Nonfiction

The Body: A Guide for Occupants

The Body: A Guide for Occupants

  • Downloads：8309
  • Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
  • Create Date：2021-04-22 11:51:06
  • Update Date：2025-09-07
  • Status：finish
  • Author：Bill Bryson
  • ISBN：0804172722
  • Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
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Summary

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 the Vintage paperback。

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。

ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR:
THE WASHINGTON POST - FINANCIAL TIMES - THE DALLAS MORNING NEWS - BOOKPAGE - THE BOSTON GLOBE

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Reviews

Lynn Buschhoff ，

I love bill Bryson's book。 I think this would be a great book for young adults， too I love bill Bryson's book。 I think this would be a great book for young adults， too 。。。more

Lauren ，

A book by Bill Bryson read by Bill Bryson about the science and lack of science about what you are made of。 A complete delight for me。 I don’t know if you have to be a special kind of person for this but he does quote one of my all time favorite authors， Mary Roach， so it was just perfect for me。

Addie H ，

DNF 15%

Yvonne ，

There's just something magical about the way Bryson writes; it's captivating and he imbues humour into the most dryest of topics。 This was a lovely way to get back into reading and I now have a new appreciation for the complex and bewildering mass that is my body。 There's just something magical about the way Bryson writes; it's captivating and he imbues humour into the most dryest of topics。 This was a lovely way to get back into reading and I now have a new appreciation for the complex and bewildering mass that is my body。 。。。more

Gouri Khanna ，

I am trying very hard to not buy books。 They are expensive and honestly， I don't have the space。 I hate it when I have to buy a book because I liked it so much。 Going into the book I knew I would like it。 He addresses the fact how little is known about female anatomy and for how long medicine was just clueless about everything related to women。 He discusses everything superficially， and I am not mad。 Will read it again and make tons of notes then。 I am trying very hard to not buy books。 They are expensive and honestly， I don't have the space。 I hate it when I have to buy a book because I liked it so much。 Going into the book I knew I would like it。 He addresses the fact how little is known about female anatomy and for how long medicine was just clueless about everything related to women。 He discusses everything superficially， and I am not mad。 Will read it again and make tons of notes then。 。。。more

Stephanie Adner ，

I loved how fascinating this book was！ It was so good as the audiobook and I found it easy to dip in and out of while parenting my kids and could easily pick back up after a million interruptions a day without feeling lost。 My 5yo also enjoyed listening in。

Megan ，

4。5 ⭐

Mike ，

I greatly enjoyed this book。 It started off as a sort of head-to-toe anatomy book， but it quickly evolved into a much more interesting history of medicine。 Each chapter branched out in a fascinating way that really have me a better understanding of how we came to know what we know about physiology， and the anecdotes were so memorable that I found myself genuinely learning new things about the body and medicine in general。 I would highly recommend this to normal people and medical professionals a I greatly enjoyed this book。 It started off as a sort of head-to-toe anatomy book， but it quickly evolved into a much more interesting history of medicine。 Each chapter branched out in a fascinating way that really have me a better understanding of how we came to know what we know about physiology， and the anecdotes were so memorable that I found myself genuinely learning new things about the body and medicine in general。 I would highly recommend this to normal people and medical professionals alike。 。。。more

Bill Georato ，

Bryson does it again！ In this excursion through the human body， Bryson explores everything there is to know。 From conception to death， he explores the physical and chemical processes that make us us with his usual sly and ever so slightly sarcastic wit and humor。

Pam Hurd ，

Lots of infoA lot of information packed into this book。 I find it hard to rate non-fiction but I do find it disconcerting when in a non-fiction book the author states something without a source that sounds like an opinion such as "people who eat a lot of hamburgers also tend to do things like smoke， drink， and fail to get adequate exercise"。 Lots of infoA lot of information packed into this book。 I find it hard to rate non-fiction but I do find it disconcerting when in a non-fiction book the author states something without a source that sounds like an opinion such as "people who eat a lot of hamburgers also tend to do things like smoke， drink， and fail to get adequate exercise"。 。。。more

