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Why
Why Fish Fart and Other Useless Or Gross Information About the World
From the author of the New York Times bestseller* Why You Shouldn?t Eat Your Boogers and Other Useless (or Gross) Information About Your Body : the be-all and end-all compendium of odd, quirky, and otherwise nauseating information.
H ere is another thoroughly distasteful yet utterly compelling book from the author of the New York Times (extended list) bestseller Why You Shouldn?t Eat Your Boogers and Other Useless (or Gross) Information About Your Body . In Why Fish Fart and Other Useless (or Gross) Information About the World, Francesca Gould sifts through the world?s most unpleasant creatures, diseases, physical deformities, culinary delicacies, ritual practices, and hideous torture tactics to uncover every horrifying and stomach-turning fact under the sun. This book is full of questions you never thought to ask?and perhaps will wish you?d never had answered?
?What exactly is maggot cheese?
?How did anal hair help to lead to the conviction of the Great
?Train Robbers?
?What is the job of a ?fart catcher??
How exactly do ?crabs? cause such intense itching around one?s private parts?
?The real story behind why the toilet is often referred to as ?the john.?
?Why you might want to steer clear of some coffees. ( If poo isn?t exactly your idea of appetizing . . .)
Why Fish Fart and Other Useless (or Gross) Information About the World is sure to delight any and all hard-core fans of the obscure, esoteric, and?last but not least?grotesque.
H ere is another thoroughly distasteful yet utterly compelling book from the author of the New York Times (extended list) bestseller Why You Shouldn?t Eat Your Boogers and Other Useless (or Gross) Information About Your Body . In Why Fish Fart and Other Useless (or Gross) Information About the World, Francesca Gould sifts through the world?s most unpleasant creatures, diseases, physical deformities, culinary delicacies, ritual practices, and hideous torture tactics to uncover every horrifying and stomach-turning fact under the sun. This book is full of questions you never thought to ask?and perhaps will wish you?d never had answered?
?What exactly is maggot cheese?
?How did anal hair help to lead to the conviction of the Great
?Train Robbers?
?What is the job of a ?fart catcher??
How exactly do ?crabs? cause such intense itching around one?s private parts?
?The real story behind why the toilet is often referred to as ?the john.?
?Why you might want to steer clear of some coffees. ( If poo isn?t exactly your idea of appetizing . . .)
Why Fish Fart and Other Useless (or Gross) Information About the World is sure to delight any and all hard-core fans of the obscure, esoteric, and?last but not least?grotesque.
272 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2009
35 people are currently reading
242 people want to read
About the author
Francesca Gould
34 books3 followersFrancesca Gould is a lecturer in anatomy and physiology, and has always had a fascination for the more unusual and gruesome aspects of the human body.
She is the author of the New York Times (extended list) bestseller Why You Shouldn’t Eat Your Boogers and Other Useless or Gross Information About Your Body and Why Fish Fart and Other Useless or Gross Information About the World.
She lives in Bristol, England.
She is the author of the New York Times (extended list) bestseller Why You Shouldn’t Eat Your Boogers and Other Useless or Gross Information About Your Body and Why Fish Fart and Other Useless or Gross Information About the World.
She lives in Bristol, England.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 30 reviews
June 25, 2013
Three years ago, when my dad was visiting from Texas, he bought this book at the local Borders while my brother and I searched the shelves. Then, when we went out to dinner, he cheerfully selected passages to read at random while my brother's face turned green and I laughed because as annoyed as I was at his choice of public dinner conversation, I'm a daddy's girl who inherited his childish sense of humor.
I picked it up for the first time since then this summer when, a day after having my wisdom teeth removed and having no laptop to stare dully at, I wanted to read without having to worry about processing complex character and plot twists. I didn't think I'd be able to remember them on the pain killers.
But in all honesty, I found a lot of this book fascinating--although some of the sections double-dip on single stories, focusing on slightly different aspects of them (such as the death and burial of Attila the Hun). It could have been trimmed more in the editing process, making it a lot more concise (and removed a few silly grammatical errors), but that's my being nitpicky and accustomed to academic writing. This personal preference didn't at all alter my personal opinion of the work as a whole.
I picked it up for the first time since then this summer when, a day after having my wisdom teeth removed and having no laptop to stare dully at, I wanted to read without having to worry about processing complex character and plot twists. I didn't think I'd be able to remember them on the pain killers.
But in all honesty, I found a lot of this book fascinating--although some of the sections double-dip on single stories, focusing on slightly different aspects of them (such as the death and burial of Attila the Hun). It could have been trimmed more in the editing process, making it a lot more concise (and removed a few silly grammatical errors), but that's my being nitpicky and accustomed to academic writing. This personal preference didn't at all alter my personal opinion of the work as a whole.
May 19, 2023
Why Fish Fart
I was slow getting into this but still found so many of the stories intriguing! Gross, but intriguing! If you would like to learn something’s that would be interesting I would definitely recommend this book!
I was slow getting into this but still found so many of the stories intriguing! Gross, but intriguing! If you would like to learn something’s that would be interesting I would definitely recommend this book!
May 22, 2017
Weird and gross facts about history, the human body, and the natural world are presented in short entries. As is typical with these sorts of books, I think some of the info was a little exaggerated.
I do like that the author educates readers about the gross (and cruel) origin of the hormone replacement drug Premarin, of which many people are still completely unaware.
Although "yucky facts" books are a perennial favorite in kid lit, readers are cautioned that this isn't a children's book. Many of the facts and records discussed are of a violent or sexual nature!
I do like that the author educates readers about the gross (and cruel) origin of the hormone replacement drug Premarin, of which many people are still completely unaware.
Although "yucky facts" books are a perennial favorite in kid lit, readers are cautioned that this isn't a children's book. Many of the facts and records discussed are of a violent or sexual nature!
