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Reviews tagging 'Excrement'
I Contain Multitudes: The Microbes Within Us and a Grander View of Life by Ed Yong
7 reviews
thetainaship's review
hopeful
informative
medium-paced
1.5
I want to preface this review with the caveat that university has kind of ruined nonfiction for me: nowadays everything just feels like I'm reading an introduction and keep waiting for the real deal to start – the details, the evidence, the argumentation – but it never comes. That definitely affected my enjoyment of this book.
The writing is pleasant enough, but I feel I Contain Multitudes is a bit worse than usual about leaving out important details. Often Ed Yong will offhandedly mention something really fascinating (such as that microbes "ensure the sanctity of the blood-brain barrier", p. 63) but doesn't elaborate and never returns to the topic, so that I feel I'm just reading a list of fun facts. Or he'll mention that deep-sea giant tube worms living around hydrothermal vents have no mouth or anus because they get all their nutrition from chemoautotrophic bacteria living inside them that use sulfides for energy, but doesn't explain how those sulfides get from the surrounding water into the worms and to their bacterial symbiotes.
But my biggest complaint is the glaring lack of critical engagement at times. Yong cautions against assuming causation, so is careful to avoid stating that gut microbes whose presence correlates with obesity make you fat, but blandly assumes that fat = bad, and takes it for granted as a sign of unhealth. He mentions research into "curing" autism without any reflection. And in a chapter especially devoted to ecosystems, in a whole book that advocates for a wider ecological view of microbiomes, he presents the introduction of Leucaena to Northern Australia as cattle fodder as an unambiguous success for the cattle industry, when these plants are among the worst invasive species according to the IUCN.
The writing is pleasant enough, but I feel I Contain Multitudes is a bit worse than usual about leaving out important details. Often Ed Yong will offhandedly mention something really fascinating (such as that microbes "ensure the sanctity of the blood-brain barrier", p. 63) but doesn't elaborate and never returns to the topic, so that I feel I'm just reading a list of fun facts. Or he'll mention that deep-sea giant tube worms living around hydrothermal vents have no mouth or anus because they get all their nutrition from chemoautotrophic bacteria living inside them that use sulfides for energy, but doesn't explain how those sulfides get from the surrounding water into the worms and to their bacterial symbiotes.
But my biggest complaint is the glaring lack of critical engagement at times. Yong cautions against assuming causation, so is careful to avoid stating that gut microbes whose presence correlates with obesity make you fat, but blandly assumes that fat = bad, and takes it for granted as a sign of unhealth. He mentions research into "curing" autism without any reflection. And in a chapter especially devoted to ecosystems, in a whole book that advocates for a wider ecological view of microbiomes, he presents the introduction of Leucaena to Northern Australia as cattle fodder as an unambiguous success for the cattle industry, when these plants are among the worst invasive species according to the IUCN.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Medical content, Excrement, and Fatphobia
droggelbecher42's review against another edition
informative
medium-paced
4.0
It took me a while to read and a while to get into it, but I did learn a lot and want to continue learning more about microbiology.
I liked how this book broke down things enough for me to understand even though I have no scientific background
I liked how this book broke down things enough for me to understand even though I have no scientific background
Content Warnings
Graphic: Excrement
Moderate: Animal death, Chronic illness, Ableism, Medical content, and Fatphobia
Minor: Injury/Injury detail
bel017's review against another edition
Would love to see a 2023 update. More thoughts later.
CW: lab mice, killer wasps, and poop. So much poop.
CW: lab mice, killer wasps, and poop. So much poop.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Excrement
skudiklier's review against another edition
informative
reflective
slow-paced
3.5
Idk. On the one hand, this book was fascinating and informative and well-written, and I went into it expecting to like it. On the other hand, the ableism (especially towards autistic people) and fatphobia was a big turn-off. I know some would argue that he was trying to be objective, but I think talking about autism and "obesity" as if they're inherently problems to be solved is not objective. If it had just been the sections focusing on those things it might not have colored my impression of the book so much, but he referenced those things so frequently throughout the book that I was always on guard to hear about some awful things parents had done to their autistic children. So while I think overall this book was good and I would want to recommend it, I just can't say I liked it or would encourage anyone to read it. It's a shame.
And truly, to anyone wondering, that wasn't a *huge* part of the book. Just too much of a factor for me personally. If you're not worried about discussions of those things impacting your experience of reading the book, then I'd say go for it. There's a lot to learn and it's written in a very approachable way (which I'm saying as someone not from a science background at all).
And truly, to anyone wondering, that wasn't a *huge* part of the book. Just too much of a factor for me personally. If you're not worried about discussions of those things impacting your experience of reading the book, then I'd say go for it. There's a lot to learn and it's written in a very approachable way (which I'm saying as someone not from a science background at all).
Content Warnings
Graphic: Ableism, Excrement, and Fatphobia
Animal studieselmcee's review against another edition
informative
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Excrement
Moderate: Medical content, Ableism, and Fatphobia
pezfilledcookies's review against another edition
funny
informative
medium-paced
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Excrement
jetpackdracula's review against another edition
funny
informative
inspiring
medium-paced
5.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Excrement and Medical content
Minor: Chronic illness, Ableism, Animal death, and Death
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