The Body: A Guide for Occupants Paperback – 26 Jan. 2021

Great quality. As described. Arrived on time.

Who could resist a title like that; after all, it’s all about us!And as we might expect from Bryson, it’s an absolutely fascinating & compelling book. Each chapter explores a different organ of the body, ranging across facts & functions, the development of knowledge historically through trial & error, inspiration & guesswork & just plain chance. No matter how complex the subject under discussion it is always written in an accessible way: everything you knew, thought you knew & things you never dreamed of....or would rather not know.At random::5 out of 6 smokers won’t get lung cancer; nevertheless smoking is a cause of cancer.Because it retains some oxygenated blood, a decapitated head may retain consciousness for a few seconds.When we are touched the brain doesn’t just tell us what we feel, but what we ought to feel. Depending on who or what is touching us.The only opportunity Heimlich had to use the anti-choking manoeuvre he invented was in very old age.Human beings have a tendency to choke as a result of the inefficient arrangement of the oesophagus & the trachea.Immaculately researched, leavened with Bryson’s trade- mark humour & humanity, this is a positive cornucopia of interest. Cannot recommend highly enough.But not for the squeamish.

Packed full of details, anecdotes and "wow I did NOT know that" moments. Great stuff.

"The Body: A Guide for Occupants" is a delightful exploration of the human body, showcasing Bill Bryson's talent for making complex subjects approachable and enjoyable. With its blend of humor, storytelling, and scientific insights, this book is a commendable addition to the library of anyone intrigued by the wonders of human anatomy. Highly recommended for readers seeking an enlightening and entertaining journey through the marvels within.

Another great read from Bill

An amazing book the depth and content has to be read to be believed. I find it difficult to understand how anyone can even know where to access the material cited in the book and to assemble it into a thoroughly interesting tome is just genius. Keep on doing what you do so well Bill

This is one of those books I feel so strongly that everyone should read that I keep quoting from it to friends and probably boring everyone to tears about.You really do need to read it for yourself to understand how vital it is for people to grasp how their bodies work, and how although much of what goes wrong is out of our control, a lot, on the other hand, is down to our life style choices (our fondness for sugary and processed foods and general reluctance to exercise).I was also shocked on many occasions in the book - for example the grim cancer survival rates in Britain compared to the rest of the better off nations.I felt quite faint reading a description of how mastectomies used to be performed and about "neglected tropical diseases".If the author were not so well known and respected I would have several times thought the statistics he quoted couldn't possibly be accurate, but as I know that is not the case I just muttered "no" and "wow" and "surely not" as I read. I was amazed about Mitochondrial Eve, and the shocking maternal death rate in the USA and their extremely low life expectancy compared to their colossal health care spending, as well as TB rates in London (rivalling those of Brazil and Nigeria).What an incredibly prescient book too. He mentions the dangers of zoonotic diseases and asks a leading expert what he thought the biggest risk to humans was and he replied "flu". A few months later the Covid pandemic started and Bryson was able to add an afterword shortly before the book went to print, urging world leaders to be better prepared - because of course there will be many more these viral pandemics.The only slightly jarring note in the entertaining, fascinating and important book is the repeated use of "we don't know about X, Y and Z." I got the point early on, we know a great deal, but in the grand scheme of things we are only just beginning to discover our bodies and how they work.

Much better known as a travel writer, in recent years Bryson has turned his talents to more complex subjects, such as language, historical figures, science and now this volume, the human body. As he proved in his hugely successful book "A Short History of (Nearly) Everything)" Bryson possesses language skills that translate complicated science into easy-to-digest morsels, usually with an added twist of his sardonic humor to heighten the flavour.Nobody does science and fact quite like Bill Bryson: he has hit the nail on the head again with this offering, which should be required reading for all schoolkids from the age they can understand big words. Really, it kicks into redundancy all those dull, dry fact-on-fact-after-fact text books most of us struggled through at school. Kids will learn more much more quickly via Bryson's unique approach.So, whether you're ten years old or 110 years old, there is still much to be learned from Bryson's fabulous volume. Honestly, you'll learn stuff about you that will amaze and astound you, perhaps even scare or nauseate you. Whatever your reaction one thing I can guarantee is that at points you'll snicker, giggle and actually laugh out loud as Bill Bryson does what he does best: entertains. And, that, folks, is the very best thing about this volume - and, to be fair, all of Bryson's work - they entertain as well and inform. What more could you ask for?