The Body: A Guide for Occupants
NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • A must-read owner’s manual for every body. Take a head-to-toe tour of the marvel that is the human body in this “delightful, anecdote-propelled read” (The Boston Globe) from the author of A Short History of Nearly Everything. With a new Afterword.
“You will marvel at the brilliance and vast weirdness of your design." —The Washington Post
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 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.
“You will marvel at the brilliance and vast weirdness of your design." —The Washington Post
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 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.
BUY THE BOOK
These clubs recently read this book...
Community Reviews
What Bookclubbers are saying about this book
✨ Summarized by Bookclubs AI
Readers say Bill Bryson’s *The Body: A Guide for Occupants* is a captivating, richly detailed look at human physiology, blending historical anecdotes,...
Human physiology told through historical anecdotes, basic chemistry, evolutionary biology, and sound statistics. It covers a lot of information that should be jargon-laden but instead reads as your favorite science podcast.
In The Body, Bill Bryson details everything from hormones to pregnancy to cancer. This book is filled with fun facts about the body. It’s a history book as well, including medical history and details about the lives of medical pioneers, many entertainingly eccentric.
The main reason I give this 4 stars instead of 5 is that the organization was somewhat confusing. Bryson seemed to sometimes wander to new topics and the book has many sentences like “X topic is relevant, but we’re covering this in Y chapter instead.” The book also ends with a large section covering senility and death, which, although appropriately placed, ends the book on a rather negative note.
I would still recommend this book to anyone curious about medical history and what makes our body tick.
The main reason I give this 4 stars instead of 5 is that the organization was somewhat confusing. Bryson seemed to sometimes wander to new topics and the book has many sentences like “X topic is relevant, but we’re covering this in Y chapter instead.” The book also ends with a large section covering senility and death, which, although appropriately placed, ends the book on a rather negative note.
I would still recommend this book to anyone curious about medical history and what makes our body tick.
A book you read many times because it is jam packed with information. The body is a marvelous, intricate thing and it made me realize how unappreciated it goes with all that goes involved with keeping us alive.
There was very little in here that was new to me as I regularly read science books but it was a very entertaining and therefore a quick read. I think it would be good for young adults (post sex-ed).
See why thousands of readers are using Bookclubs to stay connected.