A blog in book form, THE BODY BLOG is a series of mini-articles explaining the body and its functions.

Rachel Wentz’s THE BODY BLOG is exactly what it sounds like–a book compiling a series of entries into a blog that explores the human body and it’s function. It does so in an interesting and sometimes oblique way, heavily referencing Wentz’ professional past–she was a paramedic and worked in the skeleton-focused field of bio-archeology. Wentz is clearly passionate about and has a strong knowledge of her subject matter. Her exploration of each topic follows quite a distinct pattern: an intro relating the topic somehow to her life or a current event, some humor, a relatable angle on the topic (she compares the human body to a fire truck, for example), a short burst of facts and anecdotes, and a witty sign off. The topics she covers are diverse–from describing the experience of an autopsy or a childhood fascination with roadkill, to tackling ancient body alterations, including drilling through the skull and reshaping the teeth. There are sections on the obvious, like most of the major organs, and sections that will truly surprise. Titles like ‘Why We Stink’, ‘The Circumcision Decision’, and ‘Bodies In Space’ effectively convey what they say, giving a playful introduction to an area of human bodily concern. In total, there are 107 different short pieces, written across roughly two years, many of which are thought provoking and at times unusual.

The clue to where this book’s biggest weaknesses lie, though, is frankly given away in the title. There’s typically a distinct difference in style between blogging– a short form, effervescent way of writing to be consumed in three to five minutes–and what readers we come to expect from a full length text. Being made up of a series of fact-meets-fun, three minute reads, THE BODY BLOG is, perhaps unsurprisingly, a blog, and best read as one: in small parts. The impression isn’t helped, particularly, by the entry dates being left on each entry, or references in the text back to ‘something I wrote about in April’, or ‘last week’. Perhaps most significantly, though, the style means every story–and most are under three pages–is formatted to have its own entry, and its own conclusion, and if you are to read any number of them in a row, the whole thing becomes just a bit draining. What that makes this offering, perhaps appropriately, is something of a ‘bathroom book’; the kind of slightly flippant semi-educational resource with a fun approach that you might delve into for a few thoughts on an irregular basis, as opposed to a book to actually sit and read.

THE BODY BLOG builds a series of entertaining blog entries on author Rachel Wentz’s varied but relevant personal experiences. It’s funny, sometimes oblique, and full of color. It’s also not entirely suited to a book.

~James Hendicott for IndieReader