Pipe Dreams: The Urgent Global Quest to Transform the Toilet
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- Create Date：2021-07-01 16:30:56
- Update Date：2025-09-06
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- Author：Chelsea Wald
- ISBN：1982116226
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Summary
From an award-winning science journalist， a “deeply researched， entertaining， and impassioned exploration of sanitation” （Nature） and the future of the toilet—for fans of popular science bestsellers by Mary Roach。
Most of us do not give much thought to the centerpiece of our bathrooms， but the toilet is an unexpected paradox。 On the one hand， it is a modern miracle: a ubiquitous fixture in a vast sanitation system that has helped add decades to the human life span by reducing disease。 On the other hand， the toilet is also a tragic failure: less than half of the world’s population can access a toilet that safely manages body waste， including many right here in the United States。 And it is inefficient， squandering clean water as well as the nutrients， energy， and information contained in the stuff we flush away。 While we see radical technological change in almost every other aspect of our lives， we remain stuck in a sanitation status quo—in part because the topic of toilets is taboo。
Fortunately， there’s hope—and Pipe Dreams daringly profiles the growing army of sewage-savvy scientists， engineers， philanthropists， entrepreneurs， and activists worldwide who are overcoming their aversions and focusing their formidable skills on making toilets accessible and healthier for all。
This potential revolution in sanitation has many benefits， including reducing inequalities， mitigating climate change and water scarcity， improving agriculture， and optimizing health。 Author Chelsea Wald takes us on a wild world tour from a compost toilet project in Haiti， to a plant in the Netherlands that salvages used toilet paper from sewage， and shows us a toilet seat that can watch users’ poop for signs of illness， among many other fascinating developments。
“Toilet humor is one thing， but toilet fact， as digested by skilled science writer Wald， is quite another…[Pipe Dreams is] a highly informative， well-reasoned call to rethink the throne” （Kirkus Reviews）。
Most of us do not give much thought to the centerpiece of our bathrooms， but the toilet is an unexpected paradox。 On the one hand， it is a modern miracle: a ubiquitous fixture in a vast sanitation system that has helped add decades to the human life span by reducing disease。 On the other hand， the toilet is also a tragic failure: less than half of the world’s population can access a toilet that safely manages body waste， including many right here in the United States。 And it is inefficient， squandering clean water as well as the nutrients， energy， and information contained in the stuff we flush away。 While we see radical technological change in almost every other aspect of our lives， we remain stuck in a sanitation status quo—in part because the topic of toilets is taboo。
Fortunately， there’s hope—and Pipe Dreams daringly profiles the growing army of sewage-savvy scientists， engineers， philanthropists， entrepreneurs， and activists worldwide who are overcoming their aversions and focusing their formidable skills on making toilets accessible and healthier for all。
This potential revolution in sanitation has many benefits， including reducing inequalities， mitigating climate change and water scarcity， improving agriculture， and optimizing health。 Author Chelsea Wald takes us on a wild world tour from a compost toilet project in Haiti， to a plant in the Netherlands that salvages used toilet paper from sewage， and shows us a toilet seat that can watch users’ poop for signs of illness， among many other fascinating developments。
“Toilet humor is one thing， but toilet fact， as digested by skilled science writer Wald， is quite another…[Pipe Dreams is] a highly informative， well-reasoned call to rethink the throne” （Kirkus Reviews）。
Reviews
Felipe
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This is probably my favorite book of the year so far。
Wen Zeng
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I can't get this shit out of my head。 I can't get this shit out of my head。 。。。more
Dan Seitz
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We rarely think about toilet， but Chelsea Wald makes a compelling argument to why we need to think more about them。 You'll never view sanitation， or water， the same way。 We rarely think about toilet， but Chelsea Wald makes a compelling argument to why we need to think more about them。 You'll never view sanitation， or water， the same way。 。。。more
Lora Elliott
