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The Body
- A Guide for Occupants
- Narrated by: Bill Bryson
- Length: 14 hrs and 47 mins
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The Body
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Listen to clips from the audiobook
- The Body by Bill Bryson
- Featuring original bonus material, exclusive to Audible
- The Body by Bill Bryson
- Featuring original bonus material, exclusive to Audible
- The Body by Bill Bryson
- Featuring original bonus material, exclusive to Audible
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Behind the scenes
Watch our exclusive interview with the best-selling author as he reveals the inspiration behind The Body.Editor reviews
“Between the mysterious, the unexpected, the unknown and the undiscovered The Body: A Guide for Occupants takes us through all the weird and wonderful parts of the human body with humour, historical anecdotes and some truly jaw-dropping facts. Somehow, with all that jam packed in, listening to it still feels like an entertaining coffee with an old friend. I have loved many of Bill Bryson’s books but I think this one may have just jostled its way to the top of my list of favourites. Definitely take a listen if you’ve ever wondered why or how your body does what it does, or, if not, take a listen for the multitude of amazing facts you can pull out at your next awkward dinner party.” (Alex, Audible Editor)
“In this illuminating history of the human form, Bill Bryson presents scientific research in an accessible way, introducing a host of individuals including the world’s first kidney transplant recipient and the Nobel Prize-winning Peter Medawar. Covering everything from sleep to immunity, I came away from listening to the audiobook with a newfound appreciation and respect for my body. A perfect listen for new and existing Bill Bryson fans alike.” (Jess, Audible Editor)
The life and times of Bill Bryson
Born in Des Moines, Iowa, in 1951, Bill Bryson now resides in the UK. His best-selling, wry-humoured books cover travel, the English language, history and popular science.
In 1972, longing to experience the wider world, Bryson left his home state and toured Europe, delighting in its strangeness. Returning the following year, he took a job at a psychiatric hospital before embarking on a career in journalism. His first published book, The Lost Continent (1989), recounts a tour of America, though he’s claimed this wasn’t a travel book. “It was more sociological” he says. “I was looking at this country that I’d grown up in and seeing how it had changed – and how I had changed.”
Summary
'We spend our whole lives in one body and yet most of us have practically no idea how it works and what goes on inside it. The idea of the book is simply to try to understand the extraordinary contraption that is us.’
In the best-selling, prize-winning A Short History of Nearly Everything Bill Bryson achieved the seemingly impossible by making the science of our world both understandable and entertaining to millions of people around the globe.
Now he turns his attention inwards to explore the human body, how it functions and its remarkable ability to heal itself. Full of extraordinary facts and astonishing stories, The Body: A Guide for Occupants is a brilliant, often very funny attempt to understand the miracle of our physical and neurological makeup.
What listeners say about The Body
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- Amazon Customer
- 03-10-19
Awesome as ever
Heard of Bryson many years ago and didnt give it a second thought, something about Australia and a best seller...
Years later I discovered the Brief History and loved it.
Just got this new book on the body and within a few minutes of listening I hear the name of a doctor who was also a good friend back when I was in my 20's and I was clubbing... he is well respected and very professional now... well he is a source of information for Bill, so he must be.
Now I cant relax listening as I will be waiting to hear about my old friend again.
Even if you dont know anyone in the book, its a must!#
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- Shannon
- 31-12-20
Fascinating!
New found gratitude for our amazing bodies, I learnt so much (despite being a doctor!)
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- Amazon Customer
- 21-12-20
Lots of things you didn't know about the body
Enjoyed every chapter. A great book to dip in and out of. And to listen together.
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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- Mrs. G. Chew
- 29-12-20
Interesting information, but boring narrator
I enjoy this kind of information, although the "jocular witticisms" about bodies being designed badly wore thin after a while. If you don't believe in intelligent design, don't blame nor use words that credit a creator. Be honest: evolution designs as badly as God is blamed for. But especially, either use a better narrator, or else put some life and enthusiasm into your voice. This many hours of flat-toned drawl was hard to get through, and I won't be listening again.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- Just a person
- 05-03-20
Captivating
The book is amazing! I have enjoyed every piece of information although there is so much of it I don’t have any idea how much of it I have retained. Towards the end it got even more interesting, but found myself feeling sad. I felt there was a bit too much negative information in some instances but what do I know? If science says then there is nothing to do....
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- Amazon Customer
- 29-03-20
As always with Bill Bryson, brilliant
Amazing detail whilst always readable, insightful, funny and enthralling. No one ecan match his great story telling on non-fiction topics.
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- Mr Thomas D Cullen
- 08-11-20
brilliant
now that I'm older and appreciate the way Bryson writes, this is another simply flowing and elegant head to toe excursion through the hu.an body. Even some timely views on viruses and pandemics are included. if you love Bryan, you'll love this. if you haven't met him yet then this will be a fascinating introduction.
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- Mike S
- 20-10-20
a must read for all
Studied bio for a long time but learned alot about the body just from this one book.
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- Anonymous User
- 24-01-20
Loved this book
I learnt so much. Will definitely listen to it again. Well written, well read, informative and engaging. Absolutely loved this book. Highly recommended for everyone.
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- Alexander
- 28-01-20
Brilliantly Narrated, Thoroughly Thought Provoking
If you're interested in the human body, or even think you might be interested in the hunan body, then you can't do much better than this whistle-stop tour of the body and its major organs.
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