For a while, I have been maintaining a list of books that I would like to read. Whenever I came across interesting books I include them in my reading list. However, before making any buying decision I browse through book reviews section of The New York Times, The Washington Post and other prestigious publication outlets. This notes was prepared after my readings from selected publication outlets.

From The Book reviews

The Gavin Francis‘s review in The Guardian newspaper highlights the following statements from the book:

• The first thousand days of life from conception are crucial for your future health – stress in early childhood, and in the womb, makes you an unhealthier and more miserable adult.
• Rich Americans die younger than the average-income European because of diet, obesity and America’s anomalous, hyper-expensive and iniquitous healthcare system.
• On how we celebrate our existence?, “Well, for most of us by exercising minimally and eating maximally.” But ultimate prescription of the for life: eat a little bit less, move a little bit more.

Peter Naville-Hardley in his very critical review of the book in Post Magazine highlights the following quotes from the book.

If ever there was an event that challenges the concept of intelligent design, it is the act of childbirth. No woman, however devout, has ever in childbirth said, ‘Thank you, Lord, for thinking this through for me’

Bill Bryson in The Body: A Guide for Occupants (adopted from Post Magazine review)

In another very critical review of the book in NPR book reviews, Kamil Ahsan, biologist, historian, and writer and a Bryson admirer finds only the following quote worth of his money.

Although Funk coined the term ‘vitamines,’ and is thus often given credit for their discovery, most of the real work…was done by others, in particular Sir Frederick Hopkins, who was awarded the Nobel Prize in 1929 — a fact that left Funk permanently in one.

Bill Bryson in The Body: A Guide for Occupants (adopted from NPR book review)

However, Alexander C. Kafka‘s review for The Washington Posts is more forgiving and highlights the following statements from the book:

• We don’t own our bodies but simply occupy it.
• Our brain holds 200 exabytes of information, roughly equal to ‘the entire digital content of today’s world.
• Our heart beats some 3.5 billion times in a lifetime.
• Our bones are stronger than reinforced concrete, yet light enough to allow us to sprint.
• The lungs, processing 4,000 gallons of air a day.
• We grow 25 feel of hair in our life time.
• During kissing, some 1 billion bacteria are transferred.
• During lifetime, we eat 60 tons of food, extracting the nutritional necessities and then producing seven tons of poop.

A. J. Jacobs, writing his review of the book in The New York Times recommends to read antibiotic crisis section of the book.

My Take

Although the book was included in my reading list, despite some funny facts, I am afraid this book might not make to my buying list.

Contents of this Notes was inspired by Bill Bryson’s The Body A Gide for Occupants. Cover photo credit: screenshot from Peter Navelle-Hadley‘s review of the book in Post Magazine.