The Body: A Guide for Occupants
- Downloads：5774
- Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
- Create Date：2021-01-29 04:18:50
- Update Date：2025-09-06
- Status：finish
- Author：Bill Bryson
- ISBN：9780804172721
- Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
Editor Reviews
"Glorious。 。 。 。 Having described the physical nature of our world and beyond， from the atomic to the intergalactic， in The Body [Bryson] now turns inward to explain—in his lucid， amusing style—what we’re made of。 。 。 。 Astonishing。 。 。 。 You will marvel at the brilliance and vast weirdness of your design。" —The Washington Post
"Delightful 。 。 。 reveals the thousands of rarely acknowledged tasks our body takes care of as we go about our day。 。 。 。 Informative， entertaining and often gross （kissing， according to one study， transfers up to one billion bacteria from one mouth to another， along with 0。2 micrograms of food bits）。 。 。 。 Bryson， who gives off a Cronkite-like trustworthy vibe， is good at allaying fears and busting myths。” —The New York Times Book Review
"Bryson is a master explainer， with a gift for the pithy simile and all-encompassing metaphor。 。 。 。 Mr。 Bryson’s account is enlivened by his excellent command of the history of medicine。 。 。 。 Brisk， provocative and entertaining throughout。" —The Wall Street Journal
"Fascinating。" —NPR
"Bryson launches himself into the wilderness of the human anatomy armed with his characteristic thoroughness and wit。 。 。 。This book is full of such arresting factoids and， like a douser hunting water， Bryson is adept at finding the bizarre and the arcane in his subject matter。 。 。 。 Amazing。" —USA Today
"A witty， informative immersion。 。 。 。 The Body—a delightful， anecdote-propelled read—proves one of his most ambitious yet， as he leads us on a head-to-toe tour of a physique that’s terra incognita to many of us。 。 。 。 Playful， lucid。 。 。 。 [Bryson] cover[s] a remarkably large swathe of human corporeal and cerebral experience。" —The Boston Globe
"A directory of wonders。 。 。 。 Extraordinary。 。 。 。 A tour of the minuscule; it aims to do for the human body what his A Short History of Nearly Everything did for science。 。 。 。 Wry， companionable， avuncular and always lucid 。 。 。 [The Body] could stand as an ultimate prescription for life。" —The Guardian
"A delightful tour guide。 。 。 。 Bryson's stroll through human anatomy， physiology， evolution， and illness （diabetes， cancer， infections） is instructive， accessible， and entertaining。" —Booklist， starred review
"Amusingly informative。" —Forbes
"A pleasing， entertaining sojourn into the realm of what makes us tick。" —Kirkus Reviews
Reviews
teachinsci
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My first book by Bill Bryson was "A Short History of Nearly Everything。" Since reading it， I have frequently included a Bryson book or two in my yearly reading and have suggested them to others。 The Body is sure to be another book I will regularly recommend （and in fact already have）。 The book itself winds through the system's of the body one after another。 Bryson discusses what makes up the system， the important discoveries and discovers of parts in the system， always with an eye toward what makes for a good story。 Finishing with the systems， he moves on to the functions of the body， illness and causes of disease， and finally death。 Even knowing a good amount about anatomy and scientific history， I found myself learning while reading things book。 This was particularly true when he discussed new research and interviews with scientists on the cutting edge of physiology or disease research。 However， don't mistake this as a boring textbook。 While this does not contain the wit and sarcasm of his travelogues or even Brief History， Bryson has a style of writing that keeps you engaged and reading well past the time when you should have gone to bed。 I recommend this book for anyone interested in anatomy in particular or science as a whole。 You are sure to learn something and have fun doing it。 Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for the opportunity to read a pre-release copy this book。
Tom Tobiasen
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best book ive read in years！ the whole body！ smart funny good for the layman not to sciencey lots of anecdotes and facts
Jim Kerr
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I really enjoy Bill Bryson’s writing and this book is a great example why。 Very informative and interesting look at so many aspects of the body and how it all works together to create life。 Definitely a book you can go back to and read portions of。
Nick
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Interesting set of facts but incredibly boring。
Sharon Copestake
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I learned so much from this book。 Loved it。
Laurent Reinhardt
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Got this as a greatly appreciated Christmas gift。 As with Bryson's other books such as A Short History of Nearly Everything， it is extremely informative and enjoyable。 He ingeniously intertwines facts about our bodies with historical details on the people and intrigues behind key scientific and medical breakthroughs。 Especially compelling are the stories of individuals like Albert Schatz， who deserved， but didn't receive， credit for their discoveries。 He also highlights the sad reality that the Got this as a greatly appreciated Christmas gift。 As with Bryson's other books such as A Short History of Nearly Everything， it is extremely informative and enjoyable。 He ingeniously intertwines facts about our bodies with historical details on the people and intrigues behind key scientific and medical breakthroughs。 Especially compelling are the stories of individuals like Albert Schatz， who deserved， but didn't receive， credit for their discoveries。 He also highlights the sad reality that the US spends two and a half times more per capita on healthcare with worse results than other developed nations。 Was fascinated to learn that in 2011， for the first time， humanity reached a important milestone when more people died from non-communicable diseases than infectious diseases。 That said， outbreaks such COVID-19 still are always a possibility。 Bryson's 2019 book is especially prescient in that regard。 "'The fact is，' he says， 'We are no better prepared for a bad outbreak today than we were when the Spanish flu killed tens of millions of people a hundred years ago。 The reason we haven't had another experience like that isn't because we have been especially vigilant。 It's because we have been lucky。'" p334 。。。more
