I adore Mary Roach--I will learn whatever she's trying to teach us. This time, it's how doctors and scientists use artificial body parts to replace when their original counterparts malfunction or are irreparably injured. Yes, this is technically a medicine/science book, but, as with all of Roach's work, you could shelve it in the humor section as well. I learned, among other things, that the doctor she was looking to contact in one chapter was the man she lost her virginity to in college and that Mitch McConnell's facial structure may make it harder for him to be intubated.

If you want to learn a new subject but don't want to pick up a dense, textbook-like tome, Mary Roach's books may be for you.

There is something delightful about settling in to a Mary Roach primer - you feel a bit stupid about everything you don't know but her nonjudgmental writing will have you feeling like an expert by the end and ready to share tidbits with anyone who will listen. Her natural curiosity, easy going writing style (similar to Bill Bryson) and lighthearted banter is infectious. The human body and science can get a bit heavy but with injections of laughter at some of the more absurd concepts and history make the medicine go down easier. Everything you ever wanted to know (or didn't have a clue it even existed) about the human body and failing parts that need replacement can be found here. From the history of dentures, prosthetic noses to the fascinating advancement in cell regeneration and new materials - it is one interesting ride. This is the perfect book to put into the hands of readers who typically do not enjoy non-fiction. My thanks to the publisher for the advance copy.

Mary Roach has the most uniquely curious mind I have ever come across. There is no lengths she is unwilling to go to learn about the subject the has captured her attention. In doing so she takes us on a journey into the cutting edge world of medical innovation.

So much ground was covered here. The book began with how early dentures were made. Roach then moved on to burn victims and potential types of skin transplants for them. One example was a transplant from frog skins while another was a biobandaide from farmed fish waste.

As she looked at our lungs she had to try sleeping in an iron lung machine because, why not? The ECMO machine was the most fascinating thing to me. It allows blood to be oxygenated outside of the body, as opposed to using your lungs. In addition there were Pluripotent cells, hypo immune cells, gene editing, 3D bioprinters, sphincter replacements and a fun chapter on harvesting body parts.

Roach has a dark wit that that was hard to resist. Liposuction reminded Mary Roach of a raspberry smoothie and made her hungry. In another procedure she compared a body part to tamales. Using self deprecating humor she described her ideal Spotify playlist for organ retrieval with “Spirits in the Sky” and “Only the Good Die Young” hitting her top spots.

I was thoroughly intrigued and excited by the science while captivated by the author herself. This sophisticated, state of the art science was described in layman’s terms. An enjoyable read and one I highly recommend. 5 stars.

I would like to thank NetGalley and the publishers for an advance copy of this fantastic book. These opinions are my own.

Mary Roach gets an auto-add to my TBR with every publication, and she never disappoints me. This time she tackles a subject that revisits some parts of her previous books and adds to them. How replaceable is the human body? She wrote Stiff, about human cadavers, in 2003; Bonk, about sex, in 2008 and Gulp, about the digestive system, in 2013. In medical terms, even 12 years ago was the Bronze Age. There have been so many advancements since she wrote about the human body, that you’d think “Replaceable You” would be about all the ways that we can upgrade ourselves. Well, read this and be surprised. Roach writes about the most complicated technical and scientific issues in a way that even I can understand. Her sense of humor made me laugh so much that my husband was surprised when he found out that I was reading about heart failure. She makes readers feel like they’re there with her, making her interviewees (and even some dead people) feel approachable. There is a bit about animal experimentation that I had to skip (that’s my one and only trigger); and some other parts require a strong stomach. As with all of Roach’s books, this is not for everyone, but curious readers will love how she asks the questions that we’re all asking and some that we hadn’t even considered. I’ll keep praying for a way to restore my old-age vision so that I can keep reading her books forever.
I chose to read this book and all opinions in this review are my own and completely unbiased. Thank you, NetGalley/W. W. Norton & Company.

Life is good when there’s a new Mary Roach book to absorb. My favorite entertaining science writer is back with a book about the various attempts to replicate parts of the body and its various functions, from joint replacements to hair transplants and much more. In the service of exploring the subject, she travels as far as Mongolia and goes so far as to try out an iron lung. I think this book had fewer total laugh-out-loud moments than some of her previous books, and it’s a less “weird” subject than some she has explored (e.g., death), but it still filled with riveting tales of quirky corners of science. and buoyed by her endless curiosity…and as usual for a Mary Roach book, the footnotes and acknowledgments are no less entertaining than the rest. Anyone who loves Mary Roach is in for another good ride with this book (and will yearn to be a scientist, if only to be trailed and then written about by her), and anyone who doesn’t love Mary Roach had better get started on reading her books.

