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

Great book about a pretty disgusting subject

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

interesting surprising fun

What was one of the most memorable moments of Gulp?

Description of gas and the possible start of fire-breathing dragon legends

What about Emily Woo Zeller’s performance did you like?

Great voice, clear and crisp reading, funny accents at the right times

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

No, a couple of chapters at a time were perfect

Any additional comments?

Really enjoyed it

Mary Roach perspective never ceases to amaze me

Mary Roach never seizes to amaze me! Her professional and witty approach toward this book and five others that I've enjoyed, have left me wanting more. Her exploration of the medical history, anatomy and physiology of the alimentary canal is exact and concise and left me inspired and fascinated.
She is truly a gifted artist showing no restraint regardless of her subject. Professionals respect her and she is able to get an uncanny eye "behind the scenes" regardless if it is a OR, biological lab, vomit comet, or given firsthand demonstrations of weapons of war. The places where you and I would not be allowed to go. I certainly thank her for taking me to places I will never be able to visit on my own.
If you have an interest in your body and what happens when you eat food, get this book.

Entertaining and Informative!

Terrific book about an "unmentionable" subject. If you've ever wanted a tour of the internal workings regarding what hapoens to what you eat, this is a must read. The book's contents are interesting and sometimes curious, and the narration is outstanding, adding such an element to the humorous anecdotes.

Hard to put down or turn off (in the case of the Audible version). No "ick factor" required!!

I highly recommend this title, in either format.

Very entertaining.

For someone who loves science and humor, this book was great. I've read Mary Roach's Stiff and so decided to try this one even though I'm not that into food. She makes everything interesting and her author's notes are really delightful. Emily Woo Zeller does a good job of narrating the text. All of a sudden I only had two hours left and I ended up trying to listen less often so I could enjoy it for longer.

Hilarious and interesting

I love the way this author uses humor to keep us engaged and at ease when talking about important issues and topics.

Mary Roach Does Not Disappoint!

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

Fascinating! Entertaining! Surprising!

What did you like best about this story?

I love Mary Roach's work. I have read all her books, but I have to say I was a little hesitant to read this one. I didn't know what to expect. Could the digestive system really be that interesting? Would I just be grossed out the whole time? I decided to jump in anyway. I was not disappointed. I think Mary Roach's genuine fascination with the world creates a contagious atmosphere of awe. Many time through out the book I found myself thinking "Wow! that is really interesting." Her style of writing also has a certain light hearted joy to it. Making you almost feel like you are there with her while she is sticking her whole arm into a cow. A spectator to a good friends adventures. I was also not grossed out at all. Well maybe a little bit during the saliva part, but in general I was not. I even ate lunch a few times while listening.

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

Yes and I love the way she narrates!

What’s the most interesting tidbit you’ve picked up from this book?

I found the most interesting part to be getting a larger perspective on what people believe about the body. Every age it seems has it's thing. Today it might be Gluten intolerance, but 100 years ago it might have been bosom snakes. Self diagnosis run amok no matter what period you live in. Also a perspective on what science and medicine had to say. It is really amazing to see things from a larger scale. It really puts todays beliefs in perspective.

Any additional comments?

I highly recommend reading this book if you like Mary Roach! You will really really enjoy it!

Fun listen but missing some of the meat

Delivers what it promises, interesting stories, historical tidbits, really gross things that cause you to make weird faces while you are listening and exclaim things like "Oh my G-d" or "Ewwwww" The stories about how people discovered so much about the AC, and the weird things people do to it still were fun but I guess I wanted a little more science along with the ancecdots a la "A Natural History of the Senses"

found myself grossed out and engrossed!

want to know what happens to your food from lips to the very end? and why? and how? this is a great book--would make a fantastic reading group choice. what we don't know about our bodies CAN and DOES hurt us!

Wasn't Sure Whether to Laugh or Gag!!!!!

As I ruminate about this book (yes, this is a bad pun so I don't blame all the loud groans out there), I decided that I really liked it. There were some parts that were a bit boring to me, but overall, I found the "gut" to be more fascinating than expected. I enjoyed the narration, and as I was listening to this to and from work, it seemed to work out that the most disgusting topics (think: fecal transplants)always came up first thing in the morning! The thought of someone's fecal matter being transplanted into me is quite repulsive, but when I think of it in terms of the benefits, I would try that option if I found myself in some of the circumstances that others do with severe gastro issues. I'm glad that this research is being done and I hope that it leads to breakthroughs.

Overall, this was a very well researched book. I admire that she delved into this topic so thoroughly and I learned quite a bit of interesting facts. I would never go to the lengths Mary Roach does to learn about a subject; while she is welcome to undergo a colonoscopy without drugs so she can see the organ and learn from it, my response to that is: "hell no, bring on the drugs." I much prefer to let someone else do the direct learning and I will learn indirectly from them through the pages of a book or the sounds of the audio version!(less)

Informative and truly interesting

Mary Roach has a real talent for taking subjects no one talks about and asking - and then answering - every single question anyone could ever ask. Her style is easy and conversational, and you can tell she's genuinely interested in all her subjects.

All her books educate and entertain, and this one is no exception.