Body, The
Bryson, BillHave you ever wondered how far sneeze droplets can travel? (eight metres) What about the strength of our bones? (stronger than reinforced concrete) Brimming with facts and figures and fascinating anecdotes, this quirky and engaging 'guide for occupants' addresses these questions and many, many more as it reveals both the wonders of the human body, and the history of medicine.
Comprehensive, yet easy to read, this owner's manual requires no prior knowledge beyond the basics for its extraordinary revelations to be appreciated.
Pages
454
454
Year
2019
2019
Reviews
18-11-2024
Some of us were a little daunted by the size of the book and weren't sure about how readable it would be. However those who persevered found it very informative and quite entertaining - lots of interesting facts. The chapter on Covid was very good.
16-04-2024
Enjoyed by those who read it. Clever writing - making the subject matter accessible. A few didn't attempt it - not for them.
26-01-2024
This proved a very divisive book for our group, prompting much discussion. Some felt that it was a lot of info to absorb in a month and most thought it a book that we could all have at home for reference at leisure. Of those who rated it a full 5, they loved digesting all those facts and figures and really enjoyed Bill's writing style which was interspersed with some humour.
25-10-2023
While some of our members were overwhelmed by the amount of data in this book, largely we rated it highly for Bryson's wonderful curiosity, his comfortable conversational delivery of the information and for the realisation of how incredible our bodies are. We were also impressed with the work done by dedicated people to understand the various aspects of what each part of our bodies do for us. Especially those people who experimented on the mothers!
24-07-2023
A really interesting read, might have to buy my own copy. So many interesting facts.
22-05-2023
One person loved it. One person wants to keep reading it. Nobody else liked it - too scientific, and one member didn't even try.
28-03-2023
Promoted great hilarity at our discussion! Very informative, chock full of facts. Very readable, and we were very admiring of the research done!
20-03-2023
Intriguing book with interesting facts. Some found it fairly "heavy".
12-01-2023
Overall, our feelings were that, although interesting factually, it wasn't the kind of book that was easily read. Too many statistics.
01-12-2022
The whole group found the book very interesting, even those who do not like Bill Bryson enjoyed reading it. It was packed full of facts and we all found bits that particularly caught our attention.
15-09-2022
Members were familiar with Bryson's style and were not disappointed. Some suffered from information overload.
23-08-2022
A most popular book. Everyone enjoyed it immensely. The information was wide-ranging; the writer able to engage the reader with his colourful anecdotes of the historical background to medical science.
28-07-2022
A very interesting book. Too much to take on board in one month. Good to own to refer to.
30-03-2022
We really enjoyed the book - plenty of excellent information. Very well-written. Recommended.
02-03-2022
Informative and entertaining.
19-11-2021
We agreed that Bryson's incredible research into so many aspects of the human body was absorbing and very interesting. It was a challenge however to absorb all of these details in a month. So we believe this is a book to keep on one's bookshelf to dip into at leisure.
15-11-2021
Group really enjoyed this book.
05-11-2021
Everyone enjoyed this book. It sparked the most diverse discussions, touching on many other books, experiences and issues. Highly recommend.
11-10-2021
Great discussion from group, with admiration for the degree of information interspersed with Bryson humour.
23-08-2021
We all enjoyed 'The Body', but we felt there was so much information to retain in each page, that at times it was frustrating to not remember the read from the day before. A great read.
06-08-2021
Great book. Fact rammed.
30-06-2021
Everyone thought it was most interesting, but a long big read needing to read every word.
31-05-2021
Mixed reviews - a little too soon after the previous science book, but everyone likes Bill Bryson.