read it consecutively, without breaks, it did stand out that Bryson really stressed the poor health of America over his adopted country of Great Britain. I don't think this would have been as obvious had I read this more slowly, over a longer period of time. It is an interesting read and one that definitely feels well-researched. I can see this as a nice addition to your home reference library. And I am curious to see what direction Bryson will go in next.

A casual readable guide for the ‘common man,’ (you know I mean person). Reading through this book by Bill Bryson, is like talking to your favorite uncle at the Thanksgiving table, after everyone else went to watch the football game. You and he are nibbling dessert, sipping coffee and just chatting about the human body. That’s how easy the writing flows.
So far from any textbook, it contains valuable facts yet it’s not overly technical. The categories or elements of the vast network that contains the wonders inside and out are organized perfectly; and the technical words are available for anyone who wants them. Just when you’re ready to ask, ‘but what about this?’ Bill segues into that area. Always the teacher and the guide, Bryson just knows what to tell us next. He presents not just the basic information, but any controversies, recent and past, surrounding this body part or organ relative to disease or maladies.
I’ve learned more through this book than I have reading articles or other periodicals over the past year or so.
I highly recommend this book to everyone!

Thank you to Netgalley, Doubleday Books, and Bill Bryson.

We have another winner! Bill Bryson is the true master of nonfiction information writing. In his quest to explain the universe, he takes you on a journey of the human body. In his true humorous style, Bryson weaves his tale of the innards of which make us up. You will not be disappointed in this truly epic tale!

It's nice to read a new book by Bryson in which he seems to have gotten over the bitterness (especially about aging) that made several of his most recent books unpleasant. And while The Body is written in something similar to his old, familiar, entertaining style, there are several issues that will keep me from buying it for friends. 1. it's hard to be precisely up-to-the-minute with books on science, but a lot of the data Bryson cites is quite old and misleading. Referring to the BMI, for example, is problematic because it is known to be a terrible indicator of, well, anything, and it's been long-condemned by medical professionals. There are other errors of fact as well: it's "Down syndrome," not "Down's,," for example. 2. It's ableist and sexist. The book could have used a sensitivity reading by a disabled person, who would have asked Bryson to remove a lot of the language of "suffering" and "lack" that appears. Bryson often refers to measurements and statistics about women by citing men first and then portraying women as the different or other. Although he does an excellent job of pointing out gender bias in scientific studies, his framing is redolent of those studies themselves. 3. It's not really necessary: as Bryson himself cites numerous other, recent books about the human body and human health, it's unclear why he though his addition was needed. Sure, the historical anecdotes are interesting, but they've been used numerous other times in other books on the same topic.

Bill Bryson can do no wrong whether he's writing about a walk or the human body. His words are poetry to my ears and the way he was able to tell us amazing facts about our bodies in such a compulsory read shows his true genius. More please Mr. Bryson!!!

This book is for everyone. Take the very scientific and complex ways our bodies various systems come together to function, and wrap it up into an easy to read, digestible manner and you will have Bill Bryson's The Body. Must read!

"I didn't know that!"--the phrase most often used by me as I read this book.

Bill Bryson explores what makes up the human body from head to toe, from birth to death, with his trademark wit and wisdom. He delves into how a healthy body functions and what can go wrong, how medicines and treatments have evolved over the years, discussing which scientists and doctors made important discoveries that benefitted humanity and which crackpot theories were eventually debunked. Best advice for living a long life? Eat healthy foods, the less processed the better, exercise, don't smoke, don't drink to excess. Take an aspirin and call me in the morning..

I must admit that Bryson's A Short History of Nearly Everything was a slog for me, while Notes from a Small Island and A Walk in the Woods are among my favorite books, so perhaps I lean more toward his less science-focused works. The Body is a useful, approachable exploration with memorable stories (in particular, I feel like I will remember every astonishing story from the sleep chapter for a long time), but with less of the humor and lightness that some of his other books possess. Still, it's an accessible enough read that I can recommend it for my students, and it inspired me to take better care of my own body, so overall, that's a win.

