Gulp

Adventures on the Alimentary Canal

By: Mary Roach

Narrated by: Emily Woo Zeller

Length: 8 hrs and 21 mins

Publisher's summary

Best-selling author Mary Roach returns with a new adventure to the invisible realm we carry around inside. Roach takes us down the hatch on an unforgettable tour.

The alimentary canal is classic Mary Roach terrain: The questions explored in Gulp are as taboo, in their way, as the cadavers in Stiff and every bit as surreal as the universe of zero gravity explored in Packing for Mars. Why is crunchy food so appealing? Why is it so hard to find words for flavors and smells? Why doesn’t the stomach digest itself? How much can you eat before your stomach bursts? Can constipation kill you? Did it kill Elvis?

In Gulp we meet scientists who tackle the questions no one else thinks of - or has the courage to ask. We go on location to a pet-food taste-test lab, a fecal transplant, and into a live stomach to observe the fate of a meal. With Roach as our guide, we travel the world, meeting murderers and mad scientists, Eskimos and exorcists (who have occasionally administered holy water rectally), rabbis and terrorists - who, it turns out, for practical reasons do not conceal bombs in their digestive tracts. Like all of Roach’s books, Gulp is as much about human beings as it is about human bodies.

©2013 Mary Roach (P)2013 Tantor

Mary "But I Have Questions" Roach

Mary "But I Have Questions" Roach is a treasure. I am so thankful that she follows her curiosity to the nitty gritty details. Hilarious and educational.

Stellar Book If You Don't Mind Thinking About....

Mary Roach has a gift for delving into topics we don't like to talk about, digging out the most interesting aspects, and then presenting that information in an interesting and humorous way. Gulp discusses all the gross things involved in digestion (e.g., saliva, your colon, fecal transplants) but was only occasionally gross. I learned a lot of fascinating stuff that I can't talk about at the dinner table but which connected to my own digestion and my recent colonoscopy. The reader was excellent.

Informative, Fascinating, and Funny!

Gulp is the best book I have listened to in a very long time! Very informative and well-researched (and Roach graciously takes the reader along with her to visit various labs and research facilities), the book is filled with historical and scientific anecdotes, as well, to make the narrative all the more interesting.

You don't need a college degree or a stellar IQ to understand Roach's clear and concise explanations. If she were teaching classes or lecturing at a local venue, I'd be in line to sign up for every one of them, not least because of the wry wit with which she seasons what could otherwise be considered a somewhat distasteful subject to many readers. As I listened, I found myself laughing out loud again and again, often disturbing my husband's sleep.

Bravo, Mary Roach! Bravo!

Love Mary Roach!

If you could sum up Gulp in three words, what would they be?

Good Shit, Dude!

Who was your favorite character and why?

The Alimentary Canal.

Which character – as performed by Emily Woo Zeller – was your favorite?

Emily did a great job. She has a light airy voice which translates mischief very well.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

I did listen to this book in one sitting. I bought it as a daily deal, not sure whether to spend a whole precious credit on it. I wasn't disappointed. I haven't read the other reviews before writing mine. So, I am curious to look back and see what others thought. Of course, this isn't War and Peace. It reminded me of the old Readers Digest series "I'm Joe's Liver", but with greater depth, curiosity, and respect for the subject.

Any additional comments?

This book would be a great read for any one wanting information about the anatomy, without being bored to death. Very down to earth, interesting, and fun read.

A Wonderful Internal Voyage

I picked out this book on a whim. I had enjoyed her other book, "Cadavers", but I really didn't expect this one to be such a wonderful combination of information and entertainment. It is formidable on both counts. Roach is certainly aware of what she calls the "Ick Factor" in her subject matter but she handles it with such aplomb that you can keep your eye n the topic and not get caught up in "Yewwwww"s.

Roach has done something that is the goal of all science writers, written about an important subject that is usually sidestepped by other writers and done it in such a way as to be useful and to make the reader feel as liberated in exploring the topic as Mary Roach became as she did her extensive research.

In case I wasn't clear, I really liked this book!

Great info, but horrible narration

Would you recommend this book to a friend? Why or why not?

As always, Mary Roach did her research and provided some very interesting information, but it wasn't her best work. It did not have the humor and bite that are characteristic of her books.

If this book were a movie would you go see it?

The narrator gave each scientist interviewed a different accent, and it was distracting at best. I hated the narration so much that I would never recommend the audiobook. Get it in print, or as an ebook, instead.

Great

Funny, informative, eye opening. Why couldn't they teach like this in school? On to another of Mary's books!

Only if you're really patient!

Would you try another book from Mary Roach and/or Emily Woo Zeller?

Probably not.

What was your reaction to the ending? (No spoilers please!)

couldn't get through it all

What do you think the narrator could have done better?

Hard to do better given the overwhelming extraneous details.

Do you think Gulp needs a follow-up book? Why or why not?

I hope not.

Any additional comments?

I loved Mary Roach's book Stiff. So I was quick to grab this book. But the tedium of it all -- I don't care what kind of cashmere grey sweater the research scientist was wearing; I don't care if there was sun shining through the windows when you met. The overwhelming extraneous details led me to think the author needed to write a certain number of pages...boring details with an occasional gem of information. Too much for me to plow through. I gave it up before we even got to the small intestine. BIg disappointment.

I am a Mary fan!

I am crazy about her books! This book from tongue and smell to the "end results" was fascinating. There was a chapter near the end of the book that I just could not listen to, my gag reflexes kept on acting up so I skipped it and enjoyed all the rest. The chapter about smuggling drugs was especially interesting. Keep them coming Mary!

Good read with a side of gross

This was a good read chock-full of new and interesting facts. It was a little gross subject matter at times and I felt a bit to wordy, but overall a good read for anyone interested in the human body.