We look forward to seeing you on your next visit to the library. Find a location near you.

Gulp: Adventures on the Alimentary Canal
(Adobe EPUB eBook, Kindle Book, OverDrive Read)

Book Cover
Average Rating
5 star
 
(3)
4 star
 
(0)
3 star
 
(1)
2 star
 
(0)
1 star
 
(0)
Published:
W. W. Norton & Company 2013
Lexile measure:
1100L
Status:
Checked Out
Description

The irresistible, ever-curious, and always best-selling Mary Roach returns with a new adventure to the invisible realm we carry around inside.


"America's funniest science writer" (Washington Post) 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 at our side, 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.

Also in This Series
Formats
Adobe EPUB eBook
Works on all eReaders (except Kindles), desktop computers and mobile devices with reading apps installed.
Kindle Book
Works on Kindles and devices with a Kindle app installed.
OverDrive Read
Need Help?
If you are having problem transferring a title to your device, please fill out this support form or visit the library so we can help you to use our eBooks and eAudio Books.
More Like This
Other Editions and Formats
More Copies In LINK+
Loading LINK+ Copies...
More Details
Format:
Adobe EPUB eBook, Kindle Book, OverDrive Read
Street Date:
04/01/2013
Language:
English
ISBN:
9780393240306
ASIN:
B00AN86JZ4
Lexile measure:
1100
Reviews from GoodReads
Loading GoodReads Reviews.
Citations
APA Citation (style guide)

Mary Roach. (2013). Gulp: Adventures on the Alimentary Canal. W. W. Norton & Company.

Chicago / Turabian - Author Date Citation (style guide)

Mary Roach. 2013. Gulp: Adventures On the Alimentary Canal. W. W. Norton & Company.

Chicago / Turabian - Humanities Citation (style guide)

Mary Roach, Gulp: Adventures On the Alimentary Canal. W. W. Norton & Company, 2013.

MLA Citation (style guide)

Mary Roach. Gulp: Adventures On the Alimentary Canal. W. W. Norton & Company, 2013.

Note! Citation formats are based on standards as of July 2022. Citations contain only title, author, edition, publisher, and year published. Citations should be used as a guideline and should be double checked for accuracy.
Copy Details
LibraryOwnedAvailable
Shared Digital Collection10

There are 5 holds on this title.

Staff View
Grouped Work ID:
2a52d010-f1c6-2d0c-b4cf-1af372877c4c
Go To Grouped Work
Needs Update?:
No
Date Added:
Jun 12, 2018 19:53:25
Date Updated:
Oct 05, 2022 12:32:08
Last Metadata Check:
Mar 27, 2024 23:43:23
Last Metadata Change:
Dec 05, 2023 20:09:59
Last Availability Check:
Mar 27, 2024 23:43:26
Last Availability Change:
Mar 27, 2024 19:57:18
Last Grouped Work Modification Time:
Mar 28, 2024 02:11:39

