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

Informative and amusing

Well presented information with just a touch of humor. I enjoyed the reader almost as much as the book itself.

Fascinating

Roach is a consistently excellent author, giving life to the bizarre, she blends science and intrigue and storytelling and humor. This deep dive into the guts is no exception. Of many great quotes, this one was a standout that I may have sent a few friends randomly,

Quote of the day, "I don't know, Len, I don't know what the ultimate fate of a suppressed fart is"

From probiotics to bacteria transfer procedures that cure c diff which are (or at least were at the time of publishing) being blocked by big pharma, this is a fascinating and entertaining read, if at times somewhat cringe inducing. Great read!

Very interesting.

Great info for the biologically curious! Well read and interesting. I would highly recommend this book.

good book

interesting book full of information you'd never know unless you read or listened to this book

A fascinating listen

A very interesting read about that familiar yet alien place within our bodies: The alimentary canal. Mary Roach examines the alimentary canal from food intake to, well, output. Ms. Roach writes like she's sharing a story with a friend, and I found this to be a fascinating listen. One warning: You may not want to listen to this book (about what happens to your food) while eating... my reaction to some facts was a combination of wow, interesting and ew, gross! Recommended.

I would love to have a few beers with Mary Roach.

Would you consider the audio edition of Gulp to be better than the print version?

I haven't read the print version, but the audio was fantastic.

Who was your favorite character and why?

The alimentary canal, of course!

What does Emily Woo Zeller bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

She has great inflection, and carries off all the humour with panache.

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

Yes

Nasty subject, Great book!

I LOVED this book. As she did in "Stiff," Mary Roach tackles a less than savory subject with intelligent and humor. I learned a lot of great info about the digestive track, and I laughed out loud at many of Roach's vignettes and explanations. Who knew that ingesting someone else's fecal material could restore your probiotic balance and help you heal, for example? If you have any interest in how the body really works, you will love this book. However, if you are a bit squeamish,you may want to pass. This is not nearly as, well, upsetting as "Stiff," but the subject matter is often inappropriate for "polite company." I thoroughly enjoyed it.

Emily Woo Zeller's narration was spot on. Such a fun listen!

A Book For Those Who Enjoy Taking A Dump

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

Yes. Many of my friends, for better or worse, are fascinated by poo. This book is more or less a documentary on their favorite subject.

What was the most compelling aspect of this narrative?

Its all really good. I loved the chapter on what different species like to eat and why.

Have you listened to any of Emily Woo Zeller’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

Think she did other Mary Roach books. They are far from boring.

If you could give Gulp a new subtitle, what would it be?

"A Book For Those Who Enjoy Taking A Dump"

GULP>>>>GAG

Oh it was okay. I enjoyed the usual Mary Roach funny tone which is always the best part. It was for me pretty much a gross out experience but I knew that going in, so no fault of the author or book itself. I guess I was wanting something more, I'm not sure what, maybe if I could have felt a bit more informed, wait......I did learn one thing...or I thought I did... never mind, now I've forgotten. So I will chalk this one up to an easy fun listen, just not memorable in any way.

entertaining, with an B+ for gross-out factor

You can't help but love listening to a super performance about a certain biological function and some related weird behavior connected to same. At about four points in the book, I just had to take out the ear buds and not listen to the rest of the "tidbit." Glad I listened to it all, and happy to move on to a more boring next selection.