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3.95 AVERAGE
3.95 AVERAGE
Once again, Mary Roach asks the questions most of us are afraid to ask and in some cases think. While not quite the same level as Stiff, it comes awfully close. At times squirm inducing, Gulp made me appreciate the mass of cells I call me even more. As always, Roach reveals how scientists are equal parts heroic, mavericks and delightfully crazy. Can't wait to see where she goes next.
Mary Roach knows how to make science fun! Gulp will teach you everything you wanted to know about the digestive system and at times more than you wanted to know. Full of fun facts, this book takes you from beginning to end of the digesting process.
This was recommended reading from my physiology professor, and like the other Roach book I read over a decade ago ("Stiff", which I plan on re-reading soon), it's a nice break from really dense science material that offers a thoughtful look into a really broad topic. I like this kind of writing because it offers a little bit of everything, and can be a good jumping-off point for deciding to explore a certain figure or topic on a deeper level.
Although I enjoyed this book, I liked Stiff and Packing for Mars better. The author has a common writing style that works great if you’re really into the subject matter the book is covering.
Mary Roach is a delight! Smart, sassy, a master of the language, and interested in everything and anything—the weirder the better.
Unfortunately, I "read" most of this book while driving. The narrator was excellent and I was able to pay pretty good attention, but I am far more distractable with an audiobook than with a paper one. I had reached the last chapter when I pulled into my drive after a fourteen-hour trip, and decided to check the book out from the library to finish up. So glad I did: every page had some treat of wording or analogy or observation. I may have to go back and read *Gulp* the old-fashioned way. Even the illustrations that accompany each chapter are unmissable.
Roach is a colorful writer with a colorful imagination, and by reading her books (I've also read *Stiff: The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers*, which was equally entertaining), you learn. Boy, do you learn: all sorts of stuff you never imagined. That's my idea of time well spent.
Unfortunately, I "read" most of this book while driving. The narrator was excellent and I was able to pay pretty good attention, but I am far more distractable with an audiobook than with a paper one. I had reached the last chapter when I pulled into my drive after a fourteen-hour trip, and decided to check the book out from the library to finish up. So glad I did: every page had some treat of wording or analogy or observation. I may have to go back and read *Gulp* the old-fashioned way. Even the illustrations that accompany each chapter are unmissable.
Roach is a colorful writer with a colorful imagination, and by reading her books (I've also read *Stiff: The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers*, which was equally entertaining), you learn. Boy, do you learn: all sorts of stuff you never imagined. That's my idea of time well spent.
Another one of Mary Roach's hilarious and informative books. I don't know if I've learned to enjoy her humor more, if she's refining the hilarity in her writing, or if the subject matter is that much more interesting or funnier than her previous books, but this is easily the best one I've read.
I laughed, and I learned. This book is awesome. I love the way it feels like a friend sitting with you and just telling you stories, interjecting snarky comments or going on some tangent and coming back to the story at hand. It just works really well for me.
And the audiobook narrator was once again awesome.
I laughed, and I learned. This book is awesome. I love the way it feels like a friend sitting with you and just telling you stories, interjecting snarky comments or going on some tangent and coming back to the story at hand. It just works really well for me.
And the audiobook narrator was once again awesome.
Mary Roach is a stunning science writer. She has a casual, humorous tone, and does not clog up the science she relays with needless jargon. I've read her other books and Gulp does not fail to entertain.
funny
informative
fast-paced
Content Warnings
Graphic: Excrement, Vomit
adventurous
funny
informative
fast-paced