Review: The Body: A Guide for Occupants

Bill Bryson takes you on a tour of the human body in The Body: A Gude for Occupants, and as with any book where Bryson is the tour guide you are bound to have a good time along the way.I am a fan of Bill Bryson’s writing. I think I’ve read all his travel books, and really enjoyed his historical nonfiction book One Summer as well as his A Short History of Everything. Bryson is best known for taking us along with him, experiencing places and things we probably haven’t seen, and relating it all with a light touch and a great sense of humor.So, what’s up with this topic? Is The Body really as Science-y a Science Book as it sounds?The answer of course is No. It’s still a Bill Bryson book. Here, Bryson takes us chapter by chapter through various organs and systems of the human body while telling stories with his usual Bryson humor, about the doctors and scientists (and sometimes laymen) who discovered this or that. And also reminding us often enough that the answer to why some bodily thing works the way it does is that “No one really knows for sure”.It’s a light, fun, interesting read that goes by quickly. If you’re a Bryson fan you’ll enjoy it. And if you’re not a Bryson fan, well why not? Pick up this book to see what you’ve been missing…

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