The Body
A Guide for Occupants
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The Body
Buy Now for £15.99
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Narrated by:
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Bill Bryson
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By:
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Bill Bryson
About this listen
'We spend our whole lives in one body and yet most of us have practically no idea how it works and what goes on inside it. The idea of the book is simply to try to understand the extraordinary contraption that is us.’
In the best-selling, prize-winning A Short History of Nearly Everything Bill Bryson achieved the seemingly impossible by making the science of our world both understandable and entertaining to millions of people around the globe.
Now he turns his attention inwards to explore the human body, how it functions and its remarkable ability to heal itself. Full of extraordinary facts and astonishing stories, The Body: A Guide for Occupants is a brilliant, often very funny attempt to understand the miracle of our physical and neurological makeup.
©2019 Bill Bryson (P)2019 Audible, LtdListen to clips from the audiobook
- The Body by Bill Bryson
- Featuring original bonus material, exclusive to Audible
- The Body by Bill Bryson
- Featuring original bonus material, exclusive to Audible
- The Body by Bill Bryson
- Featuring original bonus material, exclusive to Audible
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Behind the scenes
Watch our exclusive interview with the best-selling author as he reveals the inspiration behind The Body.Editor reviews
“Between the mysterious, the unexpected, the unknown and the undiscovered The Body: A Guide for Occupants takes us through all the weird and wonderful parts of the human body with humour, historical anecdotes and some truly jaw-dropping facts. Somehow, with all that jam packed in, listening to it still feels like an entertaining coffee with an old friend. I have loved many of Bill Bryson’s books but I think this one may have just jostled its way to the top of my list of favourites. Definitely take a listen if you’ve ever wondered why or how your body does what it does, or, if not, take a listen for the multitude of amazing facts you can pull out at your next awkward dinner party.” (Alex, Audible Editor)
“In this illuminating history of the human form, Bill Bryson presents scientific research in an accessible way, introducing a host of individuals including the world’s first kidney transplant recipient and the Nobel Prize-winning Peter Medawar. Covering everything from sleep to immunity, I came away from listening to the audiobook with a newfound appreciation and respect for my body. A perfect listen for new and existing Bill Bryson fans alike.” (Jess, Audible Editor)
The life and times of Bill Bryson
Born in Des Moines, Iowa, in 1951, Bill Bryson now resides in the UK. His best-selling, wry-humoured books cover travel, the English language, history and popular science.
In 1972, longing to experience the wider world, Bryson left his home state and toured Europe, delighting in its strangeness. Returning the following year, he took a job at a psychiatric hospital before embarking on a career in journalism. His first published book, The Lost Continent (1989), recounts a tour of America, though he’s claimed this wasn’t a travel book. “It was more sociological” he says. “I was looking at this country that I’d grown up in and seeing how it had changed – and how I had changed.”
Great book, let down somewhat by the narration
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His audiobooks are always enhanced when he reads them himself, this is no exception. You can listen to an abridged version on BBC Sounds radio 4, but I encourage you to get the full version it will become a go to textbook for healthcare personnel and members of the public and educational establishments.
Bill Bryson at his best.
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For me, this is as good, if not better than the excellent Short history of nearly everything.
It helps that it's the author narrating it, I prefer his voice to the other man who narrates many of his works. And I think he does a better job of intonating the sarcastic, humorous observations.
Anyway, onto the book. It's cleverly written, like many of his previous works. You won't get a huge amount of boring passage talking about anatomy. You get human stories of endeavour, and fascinating insights into the medical management of things.
Highlights include some of the costings of medical procedures around the world, and so many of the stories of people taking credit for others work.
The chapter on pain should be made essential reading material for all patients. Fascinating.
Well done Mr Bryson, you've kept me entertained for 14 hours and I wasn't bored once.
Not overly anatomical. Fascinating stuff.
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One of those brilliant obvious ideas....
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I will be listening to this book again it’s that good.
Excellent
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