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mharrison13's review against another edition
funny
informative
medium-paced
4.75
Other than the abrupt ending, this book was great! Informative (if at times, nauseating) and funny. The narrator did a great job capturing Mary Roach’s sarcastic humor.
alicebme's review against another edition
4.0
Balance of dark humor and illuminating humanity. It’s not easy or appealing to think of the military members’ experiences if you have the privilege to ignore it. Mary Roach brings us in through the side door of military science, and all of a sudden there are people where we once saw an abstract “machine”. Also submarines. WTF.
libellum_aphrodite's review against another edition
4.0
Mary Roach is just the best. She is a master of lighthearted and funny, yet amazingly informative and accessible writing. In her books, in a mere few sentences, I can come away with a core understanding of how something technical works, plus feel like I know the person who designed it.
This topic was particularly fun. There are very challenging engineering problems under the surface of military operations, that are easy to gloss over, but fascinating to learn about. Among my favorites:
* submarine escape pods
* shark repellent
* fabrics for the field
* ear protection (Ever fired a gun? Ever since the first time I did, media's blatant disregard of how goddamn loud they are drives me insane.)
* medical officer training exercises
This topic was particularly fun. There are very challenging engineering problems under the surface of military operations, that are easy to gloss over, but fascinating to learn about. Among my favorites:
* submarine escape pods
* shark repellent
* fabrics for the field
* ear protection (Ever fired a gun? Ever since the first time I did, media's blatant disregard of how goddamn loud they are drives me insane.)
* medical officer training exercises
falcone9's review against another edition
5.0
Every sentence Mary Roach writes is funny or super interesting or both. Absolutely the best.
lulo49's review against another edition
4.0
I've read most of Mary Roach's books exploring the nature and science of being human, especially some of humanity's odder aspects. Having worked for the Deparment of the Navy I was interested in the science behind battlefield prep and safety, aspects of amputations (I teach yoga to amputees), and adapting and surviving other battlefield conditions, including at, and under the sea. Quite interesting.
eringiglio's review against another edition
funny
informative
reflective
fast-paced
5.0
As with all Mary Roach books, this is a rollicking good time and a window into a corner of research I don't often think to consider. Delightful.
dharma130's review against another edition
3.0
It was just okay. Loved her book Stiff... So much better