Thanks to the publishers and NetGalley for the digital ARC.

I was impressed by the breath of knowledge in this book. Bill Bryson provides and entertaining read and here he didn't not disappoint. Although medicine is not my forte, I did look up the information presented and was happy to see that the scholarship was solid.

Fun and fact filled book about the human body. Bryson doesn't just talk about each different part of our anatomy, he also talks about the philosophical and historical development of science and medicine - our blunders, our triumphs. He sheds light on men and women whose contributions to modern medicine have otherwise been forgotten. A great read.

Bill Bryson’s trademark humor is evident in this fascinating book that provides detailed descriptions of the body, how things function and history of discovery. A big takeaway is that although there have been great strides in what we know about science and medicine, he makes it clear just how much is still unknown about how and why things work.

This book would be perfect to serve as a primer for a high school health and wellness course.

*will post in other online venues upon publication

Great read for lovers of human biology. Bryson's style is easy and personable. Facts are peppered with fun anecdotes from history. As a pharmacist I enjoyed the excerpts on the history of medicine.

The Body: A Guide for Occupants by Bill Bryson
Penguin Random House: 10/15/19
eBook review copy; 464 pages
ISBN-13: 9780385539302

The Body: A Guide for Occupants by Bill Bryson is a very highly recommended guide to the human body.

Sure we have bodies, but have you ever pondered how and why your body functions the way it does. Bryson takes us on an entertaining, compatible tour of our bodies and the modern understanding of why it works the way it does and what all the various bits and parts do. He talks to doctors and scientists, presenting facts, a scientific history, and interesting tidbits about our various body parts. He manages to present his information in an informative, fascinating, and interesting manner.

The writing is terrific. Bryson, known for his conversational style of writing, along with his dry humor and wit, makes this narrative an interesting, entertaining, and educational experience. Chapters start out with the skin and hair, microbes, the brain, and then work their way down and through the body the brain. This isn't a biology textbook so you aren't going to find all the information about everything, but it is a fascinating book full of extraordinary facts and also disproves several falsehoods, like we only use 10% of our brains. (We don't. We use more.) There are several experiments and studies presented with amazing and engrossing results. The text contains chapter notes, a bibliography, and index.

Two quick, but interesting facts: a teenager's brain is only about 80% developed and all the synapses aren't fully wired until a person is in their mid to late twenties. This explains a whole lot. Another interesting point was about MSG, which no scientists have ever found any reason to condemn, but it has a bad reputation all based on a letter, not a study or article, in the 1968 New England Journal of Medicine. And that is just a small taste of the interesting facts and stories you will discover in The Body: A Guide for Occupants.

Disclosure: My review copy was courtesy of Penguin Random House.

http://www.shetreadssoftly.com/2019/10/the-body-guide-for-occupants.html
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/3005929656
https://www.librarything.com/work/22830044/book/174077597
https://twitter.com/SheTreadsSoftly/status/1181702102558674944?s=20
Barnes&Noble and Amazon after publication

Bryson is a master at making non-fiction riveting, no matter what the subject. Here, he looks in detail at different parts of the human body, their connections to each other, scientific advances and how far we have yet to go. Absolutely fascinating and unlike some non-fiction about health issues, it won't create more anxiety for the already anxious.

Bill Bryson sure knows how to write a book ! This was fun, witty and above all very informative. I will definitely recommend this to all my friends !

This book was outstanding! Bill Bryson already owns a spot in my top 10 books of all time with A Walk In The Woods, and The Body: A Guide for Occupants has joined it. I couldn't stop taking a moment to tell my wife of all the interesting bits of information I was learning as I read. I cannot recommend this book enough and I have already recommended it plenty to co-workers and family. Truly an outstanding read and very informative. I thank netgalley and the publisher for an advanced copy, but being awarded this book in no way influenced the review. I without reservation believe this to be the best book I will read this year.

A thorough, detailed, and often hilarious explanation of anatomy and medical history. At times it felt a bit long, but, like everyone's favorite professor, Bryson keeps the story moving in a logical way through all the body systems and stages of life.

