The Body: 10 Things You Should Know

10 Things You Should Know

by Darragh Ennis

Neil 'Smart, accessible and full of brilliant tidbits'
Dave 'A delightful wander through the human body'

Explore the intricate nature of our amazing anatomy...

Scientist and 'Chaser' Dr Darragh Ennis reveals everything about the human body in ten informative, bite-sized essays. We all have questions about our body that we really should know the answers to, so discover why blood is red, how our body defends itself, why we sleep, how hormones control everything we do and much, much more!

A fascinating, illuminating and engaging read, it's the perfect gift for anyone interested in biology, DNA or who just wants to learn more about the human body.

Genres: Nonfiction, Science

117 pages, Kindle Edition

First published September 26, 2024

Reviews

[Dyl · Rating 4 out of 5]

The body is marvellous, and Darragh explains many different functions from sleep to death in an equally marvellous way. I read this but the way it’s written makes me think the audio book would be equally, if not more, enjoyable as it’s delivered in such a friendly tone as if you’re listening to someone so passionate sharing their knowledge with you.
Not too technical, but enough technical language in it so you can understand what’s going on. Personally for me, I already had knowledge of these things from GCSE/A Level science but I appreciate this is for the lay person, and it’s still very good..
Thank you to NetGalley for providing me an ARC.

[Niya · Rating 5 out of 5]

Easily digestible and incredibly exciting! Dr Darragh Ennis does a marvelous job at capturing the attention of the reader and teaching them about the wonders of the human body through concise captivating concepts and stories. Would recommend to the ones with even a tinge of passion for biology, the ones occasionally paralysed by the miracle of human life and the ones with little time but limitless curiosity.

[Nicola Michelle · Rating 5 out of 5]

5 stars easy! I’ve loved the ‘Ten things you should know series’ so far and have read topics from: Ten things you should know about time, dinosaurs, numbers, space and everything in between. This one was a fantastic addition and one of my favourites so far!

It had a great range of subject areas all covering aspects of the body. Ever wondered why we need to sleep? More about our senses, immune systems, evolution and even our body on aging, it succinctly covers and rounds them up in easily digestible chunks.

It’s really well written and written for every single reader in mind. It’s great for those with no scientific background, building on bits you may have learnt from school but in a way that’s both engaging and super interesting. It’s also great for the scientist, recovering subject matter you may already know but in a new, easy to read format that’s both entertaining and fun to read.

It made for a great companion on my train journey and I easily read it in one sitting and was definitely left wanting more. It was a fab read!

Thank you to the author and publisher for this book on NetGalley in return for my honest thoughts and review.

[Isobel · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5* there were parts of this which were really interesting to me (as someone who normally has little to no interest in science), notably the chapters on sleep and evolution, however the majority of it may as well have been in a different language because it went in one ear and out the other (again purely because I know so little about science, not at all to do with how the book was written). It did however make me hyper aware of the fact I’m alive and that my body is doing stuff I don’t even know it’s doing, almost in an existential crisis sort of way lol. Read this as I watched the Arthur and Batch podcast with Darragh Ennis and found it interesting - my first sciencey read :)

[Beth Rutter · Rating 5 out of 5]

‘So, no matter how ordinary you think your body is, you should remember that every body is, in a way, made of stardust’.

That last sentence kinda made me wanna cry lol, what an eye opening book about how the body works. Truly remarkable to think about what the human body is capable of and it just does these things day to day without us acknowledging it. Would definitely be interested to read more from Darragh, he writes in such a fascinating way that has you laughing at small throwaway comments which I love.

[Kira K · Rating 3 out of 5]

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily. This book provides a great snapshot into how our bodies work. There’s some important things covered such as hormonal changes as well as facts for the curious such as the tour of the body on a red blood cell. It may feel a bit jargony at first glance but explains it all well and overall is a great read for those interested in biology or how your body works.

[Frieda Harkin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Rather enjoyable book for this old lady who never studied science. Some of it went right over my head but that is not the author’s fault.

He writes as he speaks and I could hear him in my head as I read, which added to the enjoyment.

I especially enjoyed the chapter on ‘Why do we Age’ and ‘What happens to our Body when we Die’. 😇😇

[Nemo · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great read! It was perfect to have when I had a short burst of time free. It was very easy to understand and was both entertaining and informative.

[Athene Brown · Rating 5 out of 5]

So easy to understand, and genuinely interesting. A great super curricular!!!

[Brendan (book boss) Riley · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting but not for me.

[Amalia Mihalec · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5, it did what it needed to do well but most of this was in the LC biology course so just not that interesting for me personally

[Madeline Rose · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love Darragh Ennis

[Deb · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read in a couple of hours, very easy to read and understand.
Really interesting final chapter.
I often think that we don’t know or understand the one thing that is truly ours.

[Sal · Rating 5 out of 5]

Could not put it down… looove how informative and accessible it is

[Courtney Te Moana · Rating 5 out of 5]

As someone who loves science but hasn't done it since I was 16 at school, this book is accessible, informative and fun to listen to as an audiobook. I would listen to it again too. I like that he narrates it himself although I had to slow it down a bit to full take it all in!
If you want an easy science book about the body, I reckon this has gotta be the one I would recommend.