Synopses & Reviews
"Enders’s wonder at the strange ways of the gut is matched only by her incredulity at the limited public knowledge on the subject." —The New York Times
A cheeky up-close and personal guide to the secrets and science of our digestive system
For too long, the gut has been the body’s most ignored and least appreciated organ, but it turns out that it’s responsible for more than just dirty work: our gut is at the core of who we are. Gut, an international bestseller, gives the alimentary canal its long-overdue moment in the spotlight. With quirky charm, rising science star Giulia Enders explains the gut’s magic, answering questions like: Why does acid reflux happen? What’s really up with gluten and lactose intolerance? How does the gut affect obesity and mood? Communication between the gut and the brain is one of the fastest-growing areas of medical research—on par with stem-cell research. Our gut reactions, we learn, are intimately connected with our physical and mental well-being. Enders’s beguiling manifesto will make you finally listen to those butterflies in your stomach: they’re trying to tell you something important.
Review
"To dismiss Giulia Enders' work as a 'toilet book' would do it great injustice . . . its message is far from flippant." The Guardian
Review
"Gut's probe into the human digestive system might be seen as an earnest younger sibling to Gulp, Mary Roach’s 2013 investigation into the same subject. The comparison isn’t meant as a slight; Enders swaps out Roach’s knowing wryness with a kind of puplike enthusiasm for the complex mechanisms that convert food into a body’s energy and waste without our even thinking about it." The National Post
Review
"This primer is everything you ever wanted to know about the gut (and then some), chattily and accessibly written in a uniquely Millennial and matter of fact way. An unexpected page turner. ...Her excitement about the subject matter is infectious. The fun yet informative black and white drawings throughout are her sister’s handiwork. Refreshingly devoid of recipes, or any self help-y language." Self Magazine
About the Author
Giulia Enders is a two-time scholarship winner of the Wilhelm Undelse Heraeus Foundation and is studying medicine at the Institute for Microbiology in Frankfurt. In 2012, her presentation on the gut won her first prize at the Science Slam in Freiburg and went viral on YouTube. She lives in Mannheim and Frankfurt.