Want to read
March 3, 2010lol. Why fish fart. Wait. They fart?
March 28, 2018
I have a newed cover for this book. The kids at school love these types of books.
April 22, 2020
Nothing special, but not a bad look at obscure and gross facts. Includes the expected lists of wasps who lay their eggs in caterpillars, as well as a lot of other stuff.
May 19, 2020
I found myself laughing out loud to some of the questions. And, quite frankly, the cover is right; there are many things I read in this book that I truly wish I didn't know.
August 4, 2020
I love gross nonfiction books for kids. Simply delightful.
January 17, 2024
This is a great bathroom reader.
August 20, 2009
This is such a fun book! I've been enjoying reading a couple of sections before bed, so I can stun and amaze my friends the next day. I'm definitely going to have to pick up Gould's first book, Why You Shouldn't Eat Your Boogers and Other Useless or Gross Information About Your Body Information About Your Body. Entertaining AND Educational (not to mention GROSS!!!). Can't get much better than that!
July 19, 2012
I bought this for my classroom and thus far it is truly disgusting and gross. It's perfect. My male students are going to eat this up and I'm going to know whether they're really reading because they WILL interact with the text if they are. I'm expecting lots of buzz over this one, so much so that I may add her other books to my shelf.
While this is a compilation of gross minutaie, there are some very interesting sections, such as the one about the stuff that grows on toothbrushes and an overview of Ivan the Terrible.
While this is a compilation of gross minutaie, there are some very interesting sections, such as the one about the stuff that grows on toothbrushes and an overview of Ivan the Terrible.
July 4, 2012
It is indeed an interesting book about useless and gross information, most of which I found interesting.
Don't make the same mistake I did, though, by reading it while I was eating ... the first chapter is about "obscene cuisine". I had to skip to the next chapter, "weird creatures", and go back to the first chapter when I wasn't consuming my lunch.
BTW, it is the herring who farts ... to let the other herring know where he is.
Don't make the same mistake I did, though, by reading it while I was eating ... the first chapter is about "obscene cuisine". I had to skip to the next chapter, "weird creatures", and go back to the first chapter when I wasn't consuming my lunch.
BTW, it is the herring who farts ... to let the other herring know where he is.
August 6, 2014
With a title like WHY FISH FART, and a very cute cartoon cover, this book is sure to be a hit with kids. It is filled with tons of gross and somewhat fascinating facts about animals, fish and insects, and even a few crazy people. How many cockroaches could you eat in an hour? Did you know that cockroaches fart every 15 minutes? Did you know some people use tarantula fangs as toothpicks? To find out more about these and other disgusting but true facts, you have to read this book!
Read
July 26, 2011A quick and easy read, Why Fish Fart took me no more than a couple hours to finish. I enjoyed every minute of it. Many of the pieces had me laughing out loud.
Always gross, but not quite as useless as the sub-title claims, the book contained some quite interesting and useful information in some of the section, particularly the hygiene practices.
All in all, a fun and enjoyable little book.
Always gross, but not quite as useless as the sub-title claims, the book contained some quite interesting and useful information in some of the section, particularly the hygiene practices.
All in all, a fun and enjoyable little book.
February 10, 2013
I received this book several years ago from a secret pal gift exchange. This seemed like a good weekend to pick it up. It gave me a plethora of Facebook status updates sharing gross trivia with family and friends. Easy to read, short "articles" so it was easy to put down and pick up later. And it survived a dunk in the bathtub.
September 15, 2014
I found the section with graphic descriptions of historical methods of torture inappropriate, given the breezy tone and the cartoony, kid-oriented cover. I took it back to the library immediately. People can read and write what they want, but I personally didn't dig having the rack, thumbscrews, spikes driven under fingernails, etc. in a "wacky" kid's book.
May 7, 2015
LOVED this book. A series of mini-stories about a variety of "gross" things. Such great little reads to do with a group of students-- would be a great read for both boys and girls. There are a few entries that are a bit "spicy" but otherwise a great, interesting read.
June 2, 2015
I think this book wasn't really funny or about why fish fart,all it was about was very weird information that you will never know from other books like: one of the best coffee in the world is poop coffee.But I recommend this book to everyone who won't be so disgusted.
January 14, 2020
Why Fish Fart is probably the most useless book you could read, which is great because all that useless information is hilarious. If your looking to read a book with irrelevant kings who have insomnia, or people who eat live monkey i recommend this book to you.
August 15, 2010
I'm a sucker for trivia type books.
November 25, 2011
Horribly fascinating...with really, really disgusting bits in it. It kind of gets boring towards the end, though.
February 27, 2012
So much grossness found in history, in nature and in everyday life stuff. Gotta show this to the kids!
January 10, 2013
This book is full of the useless, gross information about the world. It is gross, yet hilarious! Loved it! :D
June 8, 2013
I registered a book at BookCrossing.com!
http://www.BookCrossing.com/journal/11964947
http://www.BookCrossing.com/journal/11964947
August 25, 2013
It was very gross but disgusting at the very same time.
December 5, 2014
I'm sure some kids would find this sort of book fascinating, but I found it somewhat...relentless.
October 7, 2015
Gross, curious, and morbid all found in one book. Some of the facts made my stomach turn, but not enough to deter me from going cover-to-cover in one night. Read at your own risk?
July 5, 2016
Not as good as I was hoping. The writing isn't very good. Hardly any thread connecting the individual tidbits was probably my largest disappointment.
November 8, 2016
Such an interesting read! I really enjoyed learning about these random topics. I plan on ordering the other book by this author. Really a great read if you like learning about bazar facts.
August 27, 2010
Interesting book. Some topics I skipped completely and some I read slowly with extreme interest.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 30 reviews