From the Publisher
A fascinating look into the world of the microbiological hitchhikers that travel with us throughout our lives…Recommended for all readers, particularly those contending with the diseases listed and parents making health choices for their children that may have far-reaching consequences.” — Library Journal (starred review)
“Exciting and novel…A fascinating study of the intertwined lives of microbes and humans…a manual for the new, healthy way of being dirty…Read it, and you will learn to love your microbiota.” — Newsweek
“A fascinating subject to consider…A beginner’s guide to microbiota…There’s value in Collen’s point about reconsidering what is truly healthy at a time when healthy living is so in vogue.” — Philadelphia Inquirer
“Collen’s evidence for how each person’s microbiota, or personal community of microbes, impacts his or her health is undeniably powerful. She creates compelling connections between microbes and the “twenty-first-century illnesses” that affect all of us in some way…” — Bustle
“A welcome antidote to the simplistic ‘boost your health with probiotics’ books and articles posing as science…fascinating…Collen always brings the story back to the human level…Everything you wanted to know about microbes but were afraid to ask.” — Kirkus Reviews (starred review)
“Collen argues convincingly that our enthusiasm for killing human bacteria is playing a leading role in ailments ranging from immune problems and obesity to autism.” — The Listener, the 100 Best Books of the 2015
“Compelling…Packed with extensive research and interviews, with insights hidden like gems in the text… Adept at explaining complex topics like the workings of immune system cells, Collen is strong on biological and historical context for each point.” — Gut Microbiota Worldwatch
“Collen’s book satisfies on every level… 10% Human is a page-turner that will leave science-loving readers wishing for more.” — The ASCO Post
“This book was a mind-changer for me, but it has a moderate tone that will appeal to skeptics and believers alike. Please, please read this book. It will make you smarter about your own health, your children’s health and the sociology of human illness.” — Leeannesowel.com
“Fascinating… I like 10% Human because while talking to an incredibly specific topic, it highlights the wholeness of the whole. It reminds me that no matter how specific we get with anything-it’s always part of a bigger picture.” — Actionable Books
Actionable Books
Fascinating… I like 10% Human because while talking to an incredibly specific topic, it highlights the wholeness of the whole. It reminds me that no matter how specific we get with anything-it’s always part of a bigger picture.
Bustle
Collen’s evidence for how each person’s microbiota, or personal community of microbes, impacts his or her health is undeniably powerful. She creates compelling connections between microbes and the “twenty-first-century illnesses” that affect all of us in some way…
Philadelphia Inquirer
A fascinating subject to consider…A beginner’s guide to microbiota…There’s value in Collen’s point about reconsidering what is truly healthy at a time when healthy living is so in vogue.
The ASCO Post
Collen’s book satisfies on every level… 10% Human is a page-turner that will leave science-loving readers wishing for more.
The Listener
Collen argues convincingly that our enthusiasm for killing human bacteria is playing a leading role in ailments ranging from immune problems and obesity to autism.
Newsweek
Exciting and novel…A fascinating study of the intertwined lives of microbes and humans…a manual for the new, healthy way of being dirty…Read it, and you will learn to love your microbiota.
Gut Microbiota Worldwatch
Compelling…Packed with extensive research and interviews, with insights hidden like gems in the text… Adept at explaining complex topics like the workings of immune system cells, Collen is strong on biological and historical context for each point.
Leeannesowel.com
This book was a mind-changer for me, but it has a moderate tone that will appeal to skeptics and believers alike. Please, please read this book. It will make you smarter about your own health, your children’s health and the sociology of human illness.
Newsweek
Exciting and novel…A fascinating study of the intertwined lives of microbes and humans…a manual for the new, healthy way of being dirty…Read it, and you will learn to love your microbiota.
Library Journal
★ 04/15/2015
Collen, an evolutionary biologist, provides a fascinating look into the world of the microbiological hitchhikers that travel with us throughout our lives. The ten percent in the title refers to the number of cells in our bodies that are actually human; the other 90 percent are microbes, mostly bacteria, that have coevolved with us in a mutually beneficial symbiosis. Those who have suffered the side effects of having their normal gut flora wiped out by a course of antibiotics already understand the importance of intestinal bacteria to our health. Collen points out that many modern diseases—allergies, autoimmune disorders, obesity, irritable bowel syndrome, asthma, autism, and others—became diagnosed in ever-increasing numbers after the use of antibiotics became widespread after World War II. She hypothesizes that there may be a connection and points to the research supporting the theory. She recommends that we take a far more judicious approach to the use of antimicrobials, both for illness and in cleaning products that may be doing more harm than good. VERDICT Recommended for all readers, particularly those contending with the diseases listed and parents making health choices for their children that may have far-reaching consequences.—Rachel Owens, Daytona State Coll. Lib., FL
Kirkus Reviews
★ 2015-03-20
This state-of-the-science survey explores and explains what is known about the microbial community that lives within us and what we have yet to learn. In a welcome antidote to the simplistic "boost your health with probiotics" books and articles posing as science (but serving mostly commerce), Collen dares to tell the messy truth about what science knows—and doesn't know—about the microbes that live in us, live with us, and in some ways even become us. An evolutionary biologist with several degrees, the author is clearly an expert in the field. Happily for readers, she's also an experienced science writer who is equally at ease offering firsthand tales from her rain-forest expeditions and parsing complex laboratory experiments. She balances these nicely, though her overall emphasis is on the science. What makes even a step-by-step explanation of experimental protocol fascinating here, though, is twofold. First, Collen always brings the story back to the human level, telling, for instance, the tale of a courageous mother who tracked down a possible bacterial precursor to autism. Second, she never stops at simply reporting the outcome of a given experiment or data set. For example, instead of jumping to the logical conclusion that higher worldwide fat and sugar consumption have led directly to the obesity crisis, she steps outside the box and asks whether the trouble is what we're eating or what we're not eating. If fat and sugar calories have displaced microbe-friendly foods like high-fiber vegetables, she notes, the body's biome has likely also changed. What impact would that have on our collective weight? Collen never claims that she has uncovered the answers to modern health woes, but she points out the markers that may one day lead to such answers. Everything you wanted to know about microbes but were afraid to ask.
