• Gulp

  • Adventures on the Alimentary Canal
  • By: Mary Roach
  • Narrated by: Emily Woo Zeller
  • Length: 8 hrs and 21 mins
  • 4.2 out of 5 stars (3,887 ratings)

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Gulp  By  cover art

Gulp

By: Mary Roach
Narrated by: Emily Woo Zeller
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Editorial reviews

Editors Select, April 2013 - Mary Roach is willing to “go there” in the name of Science. She has tackled sexual physiology in Bonk, the life of cadavers in Stiff, and now takes on the (not-so-hot) topic of the digestive system in Gulp. This journey begins at the top and ends at the bottom of the legendary alimentary canal, but Roach does not take us there in a straight line. There are side excursions to visit experts in the field of morning breathe and pet-food engineers. We explore the power of salvia and the origin of mythical fire-breathing serpents. By asking seemingly ridiculous questions like, “Does noxious flatus do more than clear a room?” Roach manages to dismiss those common misconceptions we all seem to have but never question out loud. In Gulp she serves-up Science just the way I like it: Well-researched, relevant, offbeat, and hilarious. Tricia, Audible Editor

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

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What listeners say about Gulp

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a cornucopia of adjectives

if you were a writer dreaming to be a writer this is actually a wonderful book of words/description. it's funny it's charming interesting provocative the narration is terrific she sounds like Samantha Brown that charming travel guru.
good stuff a great commuting book or road trip book.

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Entertaining and educational!

Excellent book with an enjoyable reader. Mary Roach does a great job of interweaving the study of the alimentary canal with fun anecdotes and asides. Strongly recommend!

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Gulp

It was a good book, a fun and very informative. I will tell everyone

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So fascinating and hilarious

As a soon to be dietitian that is fascinated by the gut I absolutely loved this book. The way it was written is hilarious and the narration pairs so well! I’ve learned lots of new fun facts learned about lots of unique studies that have occurred. Absolutely would read/listen to again. If you find your gut at all interesting I highly recommend!

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Entertaining and informative

You can't go wrong with Mary Roach's books. As always, entertaining and informative, going into everything from fecal matter transplants, to the possibility of someone surviving after being swallowed by a whale or fish (short answer: no) and other matters related to end-to-end digestion.

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Gross, Boring

Don’t bother wasting your time unless digestion interests you. I had to read this for a book club or I would’ve quit after the first chapter.

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Missing pieces of the book

I have the physical copy of this book as well. This author uses a LOT of footnotes to make side comments and jokes. Some are multiple paragraphs long. I noticed that the audiobook doesn’t incorporate them all, thereby leaving out big chunks of the book.

I can see how a lot of them would be difficult to incorporate seamlessly - but taking them out entirely doesn’t seem like the right solution.

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Fun and Informative

Honestly the title to my review says it all. Gulp is an interesting look at something we don’t often think about and the world surrounding it, and Emily Woo Zeller does an amazing job bringing it to life.

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Prefer the author's readings .

No one reads Mary Roach like the author herself. Some of the humor was lost in this audiobook, but overall still interesting.

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I am a gastroenterologist and loved this book

I am a gastroenterologist, in practice for over 15 years. Having thoroughly enjoyed the audiobook version of Stiff, I decided to give Gulp a whirl. What a delight! Her mix of science and whimsy once again had me engaged from start to finish. Great job!

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