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This book is fantastic！ I never knew there was so much to learn about toilets and sanitation - and this is coming from someone who works in local government and frequently grabs a beer with the Public Works Director。 I appreciate how firmly this book is grounded in the need for equal access to proper sanitation while exploring every possible nook and cranny of the subject in a conversational tone that isn't painfully dry。I also strongly appreciate this author's balanced approach to discussing di This book is fantastic！ I never knew there was so much to learn about toilets and sanitation - and this is coming from someone who works in local government and frequently grabs a beer with the Public Works Director。 I appreciate how firmly this book is grounded in the need for equal access to proper sanitation while exploring every possible nook and cranny of the subject in a conversational tone that isn't painfully dry。I also strongly appreciate this author's balanced approach to discussing different programs， innovations， and ideas。 She lets the reader be dazzled by cool new ideas， but always makes sure to address how they aren't a panacea， silver-bullet solution all on their own。Finally， the author offers a comprehensive list of suggestions for how we can all be part of the solution and moving towards progress。 This is something so few non-fiction books do， and having real and actionable suggestions is so nice。 。。。more
Kevin
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https://www。cbc。ca/radio/quirks/may-2。。。 https://www。cbc。ca/radio/quirks/may-2。。。 。。。more
Pete Hill
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Interesting book。
Laura
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Title: Pipe Dreams: The Urgent Global Quest to Transform the ToiletAuthor: Chelsea WaldRead by: Lisa FlanaganPublisher: Simon & Shuster AudioLength: Approximately 8 hours and 8 minutes Source: Review Copy from Simon & Shuster Audio。 Thank-you！ If there ever was a book written just for me， Pipe Dreams is it。 Pipe Dreams: The Urgent Global Quest to Transform the Toilet is a fascinating look into sanitation。 It covers all aspects from how toilets work around the world， to how sanitary sewers and wa Title: Pipe Dreams: The Urgent Global Quest to Transform the ToiletAuthor: Chelsea WaldRead by: Lisa FlanaganPublisher: Simon & Shuster AudioLength: Approximately 8 hours and 8 minutes Source: Review Copy from Simon & Shuster Audio。 Thank-you！ If there ever was a book written just for me， Pipe Dreams is it。 Pipe Dreams: The Urgent Global Quest to Transform the Toilet is a fascinating look into sanitation。 It covers all aspects from how toilets work around the world， to how sanitary sewers and wastewater treatment plants are designed， to current problems and new ideas on how to deal with them。 I am an environmental engineer and work in the wastewater industry。 This was the perfect book for me to listen to while I drove around to wastewater treatment plant inspections。 This book was very interesting and was correct on the technical information。 If you’ve ever wondered what happens after you flush the toilet， author Chelsea Wald does a great job explaining everything in this book。 She is factual， but also full of humor which made it so fun。I enjoyed that the policies and psychology of toilet use were also discussed。 It’s interesting how different parts of the world differ on how a toilet is used （squat versus sit） and whether to use toilet paper versus water。 She also talks about testing of the wastewater。 The single most interesting fact to me was the doing testing around the United States for drugs， it’s been found that drug use is consistent among all socioeconomic levels and within different races/ethnicities。 The rush for toilet paper during COVID was discussed as well as newer items in the wastewater field such as PFAS chemicals。Items near and dear to my heart were also discussed including the American Society of Civil Engineers Report Card and the sad state of infrastructure in the United States and world。 I worked on the wastewater section for the state of Wisconsin。 She took me out of my hard infrastructure bubble and got me thinking about other solutions for sanitation around the world。 Wald visits wastewater plants worldwide， which I thought was fascinating besides being a life goal of my own。 She also mentions the Milwaukee wastewater treatment plant and their inventive reuse of biosolids with their milorganite fertilizer product。Wald does an excellent job of explaining a lot of information in a fun way。 This type of information is often overlooked as no one likes to think about what happens after you flush the toilet。 It’s important to know for health reasons and for making prudent political choices to update infrastructure。 I could wax on about my great love for this audiobook for eternity， but I’ll stop now。 Listen to this book and be prepared to learn and laugh。 Lisa Flanagan is a great narrator。Overall， Pipe Dreams: The Urgent Global Quest to Transform the Toilet is a fascinating and humorous look into toilets and sanitation。This review was first posted on my blog at: https://lauragerold。blogspot。com/2021。。。 。。。more
Kimberly
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What a great book about toilets！ Wald is both thorough and witty in this book。 I work in sanitation and I STILL felt like I learned from her storytelling and reporting of stories from across the globe。 Highly recommend。
Susan Tunis
