NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • 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 this edition.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 … 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.
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Bill Bryson gives us a glimpse of the methods which prolong or shorten our lives. He writes the U.S.ranks 31 in global life expectancy . The writer quotes Professor Daniel Lieberman of Harvard who tells us We are born with the bodies of hunter-gathers but pass our lives as couch potatoes.70 per cent of the diseases that kill us could easily be prevented if we would just live more sensiblyWith that in mind how can we not only live longer for ourselves but our loved ones as well.
Did you know that your body made a million red blood cells since you started reading this sentence? I do now, thanks to Bill Bryson’s engrossing explaination of the wonders of the human body. You, too, can have your mind blown with dozens of such facts, all told in Bryson’s lucid and easy-to-follow style.
If you would like a read that’s as entertaining as it is informative, this is the book for you.
I thought this book was fascinating. From the first chapter where he explains that if you removed all the DNA from your cells, it would stretch from here to Pluto, I was hooked. Everything you ever wanted to know about how bodies work, what scientists know, and what they don’t know, the sometimes barbaric ways we discovered things about the body, and just how unique every single individual is. Mind-boggling. He he explains it in such a way that even the most basic of laypeople (me) can understand it. I feel like I have my medical degree now. Highly recommend
One of Bryson’s best! Highly recommend.
Bill Bryson is an international treasure
I’m always in awe of Bryson for writing about such complex topics in an engaging and sometimes humorous style that keeps me engaged throughout. His eye for fascinating, oddball, unique, and informative detail is spot on. I learned, I laughed, and I was astounded.
Did not like it.
Amazing depth and breadth of research into a topic which concerns us all, but about which we know not nearly enough. Bryson’s style is easy to read, but his interests and discoveries are by turns breath-taking, humbling, and thought-provoking. And true to his person, he weaves his dry wit and clever observations into every section.
Bryson writes with such wit, research, personal involvement, and most importantly, attitude! Really fun to read, always surprising, and well-thought-out and interesting information that exposes often paradoxical elements and workings of, in this case, the human body! Great stuff!
Great Educational Book for the Rest of US !
In my opinion, anything by Bill Bryson is worth reading. This book explains all parts of the human body in easy to read, understandable terms. Lots of statistics, but interesting ones. Recent information, both serious and funny.
Excellent book, easy to read, with a lot of information.
Bill Bryson never disappoints! His books are informative as well as entertaining.
Full of fascinating info about our bodies and the history of medicine. Well written, enjoyable, informative, and quite amusing.
Great information offered in an interesting and delightful manner.
I was horrified by some of the information Mr. Bryson shared such as the number of bacteria & other assorted “microorganisms” we have on our skin. Some of what he wrote made me laugh. All of it was informative and useful. If you’d like to know more about your body, this is the book.
Lots of good, straight forward information about how the body works while at the same time being written in an informative, witty way. Bill Bryson does this very well.
This is Bill Bryson as his usual engaging self, telling you things about the body that no one else would ever think to tell you. Make no mistake—though the presentation is deft, there is also plenty of unusual information packed in as well.
In his discussions of evolution of various bodily capabilities, Bryson makes the mistake that many popular writers do of making it sound as if our ancestors purposely chose to evolve. This will probably only bother people who already know it is untrue. Even if it irks you, it doesn’t detract much from Bryson’s usual charming prose.
Boring and condescending…Bryson at his absolute worst. 0/5…would not recommend.
Very thought provoking. Bryon manages to make what could be mundane into a cannot put down book.