Summary of The Body by Bill Bryson: A Guide for Occupants

by Best Book Briefings

Summary of the Body: A Guide for Occupants by Bill Bryson. So often, we take our bodies for granted. We’re rarely curious about how they work and what we can do to make them work better. In The Body, Bill Bryson takes you on a tour inside your body so you can gain a better understanding of how it functions and its amazing ability to heal itself. At the times you doubt yourself, or think of yourself as less than wonderful, this summary of The Body will remind you of the miracle you truly are.

Genres: Nonfiction

Kindle Edition

Published November 11, 2019

Reviews

[Adnamy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Quite a departure from a medical view of the body. And while original, not necessarily completely accurate. Although the author goes through many systems he does depart to push his views(& others) on disease infections etc. Not bad but not great. However … this was written prior to Covid …. And that alone meant it was more balanced. How idiotic have we been lately …
What’s the real agenda? Where are the real experts?

[Ann · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book. I had forgotten how much i love reading Bill Bryson's books. His writing style is full of humor and lots of facts but easy to read. It is the perfect gift for the non-fiction reader in your life. He has 29 chapters in the book that cover the entire body. He explores the head and brain, the skin and muscles and the blood and gut. I received a copy of this ARC in exchange for a fair and honest review.

[Melissa Cashmore · Rating 5 out of 5]

My next review: The Body: A Guide for Occupants by Bill Bryson.
Again if I’d been given this book to read at school or during my nurse training I may have found anatomy and physiology much easier (and interesting) to understand.
This book devotes a chapter to each system of the body, explores some of our activities of daily living, the beginning of life, medicine, cancer and so on, thus allowing the reader to dip in and out of the book. Reading a chapter as you fancy rather than sequentially, hence I’ve been reading this book piggy backed with other books for months.

I have never read a Bill Bryson book before ...I have tried but always been put off by his intelligence however this book is amazingly easy to read and so so interesting, hence why I nominate this for all Biology and A&P lecturers around the world. Bryson explores the body and it’s functions in a dry and witty manner but with a very relatable (after all each of us has a body) and pragmatic attitude but also with a bucket load of curiosity that captivated me.

He has a good rummage in your nether regions and comes out with an interesting (but probably useless) fact like testicles have taste receptors. He explores digestion and finds that cooking has allowed us to have more free time in the day so that we’re not sat munching on indigestible raw food for 7 hours a day. He falls asleep with you and reveals a study that found most airline pilots will fall asleep on a long haul flight whilst flying without realising it and on your head he has discovered that our chin is unique to us humans. No-one knows why we have a chin- the function of it.

People have also died for the cause of keeping us alive for longer and there are interesting synopsis of studies and sometimes perilous experiments that have occurred around the world over the years to benefit us today. These have allowed for medical science to evolve and treat us for diseases that would have undoubtedly killed us 50 years ago. We learn about patients that sacrificed their own lives (men being transfused with pigs blood before they knew about differing blood types) and medics killed though radiation in the exploration of X-Rays. A respectful reminder that we are where we are in medicine due to the sacrifice of people long gone.

But it isn't all interesting and silly facts that you wont necessarily utilise in day to day life. There’s an authoritative tone at times threaded throughout reminding us we should take care of our ‘machines’ as they are working 24 hours a day to keep us alive, so treat your body well. However....” eat sensibly,exercise regularly, die anyway” (p427).

[Rachel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting and solid. Not as witty as other books by Bryson but the content maybe does not lend itself to humour? Or maybe Bryson feels the touch of mortality now...

[Sere · Rating 4 out of 5]

Such an interesting book. Bill Bryson is phenomenal at making complex and intricate topics accessible for anyone (including myself).
This book talks about the human body: its different parts (from our hair(s) to our nervous system, from our heart to our brain, from our immune system to our reproductive one, our cells and so on), how they work and interact with each other, what we use them for, their evolution, how they can get sick and how they can heal; it also touches upon some incredibly crazy (sometimes scary) stories within the medical field.
'The Body' gave me an appreciation for how lucky we are to be on this planet...human life: an unexplainable incident in the-billion-year-long history of the universe...and then think about our bodies...so perfect...so independent (from our thought process) and so enabling...
Made me want to take much more care of my machinery...too often I forget how fortunate I am.
However, it is also clear that the lovely and amusing human life incident, will just be so...at some stage some catastrophe will wipe us all out...especially given we are growing more and more susceptible to new viruses.
We've already had a taste with COVID-19...

[Yvonne · Rating 3 out of 5]

If you like facts and lots of it, this is the book for you. There are a few facts that stuck with me, but it was too much. I do like the way that Bryson organized the information. I paid special attention to the Spanish Flu part. We've learned very little since then and we're making all the same mistakes with the COVID-19. The microbe study with the belly-button stuck with me as I went to the same university where the study took place. Bryson seems to be losing his British accent. I was disappointed with that although his voice is still smooth as butter. There didn't seem to be as much humor with this one.

[Ole · Rating 5 out of 5]

Bill Bryson is back after a few disappointing books (my opinion only of course), this is an excellent read. Funny and informative, and on a subject which ought to interest us all. Despite having struggled with finding time and energy to read, I blame COVID-19, the reading doesn’t suffer from it as you can easily put it down and pick it up at leisure. I have already once gone back to read a few things up again, once with reference to pandemics of course. Cannot wait till I find the next BB book in my local bookshop...

[Joan Reding · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book. It was very well researched and well written to keep my interest. It was not funny like I thought it would be, based on other books that I have read written by the author. But the educational factor was redeeming and I highly recommend it. He explains things very well, and in layman's terms. Very fascinating journey through the human body.

[River James · Rating 3 out of 5]

Written in a simple and clear anecdotal manner that often reads like a list and is comprised of mostly basic 101 information. Nothing too new or complex like the brain-gut theories or bad ass neurological discoveries of the last half decade which was disappointing for such a recent publishing date. Great if you are looking to read light science that is pretty fun.

[Melinda Winet · Rating 5 out of 5]

You’ll enjoy this writer!
From travel books to this factual , entertaining book about what we all share 😊

[Sylvia. Blau · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very interesting, I learned a lot. It’s like an encyclopedia, but reads well

[Bevjirwin · Rating 3 out of 5]

bit of a slog at first but got into it and really liked it

[Jeanette Finan · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is one of my favorite authors. I love his writing style. He never disappoints.

[Joe · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book on the body that my dad and I read weekly for book club!

[M.A. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great read!

[Victor · Rating 4 out of 5]

Amazing read!! You would never know you had so many different things going on inside you. (to put it mildly)

[Giorgos Konstantaras · Rating 4 out of 5]

Many helpful things we needed to know from our school but we we werent focused enough. I enjoy the way bryson writes , this combination of humor and knowledge after years of research.

[Mary R Rosales · Rating 3 out of 5]

Bryson drew me in as a reader with his hiking and other humorous looks at life. This was a true study of studies. Worth the read.

[George Walker · Rating 5 out of 5]

We live in these mortal coils and yet how they function (or don't) are so mysterious to many of us. This is a great introduction to the human body in all its complexities and wonder.

[Emily · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mostly pleasant, a nice palate cleanser between some heavier books. Bryson is always fun to listen to & I learned some new things.

[Maree · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this book.