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If you， like me， find yourself thinking， "Man， it's been a while since Mary Roach published a book，" then this is the book for you！ Like Mary Roach， Ms。 Wald finds the sweet spot between informative science and humor。 And she adds an additional layer of current affairs and social issues。 Because， much like death and taxes--as the old saying goes--everyone poops。If you are of an especially delicate nature， easily offended or grossed out， you may want to pass。 But for the rest of us， you may be su If you， like me， find yourself thinking， "Man， it's been a while since Mary Roach published a book，" then this is the book for you！ Like Mary Roach， Ms。 Wald finds the sweet spot between informative science and humor。 And she adds an additional layer of current affairs and social issues。 Because， much like death and taxes--as the old saying goes--everyone poops。If you are of an especially delicate nature， easily offended or grossed out， you may want to pass。 But for the rest of us， you may be surprised how interesting and wide-reaching the subject matter is。 The topic will have relevance as immediate as your own health， body， city， and home， to social justice across the globe。I doubt I'd have given this book a second glance， had I not read my friend Anita's review singing it's praises。 Thanks， Anita。 I owe you one！ 。。。more
Renee
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I definitely learned a lot from this book - about sewers， water conservation， waste management and recycling - but my main challenge was trying to follow the organization。 It may be that the overarching scheme is less evident from an audiobook， but I thought it jumped around topics a lot and would then later return to a previous topic， and I wish the related stories had been together （e。g。 this is the section on toilet innovations， this is the section on alternatives to pit toilets。。。）。 I did li I definitely learned a lot from this book - about sewers， water conservation， waste management and recycling - but my main challenge was trying to follow the organization。 It may be that the overarching scheme is less evident from an audiobook， but I thought it jumped around topics a lot and would then later return to a previous topic， and I wish the related stories had been together （e。g。 this is the section on toilet innovations， this is the section on alternatives to pit toilets。。。）。 I did like that it had a list of action items。。。but then there were still two whole sections after that， which threw me for a loop。 So it's good for learning about completely new ideas， but maybe just one little section at a time。 。。。more
Sarah Schuler
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I never thought I would be reading a book about shit， but wow that was so informative and interesting！ There are some fantastic takeaways and questions to get you thinking
Mary G。
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Thank you to Avid Reader Press/Simon & Schuster for my NetGalley ARC of Pipe Dreams！Genre: scienceRating: 🚽🚽🚽🚽。5We don't like to think too much about toilets， but Chelsea Wald is here to change all of that。 Toilets are a flawed miracle - they reduce disease by flushing away our waste。 BUT they do so at the cost of an unfathomable amount of water and enormous treatment costs so that the waste can be safely released。 And let's not forget sewers - US sewer systems got a D+ grade for infrastructure， Thank you to Avid Reader Press/Simon & Schuster for my NetGalley ARC of Pipe Dreams！Genre: scienceRating: 🚽🚽🚽🚽。5We don't like to think too much about toilets， but Chelsea Wald is here to change all of that。 Toilets are a flawed miracle - they reduce disease by flushing away our waste。 BUT they do so at the cost of an unfathomable amount of water and enormous treatment costs so that the waste can be safely released。 And let's not forget sewers - US sewer systems got a D+ grade for infrastructure， and this problem is not going away。Putting aside the problems in developed countries - toilets are not universally available in all countries; some countries still practice outdoor defecation。 Bill Gates has funded efforts to create a better toilet - less water usage， more adaptable to countries across the world - where are we in this quest？ Wald takes us on a journey through toilet and sanitation science， covering these topics and much， much more。I am a health and science nerd， so I loved this book。 Wald's writing reminds me a lot of that of Mary Roach （of Gulp， Stiff， and Bonk fame） - she takes a topic we don't think much about and makes it fascinating， showing how it connects to politics， economics， and culture。One topic I appreciated was that of public toilets。 The lack of public toilets causes many problems in the US - for people who are homeless， or have stomach conditions， just to name a few reasons。 COVID made me realize how much public facilities matter - how can you get out of the house without available restrooms？ Toilets in restaurants and shops are not a solution - just think back to the racist incidents of Black people not given access to Starbucks bathrooms。Wald makes a compelling case for more investment in better and more eco-friendly toilets and waste processing systems。 If you're looking for popular science that will make you think， I highly recommend this book！Review published to Instagram and Goodreads on 4/6/21。 。。。more
Anita Pomerantz
