Entertaining, as long as you remember to take it with a grain of salt. The author repeatedly states that much of what he presents has not yet had adequate research to back it up, but he does so in such a way that readers are likely to embrace all the ideas in the book. Understandably, some people object to the idea of encouraging people to allow themselves to be parasitized by people without a medical degree, but the warnings are there.ALl in all a stimulating and fun book
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As a lay reader, I found this book both mind-blowing and completely reasonable. I had not thought about these topics before but when I did, it all made perfect sense. How amazing life is and how badly we have messed up the world. The story of Crohn's disease and parasitic worms was probably the most fascinating in the book, but the later section on our potential origin in caves/cliffs and the last chapter, which focuses on how we could bring back some of the biodiversity that we need, were also engaging. It would be interesting to see how research done since COVID might influence some of the ideas in this book.

The author was easy to read but I did not feel that there was not enough science in the book, as some reviewers have said, He has tons of endnotes with lots of references. I believe he was writing for readers like me, who are interested in the topic but do not have science backgrounds.

Overall, this is a great read and I highly recommend it! ( )

This was an entertaining and extremely interesting book to read, but somewhat light on the actual science. The main idea covered in this book is that humans are in many cases over-designed because of the loss of species (parasites, predators, symbiotes) that helped to make us who we are today.

This book covers a wide variety of topics that show the inter-relatedness of humans, their evolution and their environment, including parasites, predators and domesticated organisms. The author discusses (among other things) the possible causes of auto-immune disease (lack of parasites), the reasons for our hairlessness (trying to get rid of lice), the uses of the appendix, our past and present relationship with predators that may cause various anxiety issues and be responsible for our colour vision. The final section of the book discusses how humans could make city environments more like the environment we evolved in. I loved the ideas and hypotheses discussed in this book and the combination of different fields of science, I just with there was more science. If, on the other hand, you don't know too much about science, then you should read this entertaining and informative popular science book.


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There is much to be fascinated by in Rob Dunn's THE WILD LIFE OF OUR BODIES. Learning how our bodies have evolved over time to not only accept other life forms living within us but to depend on their existence to maintain our health--and also that the ridding of them from our bodies is likely leading to the growth of such 20th/21st century centric illnesses as Crohn's disease which is virtually unknown in "underdeveloped" countries where modern health runs less rampant. It's not that the worms and parasites and bacteria are always doing something positive, often it is simply that over the last 200,000 years, our bodies have adapted to their existence. When these squatters are booted out, the body turns on itself fighting something that is no longer there. Other parts of the book delve into the surprising importance of the generally ignored appendix, what exactly a Pronghorn is and why it doesn't fit in nature and the story of Jasper Lawrence who reintroduces hookworms into the bodies of Crohn's sufferers for a reasonable fee. All are quite interesting. The problem is that the interesting parts of this book are often islands surrounded by digressions and repetitions and some just flat dead ends. I understand that there are many things we don't know, and it's interesting how much we don't know, but I don't have to be told page after page that we don't know something. I am all about digressions. One of my favorite books, Mailer's THE EXECUTIONER'S SONG is almost entirely digressions from the narrative. Dunn often digresses simply to restate something already stated. He was much better while actually discussing the bugs in the belly, but once he wonders onto other topics he lets loose the reins of discipline. In fact, the first time I started this book I stopped because the entire first chapter is a digression. A digression from what I am not sure--possibly the title. These irritations aside I am still glad I read this--it is fascinating how much is going on right this moment that can't begin to catalog. ( )

Food for thought re: ecological ghosts in our system and our symbiotic relationships (not to mention how we've shaped other species re: agriculture, etc.) Pop sci for sure, but sources are all in the end notes. ( )