Replaceable You

Rachel F, Bookseller

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.

Kimberly M, Librarian

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.

Cheryl C, Reviewer

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.

Elisa R, Reviewer

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.

Media/Journalist 1107441

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.

"Replaceable You by turns surprises and delights, revealing information that even I didn’t know…These curious facts, with attendant and laugh-inducing footnotes, keep us turning the pages, but the real power of the book lies in its humanity."

"Readers will feel awe at all the body can do and how it is made, as well as admiration for humanity’s per­sistence in exploring its limits—whether when confronted with a malfunctioning organ or the desire for a more plump derriere. Replaceable You will delight Roach’s fans and surely garner some more."

"Since she burst onto the scene with 2003’s Stiff: The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers, the science writer Mary Roach has been grossing readers out with curiosity, humanity — and alarming gusto. And we can’t look away."

"Mary Roach offers a fascinating tour of the wonderful world of regenerative medicine."

"The humanity that [Roach] brings is such a wonderful base for how our bodies fail us sometimes and what we are trying to do to bring them back."