OverDrive Product Record

images
    • cover:
        • href: https://img1.od-cdn.com/ImageType-100/0044-1/{77190542-65FA-4E26-957D-75061D68A85A}IMG100.JPG
        • type: image/jpeg
    • thumbnail:
        • href: https://img1.od-cdn.com/ImageType-200/0044-1/{77190542-65FA-4E26-957D-75061D68A85A}IMG200.JPG
        • type: image/jpeg
    • cover150Wide:
        • href: https://img1.od-cdn.com/ImageType-150/0044-1/{77190542-65FA-4E26-957D-75061D68A85A}IMG150.JPG
        • type: image/jpeg
    • cover300Wide:
        • href: https://img1.od-cdn.com/ImageType-400/0044-1/{77190542-65FA-4E26-957D-75061D68A85A}IMG400.JPG
        • type: image/jpeg
formats
      • identifiers:
            • type: ISBN
            • value: 9780393240306
            • type: ASIN
            • value: B00AN86JZ4
            • type: KoboBookID
            • value: c7c510cf-1303-3cea-a61b-f5747b499805
      • name: Adobe EPUB eBook
      • id: ebook-epub-adobe
      • identifiers:
            • type: ASIN
            • value: B00AN86JZ4
            • type: ISBN
            • value: 9780393240306
            • type: KoboBookID
            • value: c7c510cf-1303-3cea-a61b-f5747b499805
      • name: Kindle Book
      • id: ebook-kindle
      • identifiers:
            • type: ISBN
            • value: 9780393240306
            • type: ASIN
            • value: B00AN86JZ4
            • type: KoboBookID
            • value: c7c510cf-1303-3cea-a61b-f5747b499805
      • name: OverDrive Read
      • id: ebook-overdrive
mediaType
eBook
primaryCreator
    • role: Author
    • name: Mary Roach
title
Gulp
dateAdded
2015-08-07T20:04:04.977Z
contentDetails
      • href: https://link.overdrive.com/?websiteID=141&titleID=2313226
      • type: text/html
      • account:
          • name: Sacramento Public Library (CA)
          • id: 1151
sortTitle
Gulp Adventures on the Alimentary Canal
crossRefId
2313226
subtitle
Adventures on the Alimentary Canal
id
77190542-65FA-4E26-957D-75061D68A85A
starRating
4.2

OverDrive MetaData

isPublicDomain
False
formats
      • fileName: Gulp_9780393240306_2313226
      • partCount: 0
      • fileSize: 4255715
      • identifiers:
            • type: ISBN
            • value: 9780393240306
      • rights:
            • type: Copying
            • value: 0
            • type: Printing
            • value: 0
            • type: Lending
            • value: 0
            • type: ReadAloud
            • value: 0
            • type: ExpirationRights
            • value: 0
      • name: Adobe EPUB eBook
      • isReadAlong: False
      • id: ebook-epub-adobe
      • onSaleDate: 7/30/2015
      • samples:
            • source: From the book
            • formatType: ebook-overdrive
            • url: https://samples.overdrive.com/?crid=77190542-65fa-4e26-957d-75061d68a85a&.epub-sample.overdrive.com
      • fileName: Gulp_9780393240306_2313226
      • partCount: 0
      • fileSize: 0
      • identifiers:
            • type: ISBN
            • value: 9780393240306
            • type: ASIN
            • value: B00AN86JZ4
      • name: Kindle Book
      • isReadAlong: False
      • id: ebook-kindle
      • onSaleDate: 7/30/2015
      • samples:
            • source: From the book
            • formatType: ebook-overdrive
            • url: https://samples.overdrive.com/?crid=77190542-65fa-4e26-957d-75061d68a85a&.epub-sample.overdrive.com
      • fileName: Gulp_9780393240306_2313226
      • partCount: 0
      • fileSize: 4231950
      • identifiers:
            • type: ISBN
            • value: 9780393240306
      • name: OverDrive Read
      • isReadAlong: False
      • id: ebook-overdrive
      • onSaleDate: 7/30/2015
      • samples:
            • source: From the book
            • formatType: ebook-overdrive
            • url: https://samples.overdrive.com/?crid=77190542-65fa-4e26-957d-75061d68a85a&.epub-sample.overdrive.com
keywords
      • value: digestive system
      • value: Smell
      • value: bacteria
      • value: Humor
      • value: taste
      • value: colon
      • value: Gastroenterology
      • value: chewing
      • value: farts
      • value: fecal transplant
      • value: coloscopy
      • value: alimentary canal
      • value: constapation
      • value: digestive track
      • value: noxious flatus
creators
      • role: Author
      • fileAs: Roach, Mary
      • bioText: Mary Roach is the author of five best-selling works of nonfiction, including Grunt, Stiff, and, most recently, Fuzz. Her writing has appeared in National Geographic and the New York Times Magazine, among other publications. She lives in Oakland, California.
      • name: Mary Roach
publishDate
2013-04-01T00:00:00-04:00
isOwnedByCollections
True
title
Gulp
fullDescription

The irresistible, ever-curious, and always best-selling Mary Roach returns with a new adventure to the invisible realm we carry around inside.

