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Roach returns with another hilarious, science-filled book to educate and entertain her readers. This time around, it's all about what goes in and what comes out (of the mouth), as well as everything in between. Tapping into her curiosity surrounding the human body as a finely tuned machine, Roach looks into such things as the ideal amount of mastication (chewing) one should employ for healthy eating, some truths and fallacies surrounding stomach acids, and even the art of rectal release. All this in an attempt to better understand the science behind the person and its myriad of complexities that occur right under our noses (tongues, intestines, etc). Roach employs her well-known set of interviews and scientific experimentation to show the reader some of the truly odd fields of study out there, as well as some very odd publications that have made it to bookshelves around the world (an academic tome on spit?). Injecting enough humour to buoy the reader through some of the less than appetizing topics, Roach is able to pass along her well-intentioned knowledge and keep the reader interested from the first bite through to the final purge. A must-read for the body curious and fans of Mary Roach alike.

She's done it again... made something that seems to have so much science behind it and turned it into a riveting book. Perhaps more exciting than all the science is Roach's ability to find so many odd studies and back stories to support her narrative. She's well-versed and transmits her adventures wonderfully, but the reader will surely fail to believe some of what she writes, even with the footnotes and proof to support it. A doctor who entered into a thirty year relationship with a young man whose gunshot wound caused a fistula permitting direct access to his stomach and therefore its acids? You cannot make this stuff up! And yet, in her own way, Roach is able to make the most of the topic and keep readers hooked. Perhaps one of her best books to date, as I can see how she's pulled from other books she's published, as well as tons of new and exciting material. Quite literally, I laughed and almost vomited simultaneously at the content and presentation, it was that well laid out for the layman reader.

Kudos, Madam Roach for this wonderfully spun set of scientific tales and curiosities.