Gulp: Adventures on the Alimentary Canal by Mary Roach
When looking
for a new book to read, I tend to always choose fiction. Non-fiction books have always been more of
something I would pick if I was looking for a way to fall asleep. Imagine how thrilled I was to stumble upon an
author of non-fiction that actually made me fascinated about what I was
reading. Unbelievably, what I was
reading was largely about the digestive process.
Getting excited
about reading facts of saliva, stomach acid, and flatulence is quite an
accomplishment on the author’s part.
Mary Roach has a knack for asking all of the questions you’d never think
of yourself. “Why DO dogs like the taste
of their food? Why are WE disgusted by
some foods we’ve never even tried? What
WOULD happen if I were to be swallowed by a whale?” The answers are as surprising as they are
funny. Mary Roach writes with such
curiosity and wit that she pulls you into the disgusting world of your insides
and you never even flinch.
Quoting facts
about colonoscopies gone awry and the smell of cow manure might become a little
bothersome to those around you while reading this book. I myself received several strange looks after
trying to bring up facts from Roach’s book at the dinner table. However, it is absolutely worth it. A science read that is accessible and
entertaining is just too good to pass up.
Roach has
written several science-oriented books, many of which we have in Stoxen
Library. You can find this book with the
call number QP145 .R53 2013.
- Cindy Thronburg, Library Assistant