"America's funniest science writer" (Washington Post) 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 at our side, 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.

gradeLevels
      • value: Grade 7
      • value: Grade 8
      • value: Grade 9
reviews
      • premium: False
      • source: Jon Ronson;New York Times Book Review
      • content: There is much to enjoy about Mary Roach—her infectious aw for quirky science and its nerdy adherents, her one-liners... She is beloved, and justifiably so.
      • premium: False
      • source: Entertainment Weekly
      • content: As engrossing as it is gross.
      • premium: False
      • source: Janet Maslin;New York Times
      • content: Far and away her funniest and most sparkling book, bringing Ms. Roach's love of weird science to material that could not have more everyday relevance. . . . Never has Ms. Roach's affinity for the comedic and bizarre been put to better use. . . . "Gulp" is structured as a vastly entertaining pilgrimage down the digestive tract, with Ms. Roach as the wittiest, most valuable tour guide imaginable.
      • premium: False
      • source: Kate Tuttle;Boston Globe
      • content: A delicious read and, dare I say it, a total gas.
      • premium: False
      • source: Brian Switek;Wall Street Journal
      • content: [A] merry foray into the digestive sciences....Inexorably draws the reader along with peristaltic waves of history and vividly described science.
      • premium: False
      • source: Amy Stewart;Washington Post
      • content: You'll come away from this well-researched book with enough weird digestive trivia to make you the most interesting guest at a certain kind of cocktail party...Go ahead and put this one in your carry-on. You won't regret it.
      • premium: False
      • source: Chloe Schama;Smithsonian
      • content: A witty, woving romp of a book... Roach...is a thoroughly unflappable, utterly intrepid investigator of the icky.
      • premium: False
      • source: The Economist
      • content: Gulp is about revelling in the extraordinary complexities and magnificence of human digestion.
      • premium: False
      • source: Bee Wilson;The New Republic
      • content: Relentlessly fun to read.
      • premium: False
      • source: Micki Myers;Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
      • content: Never before has the process of eating been so very interesting.... After digesting her book, you can't help but think about what that really means.
      • premium: False
      • source: Adam Woog;Seattle Times
      • content: One of my top criteria for pronouncing a book worthwhile is the number of times you snort helplessly with laughter and say, "Wow! Did you know that ... " before your long-suffering spouse throws a book at you from across the room. My personal spouse says that, in this department, "Gulp" takes the cake.
      • premium: False
      • source: Jeffrey Burke;Bloomberg
      • content: Letting this brilliantly mischievous writer, for whom no pun is ouch and no cow sacred, dip her pen into the font of all potty humor must have seemed even riskier than her previous excursions into corpses (Stiff), the afterlife (Spook), sex (Bonk) and outer space (Packing for Mars). But dip she did—at one point she put her whole arm into a cow's belly—and came up with another quirkily informative pop-science entertainment in Gulp: Adventures on the Alimentary Canal.
      • premium: False
      • source: Steven Pinker, author of How the Mind Works and The Better Angels of Our Nature
      • content: Once again Roach boldly goes where no author has gone before, into the sciences of the taboo, the macabre, the icky, and the just plain weird. And she conveys it all with a perfect touch: warm, lucid, wry, sharing the unavoidable amusement without ever resorting to the cheap or the obvious. Yum!
      • premium: False
      • source: Tom Vanderbilt, author of Traffic: Why We Drive the Way We Do (and What It Says About Us)
      • content: As probing as an endoscopy, Gulp is quintessential Mary Roach: supremely wide-ranging, endlessly curious, always surprising, and, yes, gut-wrenchingly funny.
      • premium: True
      • source: Publisher's Weekly
      • content:

