Informative & Entertaining | The Story of Shit by Midas Dekkers

THE STORY OF SHIT
by Midas Dekkers

Text Publishing
January 29, 2018
(originally published February 2014)

From Goodreads:

We are very discreet. We disappear into a small room, perform the task, flush, wash and reappear as if nothing happened. Of course, hygiene is necessary—some faecal bacteria, if re-ingested, can cause very serious problems—and unpleasant aromas are best kept at bay.

But in all this hygienic discretion have we lost touch with an integral part of ourselves—something as much a part of living as breathing, eating and sleeping? Something enriching, creative and even enjoyable.

In The Story of Shit, Dutch biologist Midas Dekkers presents a personal, cultural, scientific, historical and environmental account of shit, from the digestive process and the fascinating workings of the gut, to the act of defecation and toilet etiquette. With irreverent humour and a compelling narrative style, Dekkers brings a refreshing, entertaining and illuminating perspective to a once-taboo subject.

The good people at NetGalley and Text Publishing provided me with a digital ARC in exchange for a fair and honest review.

After a string of non-fiction ARCs that I struggled to connect with and found hard to get through, I came to this one. I turned up my nose and made some kind of noise of disgust. What was I thinking the day I requested a book all about shit? Imagine my surprise when partway through this book I found myself thinking…

Finally! A non-fiction book that is well-written, accessible to the common idiot (a.k.a. me), and ENTERTAINING! Some authors don’t seem to understand that non-fiction information can be relayed in an interesting way with humour and wit.

The Story of Shit discusses everything connected to the natural act known as… a number two.

What’s happening on a biological level. The path food travels from beginning to end. The effects certain foods and illnesses have on the process. The anatomy involved in the process, and the way each piece of the puzzle pitches in.

The history of the act. How plumbing used to be. How it is now in various parts of the world. How it could be in the future.

Social impacts. An Italian artist once put some of his poo in 90 different cans, sealed them and sold them as an “art exhibit.” Rumour has it that his father owned a cannery and told his son that his “art was shit.” Trolling has been around for a long time. But 3 of those cans have shown up in the art auction world since then, and sold for over $100,000!

The social surroundings of the topic. The author talks about the different groups of people. The first is the group who talk openly about bodily functions (and not for crude jokes) but for health reasons. Many experts still believe that the clearest sign of a healthy body can be found in our toilets. And then there’s the group who won’t talk about it. Ever. To anyone. Let’s face it, regardless of its ties to health, most of us are in that second group. Should we all stay there? Probably not, but I’m pretty sure we will. 

So maybe you won’t want to tell people that you’ve read this book, but I recommend you do. It’s interesting, it’s funny, and you just might learn something about your own digestive system.

Fun fact about this post: Reading this book on the toilet has to be some kind of meta thing, right?