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Staff Pick
Bill Bryson takes the reader through fascinating facts of the human body (the kidneys process over 3 pounds of salt a day!); best guesses as to why we exist the way we do (is the uvula a "mudflap for the mouth"?); and the often questionable medical experiments and characters that have helped illuminate how the body works. The Body is a surprisingly cheerful journey through both the ways in which we seem to be perfectly designed, and the ways in which it's a wonder that we work at all — bolstered by cheerful side stories about the humans who contributed to our understanding of the human body, whether through years of focused study or completely by accident. Recommended By Michelle C., Powells.com
Synopses & Reviews
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. As addictive as it is comprehensive, this is Bryson at his very best, a must-read owner's manual for everybody.
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 Bryson-esque 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.
Review
"A riot of quirkiness and eccentricity, and the mood of the book, which shifts from droll humor to melancholy to gentle vulnerability, is unclassifiable — and just right." Kirkus
Review
"Bill Bryson is not so much a discoverer of new lands as a charismatic cartographer of existing ones, smartly mapping points of entry into territory that might otherwise remain impenetrable to curious travelers.... Bryson's distinctive voice will likely delight readers eager to go sightseeing around the world they embody."
The American Scholar
Review
"A pleasing, entertaining sojourn into the realm of what makes us tick."
Kirkus Reviews
Review
"[Bryson] describes the often bewildering mystery of diseases, the science of pain, and the advances made in medical treatment, all with care and concern. Bryson's tone is both informative and inviting, encouraging the reader, throughout this exemplary work, to share the sense of wonder he expresses at how the body is constituted and what it is capable of." Publishers Weekly (Starred Review)
Review
"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)
About the Author
BILL BRYSON's bestselling books include A Walk in the Woods, The Life and Times of the Thunderbolt Kid, and A Short History of Nearly Everything (which won the Aventis Prize in Britain and the Descartes Prize, the European Union's highest literary award). He was chancellor of Durham University, England's third oldest university, from 2005 to 2011, and is an honorary fellow of Britain's Royal Society.