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duparker's review against another edition
3.0
A bit bland, a bit over reaching and bit too magazine article-ie. It was enjoyable to breeze through skipping some of the sections I didn't care about (Why don't tattoos fade, and if I swallow my tongue ring what happens). The sections I read were well researched and discussed in a very common sense point of view. Nothing die hard incredible but also nothing to wasteful. Good Sunday read.
feralfallgirl's review against another edition
informative
medium-paced
3.0
i would encourage this author to speak at length with chronically ill and disabled people. i don’t believe he understands that perspective and it taints his attitude when speaking about them.
seaglanz's review against another edition
3.0
This book makes some big topics really easy to digest. It’s also a great pickup/put down book - there’s no hiccup if you haven’t read it in a while or only have time for a few pages. I liked it, and would suggest it to anyone looking to have a better understanding about how we function as humans.
physicalsecrets's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
hopeful
informative
lighthearted
reflective
fast-paced
3.75
celsius273's review against another edition
4.0
James Hamblin is honestly quite a figure; an MD halfway through residency who decided practicing wasn't for him and that his future lied in journalism who has taken the scientific expertise learned from years of schooling and translated it into readable medical explanations. This book is both a collection of responses to questions he has gotten over the years as part of his web video series and a stitching together of stories. It's infused with the caring tone and thorough enough explanations you would want from a doctor but also with a touch of snideness that serves to keep the reader on their feet. Perhaps the title is a bit off, this really isn't an expose of the body's various parts but instead medically intriguing stories that illustrate key points to staying healthy (hint: there's no simple formula). Interesting and disturbing as some of the stories may be, they don't merely reveal cornerstones of human health but also lay down Hamblin's critiques about modern healthcare and his advice to think carefully about all of your actions. The book is informative, engaging, and approachable to the scientifically minded reader and the ones who are not alike. And rather than being a hodge podge of trivia in a never ending list of questions, Hamblin actually tells stories making this book a wonderful experience to read.
callitus's review
2.0
I've felt like there were just too much anegdoctes and not too much substance to what was written. I know some people may feel like this wordy way of speaking may be kind of an advantage, but I felt like many questions were actually left unanwsered, cause he was tackling the subject in such an 'around' way.
But there were some really interesting parts that made me go all the way through the book
But there were some really interesting parts that made me go all the way through the book
sarahfroo's review against another edition
4.0
Interesting, funny, thoughtful, & overall entertaining.
sonia_reppe's review against another edition
3.0
Some of the section heading caught my eye, like "Do probiotics work?" So I picked this up and read most of it. It's pretty readable. The most interesting thing I learned was the debunking of "bad" sulfites. Hamblin says sulfites are good as preservatives in wine, they are also in higher amounts in dried fruit. So I still don't know what it is about some cheap wines that give me a headache.