Mary Roach scores another one for science with a side of comedy. This time she turns her searching gaze toward replacement parts for the human body. I really enjoyed this one, as it gives readers a grand tour of the latest biotechnology and science while provoking contemplation on moral dilemmas such as "At what point are we just playing God?" Roach's trademark humor sparkles throughout, making even the footnotes, ordinarily the domain of dry academic citation, must-read material. I highly recommend it, with thanks to the publisher for the complimentary advance NetGalley.

Mary Roach strikes it out of the park again with another humorous but well-researched book about a topic most of us wouldn't immediately find interesting! As always, I found her writing both massively entertaining and also incredibly informative. The quest to prop up the house of cards that is the human body is not one I would have immediately wanted to read about, but I find myself endlessly fascinated after reading this!

Thank you to NetGalley for allowing me to read this in exchange for an honest opinion.

Mary Roach always makes boring things interesting! This was no exception.

My thanks to NetGalley and W. W. Norton & Company for an advance copy of this book about the future of medical science, specifically being able to fix, replace, or even reengineer those parts of the human body that were once thought unfixable, changing life for many, but raising just as many questions about cost, ethics, and who will helped first.

I have never really seen the beauty in the human body. Most of the time I find humans to be well pretty gross, with not many exceptions. Humans leak things, have strange odors, sneeze, cough. There are fluids problems, and a whole lot of maintenance . And one day no matter what the body will just break down completely, with no chance for a refund. Reading the books of Mary Roach has strengthened my ideas, and given me much to have disgust for as I read. Roach has written books about the basics of being human, how we continue the species, what happens upon death, and even the possible afterlife. All the follies and foibles, oddness and things that can go wrong with being a human being, told in ways that both illuminate, and make a reader laugh. Roach in her latest book, looks at something that is big on the minds of many tech investors, science entrepreneurs, and even normal people, fixing those things that were once thought unfixable. Making life better, and maybe even extending it. Replaceable You: Adventures in Human Anatomy by Mary Roach is an around the world journey examining the latest science, thinking and ways to switch out broken or decaying human parts, and what these future might hold.

The book is about the human body and how we have learned to fix things, even replace things that were once thought unfixable. This fixes can change lives, helping people with burns heal faster and with less pain. Or give people born with problems a new chance at life. Roach travels the world meeting people, taking part in procedures and talking with doctors, scientists, a few quacks, tech investors and people who have had life forced on them, and adapted. Roach learns who to intubate a sleeping dummy, which leads to a an explanation about the importance of lungs, and how they can be replaced. Roach spends time in a burn unit, examing fake skins that can be used as grafts. Traveling to China to see vast pig farms who might be the future of a skin industry. Shopping for feet at a prosthetic limb convention. Traveling to Easter Europe to learn about male replacement surgery done with middle fingers. Dining with doctors not shy about sharing gross stories over a nice Chianti. Most importantly Roach talks to survivors, people who have been saved, or whose lives have been changed by this emerging technology. Along with questions about ethics and people with more money than sense who plan to live forever shedding parts and acquiring new ones as needed.

I have been a big fan of Mary Roach's books for years. I probably started with Stiff, that sounds like me, but I have read all of her works and love the fact that Roach can educate, entertain, and yet capture the human factor that many science books miss. There are jokes, but there is also wonder at what is being done. In a time where dumb is king, its nice to see intelligence celebrated. Though after reading about the rest of the world her, I can see America losing this new medical battle. Roach is a very good writer. Things make sense when Roach explains it. I understand procedures, why things are, and unfortunately in many places why things have to be.

This is a an age of miracles and wonder, but what occurs to me is how the many of these medical gifts will be paid for. Roach broaches this subject a few times, but that is one medical story that will remain a mystery. This is a fascinating book, as one would expect, that raises a few interesting questions. Fans of Roach will not be disappointed, and I can't wait to read what Roach plans to explore next.

I love everything Mary Roach writes and this book is no different! Such a great concept and interesting structure and essays on different aspects in this theme. 5 stars no notes ever!