Over the course of twenty-three chapters Bryson explains the mysteries of the human body. The chapters are also riddled with information about the medical geniuses who discovered how the body works, how they tried to solve medical issues and some of the unique patients who helped with their discoveries.

“They were in the orchard. Hands bound behind their backs with rope, they were all kneeling in a neat row facing the river, first the men, then the women. At the end of the row was a girl."

“It is so easy to overestimate the importance of one defining moment and underestimate the value of making small improvements on a daily basis. Too often, we convince ourselves that massive success requires massive action. Meanwhile, improving by 1 percent isn’t particularly notable - sometimes it isn’t even noticeable - but it can be far more meaningful, especially in the long run.”

“He could have some one out there, “ the man said, pulling back the front window curtains a tentative inch. “Watching the house right now.” He was careful not to step directly in front of the glass as he peeked outside. He ran his fingers nervously through his thick, dark hair. His handsome features were undercut by the fear in his eyes. He wasn’t used to being afraid. He was unaccustomed to the role of prey.”

“It is estimated that over half a million people used the London Underground stations as shelters during the war, many on a regular basis. The stations were up to the task, becoming underground communities with provisions and services.”

“Lenny Marks seldom found herself unprepared. Lessons for her grade five students were religiously compiled a fortnight in advance, her tax return would be ready to submit no later than the fifteenth of July every year and her home fire escape plan was reviewed and updated each summer. She found tremendous peace in this level of organization, which was as close to happiness as Lenny Marks ever planned to be. Happiness, she knew, was unstable and quite unreliable.”

Richard Raytay’s book “Don’t Make Me Pull Over!: An Informal History of the Family Road Trip” is a great read for any of you listeners who had a similar childhood. It is a mix of memoir, history lesson and travelogue.

Richard Raytay’s book “Don’t Make Me Pull Over!: An Informal History of the Family Road Trip” is a great read for any of you listeners who had a similar childhood. It is a mix of memoir, history lesson and travelogue.

“They say that when I was born, all the wild geese flew down from the sky, and the fish swam beneath the waves, having forgotten how to swim. Even the lotus flowers in our gardens quivered and turned their heads away, so ashamed they were of their own diminished allure in my presence. I have always found such stories to be laughably exaggerated, but they prove the same thing: that my beauty was something unnatural, transcending nature itself. And that beauty is not so different from destruction.”

“In Malaysia, our grandparents love us by not speaking. More specifically, they do not speak about their lives from 1941-1945, the period when the Japanese Imperial Army invaded Malaysia, tossed the British colonizers out, and turned a quiet nation into one that was at war with itself.”