like everything Mary Roach has written so far- it presents educational material in such a way that you sometimes laugh at loud. Everything you really wanted to know about the digestive process and probably much you'll be happy to forget
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This is a tough one to rate. I like Roach's style of nerdy investigation and humor and I have loved most of her books. I had a hard time with this one though because its really, really gross.

My habit of reading while eating lunch did not work with this subject matter but frankly, I'm not sure it would ever be pleasant to read.

So so didn't dislike it but I didn't enjoy it either. I'm going with 3 stars. If you like her other work you will like this one and your enjoyment will depend on your individual tolerance for nasty stuff. ( )

I really liked some sections of the book but others not so much. Still worth reading. She is a great science writer. ( )

This is a nice, contained topic for a Mary Roach book, which helps it enormously. You learn a little about each portion of the digestive tract and the enthusiastic scientists who study them. Very fun. ( )

This is Mary Roach at her best, with all of her classic points: a one-word, evocative, title a subject matter dancing just on the edge of the taboo line, dealt with in one part investigative journalism, one part completely unsquashable curiosity and one part a mix of stream-of-consciousness and "I just can't help but share" anecdotes.

Those who disliked Roach's previous works will hate Gulp, and those who liked her previous works will love it. The dislike largely stems from her highly present narration, and that is out in full force here. Doctors that she has known with hilariously apropos names, completely tangential stuff she found while doing research, boilerplate responses from Oster regarding an e-mail inquiry about their blenders being used for fecal transplate and much, much more abound in the frequent footnotes (average density seems to be about 1.5 footnotes/page.) New sections are usually introduced with commentary about what made Roach reach out to this particular person and how she feels on meeting them. The narration in fact is so present in Gulp, even compared to her previous works, that honestly, it skirts memoir territory. I consider that a win, your mileage may vary, as they say.

Meanwhile, Roach again makes the lowest of lowbrow topics palatable (sorry -- couldn't resist!) if not downright classy. For a book with an entire chapter on flatulence, it's entertaining, funny and interesting even to those of us who wouldn't dream of laughing at a fart joke. You didn't know that you wanted to know why some animals eat their own feces, the history of gastrocutaneous fistulas, the science of the chemical composition of farts, or what human tasters think of cat food and why, but Roach's curiosity is contagious and she can make any subject matter fascinating. ( )