I Contain Multitudes

The Microbes Within Us and a Grander View of Life

By: Ed Yong

Narrated by: Charlie Anson

Length: 9 hrs and 52 mins

Publisher's Summary

Joining the ranks of popular science classics like The Botany of Desire and The Selfish Gene, a groundbreaking, wondrously informative, and vastly entertaining examination of the most significant revolution in biology since Darwin - a "microbe's-eye view" of the world that reveals a marvelous, radically reconceived picture of life on Earth.

Every animal, whether human, squid, or wasp, is home to millions of bacteria and other microbes. Ed Yong, whose humor is as evident as his erudition, prompts us to look at ourselves and our animal companions in a new light - less as individuals and more as the interconnected, interdependent multitudes we assuredly are.

The microbes in our bodies are part of our immune systems and protect us from disease. In the deep oceans, mysterious creatures without mouths or guts depend on microbes for all their energy. Bacteria provide squid with invisibility cloaks, help beetles to bring down forests, and allow worms to cause diseases that afflict millions of people.

Many people think of microbes as germs to be eradicated, but those that live with us - the microbiome - build our bodies, protect our health, shape our identities, and grant us incredible abilities. In this astonishing book, Ed Yong takes us on a grand tour through our microbial partners and introduces us to the scientists on the front lines of discovery. It will change both our view of nature and our sense of where we belong in it.

©2016 Ed Yong (P)2016 HarperCollins Publishers

Critic Reviews

"Narrator Charlie Anson brings out the dry humor in British science journalist Ed Yong's fascinating and accessible treatise on the world of microbes. Anson also does admirably pronouncing the many scientific names and words, and his smooth and lively delivery helps keep listeners from getting bogged down." ( AudioFile)

Fantastic Mix of Information & Description

A great structure for listening in 30 minute intervals, as each chapter unfolds like its own magazine article. Yong has a clear style, he goes out of his way for fresh metaphors.

Undoes what you've learned from the headlines

Yes, overweight people have different gut biomes than thin people. No, it's not so simple that bacteria causes obesity. If you feed your gut lots of junk food, bacteria that thrive on junk food will take over the gut.

A lot of enormous claims are made regularly in the media about our biomes. This book is necessary for better interpreting those claims.

And it comes with fascinating insights. Where does bacteria for processing pineapple come from? When we (or our ancestors) eat pineapple, the bacteria that hang out on it enters the gut and makes a home there. Of course. Bacteria often makes such a home in animals that it becomes domesticated and can no longer live anywhere else. Our bacteria might help us now, but they have no moral desire to do so: change the incentives and they can turn on us, and some pathogens actually kill by using our own bacteria against us. When we die, our bacteria eat us :*(

Most fascinating of all: bacteria not only exchange genes with each other, but sometimes with plants, sometimes with insects, and sometimes even with mammals. The kind of gene exchange we once thought only existed in artificial "genetic engineering" actually happens in nature, even with animals. Wow. I'd like to understand this process better.

Absolutely recommend this book.

The narrator is great, but you have to forgive him for some weird pronunciations. Pronouncing controversy as "conTRAvasy" should be illegal.

A Summary of Our Future

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

Yes! There is an emerging understanding of how microbiological systems can work to address some of the challenges of civilization. In a world that has declared war on the microscopic, I highly recommend this fairly approachable discussion of applied multitudes.

What was one of the most memorable moments of I Contain Multitudes?

I enjoy the contrast between awareness and speculation, with clinical experiment. Although humanity has been studying our microscopic environment for several generations, it is starting to feel as though we're on the verge of a multitude of important, and in some case miraculous applications.

Which scene was your favorite?

The discussion of coral reefs was especially enlightening. In this story, the impact of microbes is seen to be much more foundational for complex environments than I had previously understood.

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

No - not at all. I'm not especially familiar with microbes, and there are a number of varieties and rules (and exceptions) to sink in if I would have raced through the book.

Any additional comments?

There are starting to be a lot of different books on the microbiome. I enjoy the author's approach - he clearly distinguishes between speculation, correlation, and causation. The microbiome is getting a lot of hype, and this book acknowledges the hype and goes beyond into the facts, theories, and outlines information that still eludes the experts.

If you're the least bit curious about microbes...

This book wasn't exactly what I thought it would be. I thought it would focus on the human microbiome, but instead, it's about microbes in a wide variety of environments. You will learn more than you ever needed to know about microbes on pangolins, in insects, on plants, etc. It was interesting to learn that there are microbes in clouds that seed them for rain and snow, and how microbes have evolved along with life, and how they were discovered by scientists who sometimes guarded their secrets and often were ridiculed. I have a vastly greater appreciation for our microbial companions now than I ever did. However, if you're interested in learning about human gut flora specifically, this may not be the book for you. The narrator did a great job with some potentially dry material. Overall, I'm glad I listened to I Contain Multitudes.

Fascinating and informative

I'm a scientist with a professional interest (though by no means an expert) in microbes, and I found this book fascinating. It packed full of science and Yong does a great job explaining it and conveying the excitement of the field and the researchers behind it. The narration is generally very good. My only complaint is that regularly there are lines that were obviously re-recorded and hearing the small but obvious difference in the speech (I assume due to sound recording and processing) is distracting. I feel that a better production job could have avoided this.

A good current look at the microbiome

I am a microbiology major fresh out of college, and I personally really enjoued this book. i found it pretty digestable and good at explaining the basic tennants of bacteria and such before getting into the meat. If you are well versed in general microbiology, I'd reccomend getting past the build up-its a necessary evil for those not well versed in the topic and the actual meat of the book is really interesting. It was pretty neat to see current research I had even heard of in the book and everything was well put together-he even cautions that some of this science may not hold up in humans or may have inaccuracies to it, which is a very good idea in my mind given the volatility you can sometimes find in concepts or research later on. Highly reccomended.

The narrator does a good job keeping things flowing and entertaining, and I didn't notice any mispronunciation on his part in terms of science terms except rarely.

The audio editing was distracting

I loved everything about the book excepting the inserted audio edits which I found distracting and eventually irritating.

However, I would still heartily recommend it!

great insight into the world in us and around us.

This is an incredibly well written, easy to follow audio book. I feel like a curtain was lifted and I see the world in a different light

Fantastic tour of the microbial world

Where does I Contain Multitudes rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

In the top 10%. Excellent science book with just the right amount of levity.

What other book might you compare I Contain Multitudes to and why?

Adventures in the Alimentary Canal, by Mary Roach; A Short History of Nearly Everything, by Bill Bryson. All three books exemplify some of the best science writing that seeks to engage the reader, but doesn't take itself too seriously (unless necessary).

Any additional comments?

This book acts as an incredibly interesting guide to and personable introduction of microbes and how they are interwoven and often indispensable to the lives of pretty much every complex living organism on earth. The book combines scientific discoveries with biographical sketches of some of the scientists working in the various fields covered. The author's tone remains curious, engaged, and light-hearted throughout - he is more than willing to recognize humorous facts and the obvious ick-factor that some of the information triggers. This book has all the fun of a Mary Roach book, but with a bit more focus and groundedness (Yong finds humor where it is, but doesn't force it). Readers with enough curiosity to overcome the discomfort of knowing you are populated with and covered by microbes (and so if most of the stuff you come in contact with) will benefit from a truly well-written science book.

One of the most important topics of the century

The latest science broken down in a fun, interesting, and accessible book. Worthwhile even if you've been following this topic closely.