        Starred review from January 21, 2013
        Roach (Stiff) once again goes boldly into the fields of strange science. In the case of her newest, some may hesitate to follow—it’s about the human digestive system, and it’s as gross as one might expect. But it’s also enthralling. From mouth to gut to butt, Roach is unflinching as she charts every crevice and quirk of the alimentary canal—a voyage she cheerily likens to “a cruise along the Rhine.” En route, she comments on everything from the microbial wisdom of ancient China, to the tactics employed by prisoners when smuggling contraband in their alimentary “vaults,” the surprising success rate of fecal transplants, how conducting a colonoscopy is a little like “playing an accordion,” and a perhaps too-good-to-be-true tale in the New York Times in 1896 of a real-life Jonah surviving a 36-hour stint in the belly of a sperm whale. Roach’s approach is grounded in science, but the virtuosic author rarely resists a pun, and it’s clear she revels in giving readers a thrill—even if it is a queasy one. Adventurous kids and doctors alike will appreciate this fascinating and sometimes ghastly tour of the gastrointestinal system. 18 illus. Agent: Jay Mandel, WME Entertainment.

      • premium: True
      • source: Library Journal
      • content:

        March 1, 2013

        Best-selling popular science writer Roach (Packing for Mars: The Curious Science of Life in the Void) turns her attention here to the alimentary canal. Roach asks the questions that some readers may have always wondered: Does saliva have curative properties? Do pets taste food differently than their owners do? Could Jonah have survived three days in a whale's stomach? Could Americans lower the national debt by chewing their food more thoroughly? As she investigates these questions, Roach encounters many an eccentric scientist who has worked tirelessly to unlock the mysteries of saliva, gastrointestinal gases, and mastication. As she recounts her adventures in tasting centers and laboratories, she aims not to disgust readers, but to inspire curiosity--even awe--for the most intimate functions of the human body. VERDICT Filled with witty asides, humorous anecdotes, and bizarre facts, this book will entertain readers, challenge their cultural taboos, and simultaneously teach them new lessons in digestive biology.--Talea Anderson, Ellensburg, WA

        Copyright 2013 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

popularity
1012
links
    • self:
        • href: https://api.overdrive.com/v1/collections/v1L1BWwAAAA2I/products/77190542-65fa-4e26-957d-75061d68a85a/metadata
        • type: application/vnd.overdrive.api+json
id
77190542-65fa-4e26-957d-75061d68a85a
starRating
4.2
images
    • cover:
        • href: https://img1.od-cdn.com/ImageType-100/0044-1/{77190542-65FA-4E26-957D-75061D68A85A}IMG100.JPG
        • type: image/jpeg
    • thumbnail:
        • href: https://img1.od-cdn.com/ImageType-200/0044-1/{77190542-65FA-4E26-957D-75061D68A85A}IMG200.JPG
        • type: image/jpeg
    • cover150Wide:
        • href: https://img1.od-cdn.com/ImageType-150/0044-1/{77190542-65FA-4E26-957D-75061D68A85A}IMG150.JPG
        • type: image/jpeg
    • cover300Wide:
        • href: https://img1.od-cdn.com/ImageType-400/0044-1/{77190542-65FA-4E26-957D-75061D68A85A}IMG400.JPG
        • type: image/jpeg
isPublicPerformanceAllowed
False
languages
      • code: en
      • name: English
subjects
      • value: Medical
      • value: Science
      • value: Sociology
      • value: Nonfiction
publishDateText
04/01/2013
otherFormatIdentifiers
      • type: ISBN
      • value: 9781324036067
mediaType
eBook
shortDescription

The irresistible, ever-curious, and always best-selling Mary Roach returns with a new adventure to the invisible realm we carry around inside.

"America's funniest science writer" (Washington Post) 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 at our side, we travel the world,...
sortTitle
Gulp Adventures on the Alimentary Canal
lexileScore
1100
crossRefId
2313226
subtitle
Adventures on the Alimentary Canal
publisher
W. W. Norton & Company
bisacCodes
      • code: MED031000
      • description: Medical / Gastroenterology
      • code: SCI036000
      • description: Science / Life Sciences / Human Anatomy & Physiology
      • code: SCI056000
      • description: Science / Life Sciences / Anatomy & Physiology