Kat Robbins ，

this should be required reading for all body occupants。did you know he outermost later of skin is composed of entirely dead skin cells？ so all that makes our outermost appearance beautiful and youthful is actually deceased？ if you’re a science lover， you’ll love the charming spin on this information delivery。 if you hated science in school， you certainly need to add this to your TBR because I can say with certainty you’ve never learned about the body this way before。 Bryson is delightfully funny this should be required reading for all body occupants。did you know he outermost later of skin is composed of entirely dead skin cells？ so all that makes our outermost appearance beautiful and youthful is actually deceased？ if you’re a science lover， you’ll love the charming spin on this information delivery。 if you hated science in school， you certainly need to add this to your TBR because I can say with certainty you’ve never learned about the body this way before。 Bryson is delightfully funny and has no shortage of funny stories about scientists getting up to no good in the process of making breakthroughs。 nothing is heavily factual or too complex for the average occupant to understand and appreciate。 。。。more

Roger Green ，

I can’t help but love anything by Bill Bryson。

Carol ，

Not just another boring anatomy text。 Bryson makes it interesting by throwing in unknown facts of events that have occurred in the practice of medicine over the years。 He adds interesting insights to anatomy。 I didn't read anything that I disagreed with and completely enjoyed myself。 Not just another boring anatomy text。 Bryson makes it interesting by throwing in unknown facts of events that have occurred in the practice of medicine over the years。 He adds interesting insights to anatomy。 I didn't read anything that I disagreed with and completely enjoyed myself。 。。。more

Theresa ，

Informative and entertaining， Bryson covers a lot of ground in this book with a humble recognition of the limitations of our own understanding of morbidity and mortality and an acknowledgement of the many shortcomings of modern medicine。

Matthew ，

Freaking fantastic

Jane Dong ，

Really fun actually - learned about a lot of people who didn’t get credit for scientific discoveries / also about what’s happening internally

Fredrika ，

Kind of a survey of a lot of other books I’ve read， but I like how he have forgotten people the credit they deserved （though not all） and debunked accepted theories that are actually BS。 Like vitamin C！

Kylara Jensen ，

I finally finished this book！ Dude， not having a commute really makes finishing an audio book difficult。 This book was really interesting。 I learned a lot of neat stuff。 Lots of good conversational facts。 I feel maybe something about the science or the way it was presented was slightly off。 I only say this because the one thing I know a lot about from other research （breastfeeding） was a little off。 But still， lots of fun facts， super interesting stuff。

Michael ，

10 stars。 Best book I've read this year。 10 stars。 Best book I've read this year。 。。。more

Pat Saley ，

Actually， 4。5 stars。 It took me at least 3 months to read this as I really had to pay attention。 I love his writing full of amusing & usually fascinating factoids。 I would've liked some diagrams but the stories about the people behind the discoveries （& their pictures） were great。 Actually， 4。5 stars。 It took me at least 3 months to read this as I really had to pay attention。 I love his writing full of amusing & usually fascinating factoids。 I would've liked some diagrams but the stories about the people behind the discoveries （& their pictures） were great。 。。。more

Joe Flynn ，

Free flowing， thought provoking， poignant， and funny just like his other books。 Self recommending to fans， and to anyone with an interest in our bodies！We have chapters dedicated to parts of the body jam packed with facts， history， great lines， and interesting stories。 - We have a meter of DNA in each cell， enough to reach beyond Pluto if placed end to end， we are literally cosmic in size。 - One unfortunate woman had an Itchy head， unable to satisfy the itch she scratched through to her brain！ Free flowing， thought provoking， poignant， and funny just like his other books。 Self recommending to fans， and to anyone with an interest in our bodies！We have chapters dedicated to parts of the body jam packed with facts， history， great lines， and interesting stories。 - We have a meter of DNA in each cell， enough to reach beyond Pluto if placed end to end， we are literally cosmic in size。 - One unfortunate woman had an Itchy head， unable to satisfy the itch she scratched through to her brain！ - We have capacity to store 2000 terabytes of information in a grain of sands worth of brain！ - "Brainstem death isthe fundamental measure of deadness in the UK "There are sad moments too， overlooked scientists， the ravages of deseise at personal and societal levels， death in general。 The only complaint is that you are often left wanting more， as with any overview we only go skin deep on each subject。 。。。more