I learned so much from this book. One of the things I learned was that continuing to learn and keeping my brain active will help me avoid dementia, so you should read this book, too. I flagged many, many pages, so I’ll just offer a few highlights here.

The most interesting thing was reading about our skin, the tiny tiny layer that we makes us white or black or brown. Bryson watched a surgeon incise and peel back a sliver of skin a millimeter thick from the arm of cadaver. It was so thin it was translucent. That’s what race is. Which is why it’s so ridiculous that such a small facet of our composition should be given so much importance when it’s merely a reaction to sunlight. “Biologically, there is no such thing as race—nothing in terms of skin color, facial features, hair type, bone structure, or anything else that is a defining quality among peoples.”

Skins gets its color from a variety of pigments, the best known is a molecule we know as melanin. It’s also responsible for the color of birds’ feathers and gives fish the texture and luminescence of the their scales. Our skin evolved based on our geography.

A lot of myths I grew up with are not true. Like the fact we only use ten percent of our brain--false. I was taught as a kid that different parts of the tongue were attuned to different tastes like salty, sweet, sour. Nope. Also, like the movie the Matrix, apparently when I eat a brownie straight from the oven, it doesn’t actually taste good, my brain just reads these scentless, flavorless molecules and makes me think they’re pleasurable.

In one of the studies he talks about, a man was given an injection of a harmless liquid to mimic snot. It couldn’t be seen by the naked eye, but under those blue lights detectives use. The test subject went into a room with other folks, and when they turned the overhead lights off and the blue lights on, every single person, doorknob, and bowl of nuts had the pretend snot on it, which is how the common cold passes from person to person so easily—through touch, apparently not by making out with someone (although presumably at some point you might touch that person).

Antibiotics
• Almost 3/4ths of prescriptions written each year are for conditions that can’t be cured with antibiotics (like bronchitis)
• 80 percent of antibiotics are fed to farm animals to fatten them up which meat eaters then consume, which is one of the reasons antibiotics aren’t as effective as they used to be.
• Fruit growers use antibiotics to combat bacterial infections in their crops, sometimes even of produce mar ked “organic.” Which means we humans are unwittingly eating antibiotics, rendering them ineffective when we need them for a real disease/infection.

There’s a lot more interesting stuff in here. Thanks so much to NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book, which RELEASES OCTOBER 15, 2019.

In his Bill Bryson breezy prose, the author has chosen the human body as the subject for this tome and because that’s just the way he writes, it’s eminently readable - and enjoyable. I found myself saying Huh or outright laughing on many occasions. For instance, “Ollivere gently incised and peeled back a sliver of skin about a millimeter thick from the arm of a cadaver. It was so thin as to be translucent. ‘That,’ he said, ‘is where all your skin color is. That’s all that race is —a sliver of epidermis.’” That got a Huh from me when I first read it and another Huh as I reread it just now.

When he divulges information, he adds a example that we can relate to illustrate his point. For instance when he tells us that the region of the forebrain is associated with pleasure which grows to its largest size in teen years. “That is why the sensations you feel as a teenager are more intense than at any other time of life. But it also means that seeking pleasure is an occupational hazard for teenagers.” Instantly I thought of my son and the impulsive things he had done with bad outcomes. And I had to read that part out loud to my husband. In fact, I had to read out loud to him on several occasions. I’m sure he’s glad I’ve finished the book.

There are factoids scattered though the chapters, like how MSG got it’s bad reputation. We read about the rise in diabetes throughout the world which probably comes as a surprise to no one. But who knew that that type I diabetes in Finland has risen 550 percent since 1950 and continues to rise almost every where else at a rate of 3-5 percent. No one knows why. Huh!
Or that people who had their tonsils removed while young have a 55% great chance of having a heart attack in later life. Really?!!

I thoroughly enjoyed this book, as I do all of Bryson’s books, and if you’re wondering how a book on the human body could be engaging, take my word for it. It is.