Kay
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Listened to the audio book。 Some parts were way over my head and I got lost。 Others were quite interesting。 I did enjoy it。
Paul Wade
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Loved！ Bryson is so fantastic！
Faith
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Bryson is always a pleasure to listen to。 But this one was too factual for me; I need more of his dry and witty facts or comments。 A bit depressing for seniors。
Lisa Lajimodiere
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This book was entertaining， interesting， educational， and terrifying at the same time。 It made me realize how fragile our bodies are and how shitty humans are at taking care of ourselves。 I realize the bad habits I have， even in mildly， are awful for my body and if I want to live， I need to do better。 Some of the chapters that I loved included 4: The Brain， chapter 10: Bipedalism， 18: Nerves and then all the last chapters about when things go wrong。 Some things to note: 1） Americans are spending This book was entertaining， interesting， educational， and terrifying at the same time。 It made me realize how fragile our bodies are and how shitty humans are at taking care of ourselves。 I realize the bad habits I have， even in mildly， are awful for my body and if I want to live， I need to do better。 Some of the chapters that I loved included 4: The Brain， chapter 10: Bipedalism， 18: Nerves and then all the last chapters about when things go wrong。 Some things to note: 1） Americans are spending the most for healthcare but are dying much faster and have worse heath outcomes than the majority of developed countries。 2） American infant/mother mortality rate is appalling。 3） SES and racial profiling/discrimination are still very real considering how people who are wealthy live longer despite having the same healthcare system （access to care is not the same nor is level of care）。 4） We are living longer but not necessarily healthier。 We are living into our 80s but our health is still declining at 70 and those last 10 years are in chronic pain or over medicated state。 5） All of the mentions of the flu， plague， TB， etc。 was interesting and I WISH this was written to have the current COVID-19 virus included because some of the parts in the book mentioned how “lucky” we have been not to endure another pandemic like the one in 1918！All in all this book terrifies me but I enjoyed it and will probably read it again。 。。。more
Brandi Breezee
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Phenomenal。 1。 The author does not believe in God。 That is so so sad to believe that the human body functions as it does by chance。2。 As a Christian， I see the beauty behind the intelligent design。 The human body is magnificent。 God is to be praised for this。3。 The author describes the hundreds of thousands of dangers out there to the human body stating that it is a miracle that we haven’t been affected by them。 I see the providential hand as the cause of this miracle protecting us。 What a comfo Phenomenal。 1。 The author does not believe in God。 That is so so sad to believe that the human body functions as it does by chance。2。 As a Christian， I see the beauty behind the intelligent design。 The human body is magnificent。 God is to be praised for this。3。 The author describes the hundreds of thousands of dangers out there to the human body stating that it is a miracle that we haven’t been affected by them。 I see the providential hand as the cause of this miracle protecting us。 What a comfort to know that none of these potential dangers has the potential to harm human bodies by chance。 4。 It was interesting， informative， and well written。 Plus there is still so much scientists do not know about the human body。 5。 I finished this book feeling intrigued and in awe of the human body and it’s Creator。 。。。more
Eldina Halilović
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Brilliant！ Popular science at it’s best。
Keri
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Excellent！ This is a superb read for anyone interested in the human body。
Lauren Styczynski
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This was fun！！！ It was fun to kind of refresh my education and what I learned in school but see it all pull together。 I’ll probably buy a hard copy and read it annually to stay sharp。
Andy
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Great read， good overview of the human body。 Highly recomend
Victoria Clark
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I listened to this on Audible as it is a stonker。 Bill Bryson has a hypnotic tone so， found myself switching off （ but， that is my issue 😄）。It is extremely science and biology based but， also interesting for someone with no previous anatomy and physiology knowledge。 Be prepared to spend a lot of your time on listening as there is so much information to absorb。
Sarah
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Very interesting nonfiction about the human body。 It's amazing how much is known and how much is still unknown。 Very interesting nonfiction about the human body。 It's amazing how much is known and how much is still unknown。 。。。more
Pierce
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This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 It's not as comprehensive as I wanted。 But it has some interesting stories。 It's not as comprehensive as I wanted。 But it has some interesting stories。 。。。more
Julia Buonanno
