I Contain Multitudes

Very enjoyable read

Any additional comments?

One of the most informative books on the microbiome, dispels some myths, challenges the new multi billion dollar probiotic / fermented food movement. This book gives a very balanced factual look at how we destroy our microbiome with the overuse of antibacterial products, western diet / lifestyle and drugs especially antibiotics. Unlike many other books I have read on the topic this book clearly states that there is no magic solutlion such as stool transplants and change in diet / lifestyle, while these may work the main point I got from reading this is that we are all different and what will work for one person will not work for another! So will I give up my kombucha and probiotics - hummm probabily not however I will not put as much faith in such supposed miracle foods and supplements.
My main takeaways:
We are all different, very different so one solution does not fit all.
Trying to recolonise your microbiome doesn't always work as fermented foods and probiotics seem to produce a temporary alteration in bacteria which can return to your original state shortly after - so don't waist your money!
Stop using antibacterial products, stop cleaning so much (excellent I say), open your windows & eat fiber!
Excellent read, interesting informative and yes this book had an impact on how I live

26 people found this helpful

Excellent, interesting science book for anyone.

Lots of amazing information on a largely hidden world. The author makes the topic of microbes very interesting and engaging. Faultless narration.

8 people found this helpful

Really Fascinating Stuff.

Who knew we had so much going on in us! There's no way I would have got all the way through this in printed form. (Not because of the content but due to my attention span for the technical stuff being too short) but so glad I bought it as thoroughly enjoyed it, so very interesting and the narrators voice is just right. It's one of the books I'll listen to again.

10 people found this helpful

Excellent. A window into our fascinating world.

This is on a par with The Selfish Gene, Guns, Germs and Steel and the Vital Question as a book which adds a whole new perspective on what we are.

6 people found this helpful

I love microbes!

A teacher recommended this book as some extra reading I could to around the subject of biology and as it turned out, I have loved it. I have learned microbes have a far greater influence over our world then I ever could have imagined. I Would recommend to anyone interested in biology - you will be surprised how microbiology connects to seemingly every other area of biology.

Fascinating

Fascinating book about our relationship with microbes all around us that more often do good than harm despite our prejudgements. It offers new insights into treatments of disease that would by convention be treated with antimicrobial agents instead suggesting the utilisation of abundant and inexpensive microbes around us.

Great book, ruined by badly edited audio

An engaging and interesting exploration of a microscopic world; I really enjoyed it. However there is no excuse for such a poor edited audiobook. Must’ve been read over several days and just chopped up and smashed together- kind of ruined it.

Great but distracting edits

Really interesting book and well eat but some very distracting edits throughout. Just a minor niggle really but I haven't come across this on other books before.

badly edited

great book, great narrator, but bits of the book seem to have been edited for some reason, and the edited parts aren't recorded to the same quality. so you'll be listening, then all of a sudden there'll be a sentence that sounds odd, of a lot poorer quality, audiowise. which can be a bit irritating at times.

Amazing inside in the importance of Microbes!

I listen to it over and over again... Fascinating aspects of life usually overlooked and underestimated.