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You know I never gave much thoughts to toilets。 They were just another every day convenience that I took for granted。Until in 2019 when I was diagnosed with ulcerative colitis。 As a long distance runner， I suddenly was hyper aware of where bathrooms existed on my running route just in case。 And then the pandemic hit and suddenly， there were no accessible bathrooms。 Like anywhere。So this book was actually very fascinating as it basically tells you everything you want to know about toilets and a l You know I never gave much thoughts to toilets。 They were just another every day convenience that I took for granted。Until in 2019 when I was diagnosed with ulcerative colitis。 As a long distance runner， I suddenly was hyper aware of where bathrooms existed on my running route just in case。 And then the pandemic hit and suddenly， there were no accessible bathrooms。 Like anywhere。So this book was actually very fascinating as it basically tells you everything you want to know about toilets and a lot of things you never thought you wanted to know， but are quite interesting to learn about。 From the public health aspects to the psychology of their use to the engineering to the environment （and of course， the political）， the author captures it all。 She has a great voice and combines education interwoven with anecdotes and best of all her own， often witty， personal interjections。I am not a person who really spends a lot of time agonizing about environmental issues， but if you are such a person， I would characterize this book as a MUST。 But for the rest of you， who just have curiosity about the world and how it works 。 。 。you'll find Pipe Dreams to be educational， engaging， and even entertaining。 。。。more
Brenda
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Flush with wicked puns and information on the history of toilets to looking to the future for more sustainable toilet methods， this is one intriguing book！ Science journalist Chelsea Wald knows her。。。stuff。 She walks us through vocabulary origins （loo， water closet， necessary house。。。）， sanitation， hygiene， inventions and experiments in a frank way and doesn't waste words。 She even describes the volume difference between omnivores and vegetarians。Wald describes ancient Roman pit latrines。。。whene Flush with wicked puns and information on the history of toilets to looking to the future for more sustainable toilet methods， this is one intriguing book！ Science journalist Chelsea Wald knows her。。。stuff。 She walks us through vocabulary origins （loo， water closet， necessary house。。。）， sanitation， hygiene， inventions and experiments in a frank way and doesn't waste words。 She even describes the volume difference between omnivores and vegetarians。Wald describes ancient Roman pit latrines。。。whenever in ancient cities I like to visit the underground including sewers if possible as well as above ground latrines。 Riveting！ She explains night soil workers' grim jobs and those who in modern times still collect and dump using large pails。 Plus we learn that animals including bees and racoons defecate away from their homes。 And then there's the mysterious German toilet。。。on my first trip to Germany I wondered at it but then realized the brilliance behind it。 Wald goes on to explain the benefits of squat toilets （I just can't get the hang of them！） and urinals and the leading science of today， She even details the first toilet paper inventors。 So many memorable bits of information and stories here。。。one of my favourites is of the octopus。 Not only that but loads more including urine potential and its past uses。As humans we are curious beings and this book will satiate your appetite。 This is the ultimate scoop on poop so don't be shy， just pit in and get ready to have your eyes opened。 Much of the book is scientific and based on science but it does not read like a textbook， not at all。My sincere thank you to Avid Reader Press and NetGalley for the privilege of reading this enthralling eARC！ 。。。more
Hayla
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If you’ve ever wanted the poop on sanitation and we’re curious about what challenges are being faced currently - this book is for you！ If you were curious about how much one could write on the subject and how in depth it would be， like yours truly， this book is also for you！ Just note that it’s very dense with information。 That’s not bad at all， but I see that it’s being marketed as “similar to Roach’s books” and based on reading both， I found this one to have a lot more information in each para If you’ve ever wanted the poop on sanitation and we’re curious about what challenges are being faced currently - this book is for you！ If you were curious about how much one could write on the subject and how in depth it would be， like yours truly， this book is also for you！ Just note that it’s very dense with information。 That’s not bad at all， but I see that it’s being marketed as “similar to Roach’s books” and based on reading both， I found this one to have a lot more information in each paragraph。 They are similar in witty section headlines， however。 I loved how the author tackled why the reader should give a crap about the topic and listed some ways to make more environmentally friendly choices。 I also was pleased to see the inclusion of 2020’s pandemic and TP shortage received a mention， though it was very strange to read it in past tense as it is still going on when I read this。 Overall， I enjoyed this book。 Thanks so much to Avid Reader Press and NetGalley for allowing me to read this book early in exchange for an honest review。 。。。more
Jeff
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