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What an incredibly fascinating look at the human body。 I found it to be very interesting， but it is certainly dense and not a light read。 Interesting factoids are laid out， and as a non medical person， I was able to understand everything。 This book was much less an anatomical and physiological notation， and much more about the history and little know facts of how our bodies work， why， and touching upon the mysteries of some maladies we just don’t yet have the answers to。 I would highly recommend What an incredibly fascinating look at the human body。 I found it to be very interesting， but it is certainly dense and not a light read。 Interesting factoids are laid out， and as a non medical person， I was able to understand everything。 This book was much less an anatomical and physiological notation， and much more about the history and little know facts of how our bodies work， why， and touching upon the mysteries of some maladies we just don’t yet have the answers to。 I would highly recommend this read to everyone！ 。。。more
Hildeberto
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Even more interesting than a short story about everything。 Mainly because it is about ourselves。 Self discovery from birth to death。 Super informative。
Linda J
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Very interesting， informative。 Loved the history of various discoveries。
Celia Ludwinski
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The book started out as a basic biology 101 type book。 However， in the end I got something out of it， which is the basis for deserving a recommendation。 It was easy to digest and contain just enough anecdotes to prevent it from being dry。 Admittedly， I did listen to this in audiobook form， and it took a while for me to finish getting through。 Even if you have a reasonable STEM education and are well versed in the basics of how human biology functions， it is likely that you — like me — don't have The book started out as a basic biology 101 type book。 However， in the end I got something out of it， which is the basis for deserving a recommendation。 It was easy to digest and contain just enough anecdotes to prevent it from being dry。 Admittedly， I did listen to this in audiobook form， and it took a while for me to finish getting through。 Even if you have a reasonable STEM education and are well versed in the basics of how human biology functions， it is likely that you — like me — don't have a good foundation in cancer， disease， and the various ways the human body can fail。 Especially amidst the covid-19 pandemic， this is an informative read。 It does have a bit of a contrarian effect， though — simultaneously evoking optimism about the health progress we've made over the last 100 years， a relative short period of time while simultaneously citing depressing stats like the lack of nuance in the way cancer is treated even to this day。 Also， I now feel like I need to move to New Zealand， Australia， Canada， or a Nordic country just for the superior healthcare outcomes their citizens receive relative to the US。 。。。more
Nicholas
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Fascinating and funny in equal parts。
Sara
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Este livro está cheio de funny facts e informações que em nada beneficiaram a minha vida， mas voltaria a lê-lo？ Sem dúvida。 Bill Bryson you got me with your humor。
Melissa Mangano
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Fascinating， but a bit dense。 If you're ready to learn， dive in。 If you want an escape or something light， maybe save it for another time。 Fascinating， but a bit dense。 If you're ready to learn， dive in。 If you want an escape or something light， maybe save it for another time。 。。。more
Gerry Gabel
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Thoroughly enjoyable book， easy to read and full of fascinating facts about our bodies that reads more like a novel than a textbook。 Everyone who reads this book will come away with a different set of things they remember as there is much to appeal to every reader。 The biggest takeaway was that， despite all we have learned about our body and how it works， there is still more that we don't know then what we do。 And， Bill Bryson does his usual competent job of highlighting both。 His well establish Thoroughly enjoyable book， easy to read and full of fascinating facts about our bodies that reads more like a novel than a textbook。 Everyone who reads this book will come away with a different set of things they remember as there is much to appeal to every reader。 The biggest takeaway was that， despite all we have learned about our body and how it works， there is still more that we don't know then what we do。 And， Bill Bryson does his usual competent job of highlighting both。 His well established storytelling skills make even this potentially daunting subject accessible for even the most science adverse reader。 。。。more
Mazsi Jávorszky
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Interesting book but not every information is correct。 There were cases where I have checked the source of a topic， and the source said different things as was in The Body。 So read this book with caution and critical thinking。 Otherwise there are a lot of fascinating things that I have learned from it。
Aayush Arya
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Informative and Entertaining ReadThere are few things less readable than a drily authored book about science， which thankfully this one is not。 Bill Bryson does a stellar job of making the subject interesting and easy to understand。 I've learnt a lot about the human body。 Informative and Entertaining ReadThere are few things less readable than a drily authored book about science， which thankfully this one is not。 Bill Bryson does a stellar job of making the subject interesting and easy to understand。 I've learnt a lot about the human body。 。。。more
Samiha
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Absolutely incredible
Alison Kashin
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The historical anecdotes about the researchers and doctors who discovered everything we know about medicine today helped keep my interest。 Some of them horrifying beyond belief。 It definitely gave me an appreciation of all we know - and don’t - about the human body and made me feel both lucky to live in the modern age and amazed at how many medical myths persist。
Jovana Đurić
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