TheBiBiologist （David） ，

I find it hard to imagine a target audience for this book。 Those who like the writing style of Bryson will surely get some pleasure out of reading it （as did I）。 But for those with interest in the human body （which seems to be the main audience for this book） this book falls short， by quite a lot。 The information presented in this book is surface level at best。 Which makes it an easy read， but also makes the book less informational。 People with some interest in the human body will undoubtedly al I find it hard to imagine a target audience for this book。 Those who like the writing style of Bryson will surely get some pleasure out of reading it （as did I）。 But for those with interest in the human body （which seems to be the main audience for this book） this book falls short， by quite a lot。 The information presented in this book is surface level at best。 Which makes it an easy read， but also makes the book less informational。 People with some interest in the human body will undoubtedly already know most things this book talks about。 For example: ATP， Bryson discusses ATP as a compound that not a lot of people know about。 While undoubtedly true I'd imagine most people who pick up this book wanting to know more about the human body would already know this。 In the end this book is great for shining a light on the people behind the science whilst also delivering some interesting facts that would make for good conversation at dinner parties。 In the end I'd only recommend this book to fans of Bryson's other works and with interest but no previous knowledge in human biology。 。。。more

Mamta ，

This book is like a spiritual awakening。 Our body is a miracle and life is a miracle。 I know my body is a temple。 After listening to this book I realized it's more than a temple。 My body is heaven。 This book is like a spiritual awakening。 Our body is a miracle and life is a miracle。 I know my body is a temple。 After listening to this book I realized it's more than a temple。 My body is heaven。 。。。more

Renee ，

Bill Bryson has created an informative while entertaining book about our bodies。 Loved it！ The audiobook was recommended to me and Bill Bryson does an amazing job narrating his own book。 From blood to bones to hormones and disease， he covers so much in a captivating manner。 I will have my children listen to it next。

John Newton ，

Once again Bill Bryson at his best。 The travel author takes us on an informative and often wryly humorous journey through what for many of us is unexplored territory—our bodies， inside and out， from the mitochondrial level and up， from birth to death， sprinkled with spicy anecdotes and a plethora of statistics， including many details I had never imagined。 All in all， this book is well worth the read。

Marti Eisentraut ，

This is a comprehensive explanation of every part of the body。 It has a clear evolutionary explanation for things that are understood to be good。 It considers a mystery for amazing things about the body that are not yet understood。 There is no possibility of intelligent design even though when considering how beautifully intricate the body systems are it seems that the dismisssal of the possibiity of a designer is more a matter of chosen world view。

Becky Conolly ，

Typical Bill Bryson quirkiness， which I always appreciate。 I learned so much， and during this time of covid， this book is especially appreciated

Sarah ，

I took my time with this and enjoyed every minute of it。 Bryson has an enviable way of communicating the most complicated topics in a digestible way （pun intended！）In short， the body （both the book and the human shell） is truly miraculous， and to a large extent mysterious。 Unfortunate that chapter 20 'When things go wrong: diseases' is already out of date 。。。 I took my time with this and enjoyed every minute of it。 Bryson has an enviable way of communicating the most complicated topics in a digestible way （pun intended！）In short， the body （both the book and the human shell） is truly miraculous， and to a large extent mysterious。 Unfortunate that chapter 20 'When things go wrong: diseases' is already out of date 。。。 。。。more

Nalinee Barrett ，

TIL that I can’t predict when menopause will hit based on calculation of how many eggs I have and when I will be rid of them all。 For this and more interesting tidbits about how we know almost nothing about our own bodies， read this book。 Bryson is as delightful as he always has been。

Mandy ，

Perhaps in the midst of a pandemic was not the best timing for this book。 It should also be noted that Bryson is a fellow occupant， not an MD or biologist， so the information presented should not be intended as a means of making decisions about your health。 That being said， his thesis seemed to be， "Isn't our body fascinating？ We really don't know crap about it。 Oh and the divine design is more than a little kooky。"As I was listening， it seemed like each paragraph was punctuated by an unsaid， "i Perhaps in the midst of a pandemic was not the best timing for this book。 It should also be noted that Bryson is a fellow occupant， not an MD or biologist， so the information presented should not be intended as a means of making decisions about your health。 That being said， his thesis seemed to be， "Isn't our body fascinating？ We really don't know crap about it。 Oh and the divine design is more than a little kooky。"As I was listening， it seemed like each paragraph was punctuated by an unsaid， "isn't that WILD？？？"。 Some of this was due to the fact that it was read by the author。 （whose Ameri-brit accent was also fascinating）The thing I perhaps unfortunately took away from this book was just how much of American medical practice is aimed not at overall health， but at preventing litigation。 Does not make me rush to schedule my next checkup。 。。。more

Reference

google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=The Body: A Guide for Occupants

hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=The Body: A Guide for Occupants&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft

The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,The Body: A Guide for Occupants&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0