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tired_as_hell's review
adventurous
funny
informative
lighthearted
medium-paced
4.0
Very informative
Also WOW the human body is at risk a good amount of times
Also WOW the human body is at risk a good amount of times
lilm5kitty's review
4.0
Entertaining and educational
I enjoyed this. The subject was fun, the information well researched and brilliantly presented. It was a fun and easy read, and has armed me with irrelevant titbits to entertain others with. Definitely worth a perusal
I enjoyed this. The subject was fun, the information well researched and brilliantly presented. It was a fun and easy read, and has armed me with irrelevant titbits to entertain others with. Definitely worth a perusal
rachelcabbit's review
3.0
This book takes a look at several ways you could die and looks at the scientific side of how your body would die and why. Some is theoretical - no one has ever attempted to go to the sun and there’s no way to check if a body taken to the depths of the ocean would die from the amount of pressure but there’s enough similar tests and evidence to suggest these things are what will happen.
It’s written is a very relaxed style - quite light-hearted and has a few jokes here and there.
I found it really interesting at times but some parts seemed so similar to other chapters that it got a bit repetitive.
It’s written is a very relaxed style - quite light-hearted and has a few jokes here and there.
I found it really interesting at times but some parts seemed so similar to other chapters that it got a bit repetitive.
trish204's review
4.0
I had played with the thought of reading this book but put it off a few times. About a month ago, I finally caved and went from reading just one sample chapter in the bookstore to reading almost half the book in one day before remembering that March was supposed to be my science month this year. So, with a heavy heart, I read the books I had scheduled for February instead and waited to continue/finish this now. Weird, I know, but not half as weird as the stuff in this book, I assure you.
The authors Cody Cassidy and Paul Doherty* have come together to look at 45 ways to die (technically, it's a few more because the "What if you got stuck in ..." chapter has several sub-chapters). Some are common, some you definitely need your imagination for.
We have the popular death-by-shark as well as the often fatally funny death-by-banana-peel. But there are also more abstract ones such as death-by-back-hole.
All these musings are basically a very funny way of teaching the reader about the natural world and all kinds of sciences. We thus get lessons in chemistry, biology, physics and look into issues such as magnetism, astronomy, the weather, elevators or weird sexual behavior (no, I'm not kidding). The authors also reveal what is an actual threat to human survival and what is utter nonsense people can't get out of their heads thanks to Hollywood (*coughs*quicksand*coughs*).
What struck me - and made me burst out laughing regularly - was how many of these chapters had notes on actual people having tried one or the other weird thing and subsequently died (or didn't). One of the most famous idiocies probably is going over the Niagara Falls in a barrel or various other objects but it was by far not the only or even silliest thing. Seriously, people are insanely stupid and here are perfect examples as to why there is such a thing as the Darwin Award (it's an award "given to" someone for the dumbest way to die). And if they aren't actively speeding up their own demise, there are lots of hilarious accidents one really shouldn't be but can't stop laughing about.
Personally, I think that too many teachers around the world are really not very good at making science (or any other subject) comprehensible or approachable or simply interesting. I bet if more people had these two as their teachers, there would also be much more interest in scientific subjects.
I always thought the notion of science books having to be dull and serious was utterly ridiculous. And this book proves that facts don't have to be tedious or boring, on the contrary. This is FUN science that makes you want to experiment with a bunsenbrenner, thus earning you a spot in the book's sequel. ;)
So if you're looking for a nice way to spend some jolly good time with morbid lookouts on a human's demise while still learning quite a lot, this is for you.
*For those wondering, the book was written by two authors, the GR information is lacking. Moreover, the Paul Doherty who penned this book is NOT the historian who wrote several historical novels under a number of names. I was confused at first so I thought I should mention it.
The authors Cody Cassidy and Paul Doherty* have come together to look at 45 ways to die (technically, it's a few more because the "What if you got stuck in ..." chapter has several sub-chapters). Some are common, some you definitely need your imagination for.
We have the popular death-by-shark as well as the often fatally funny death-by-banana-peel. But there are also more abstract ones such as death-by-back-hole.
All these musings are basically a very funny way of teaching the reader about the natural world and all kinds of sciences. We thus get lessons in chemistry, biology, physics and look into issues such as magnetism, astronomy, the weather, elevators or weird sexual behavior (no, I'm not kidding). The authors also reveal what is an actual threat to human survival and what is utter nonsense people can't get out of their heads thanks to Hollywood (*coughs*quicksand*coughs*).
What struck me - and made me burst out laughing regularly - was how many of these chapters had notes on actual people having tried one or the other weird thing and subsequently died (or didn't). One of the most famous idiocies probably is going over the Niagara Falls in a barrel or various other objects but it was by far not the only or even silliest thing. Seriously, people are insanely stupid and here are perfect examples as to why there is such a thing as the Darwin Award (it's an award "given to" someone for the dumbest way to die). And if they aren't actively speeding up their own demise, there are lots of hilarious accidents one really shouldn't be but can't stop laughing about.
Personally, I think that too many teachers around the world are really not very good at making science (or any other subject) comprehensible or approachable or simply interesting. I bet if more people had these two as their teachers, there would also be much more interest in scientific subjects.
I always thought the notion of science books having to be dull and serious was utterly ridiculous. And this book proves that facts don't have to be tedious or boring, on the contrary. This is FUN science that makes you want to experiment with a bunsenbrenner, thus earning you a spot in the book's sequel. ;)
So if you're looking for a nice way to spend some jolly good time with morbid lookouts on a human's demise while still learning quite a lot, this is for you.
*For those wondering, the book was written by two authors, the GR information is lacking. Moreover, the Paul Doherty who penned this book is NOT the historian who wrote several historical novels under a number of names. I was confused at first so I thought I should mention it.
aafreenbutt's review
3.0
I don't even know why I picked up this book, not gonna lie. It sounded pretty interesting, but the science was just too hard to understand that it became really boring and some were so repetitive it was kind of tedious to read.
I would recommend it to someone that is interested in that kind of stuff, but I really wasn't, so it was not a good read for me.
I would recommend it to someone that is interested in that kind of stuff, but I really wasn't, so it was not a good read for me.
ameliasbooks's review
adventurous
funny
informative
fast-paced
4.0
This is informative and written in a very entertaining style. Of course nothing ends up well, but you know that before you start reading this. The outcome is often kind of similar, not because of the described situations, but because human bodies are just the way they are.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Body horror, Death, Gore, and Medical content
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