Toilet Reads: Fascinating Nonfiction about the Necessary Acts

 The human body is fascinating. But sometimes what is more fascinating is what we do with what comes out of the human body. The book Life of Pee, by Sally Magnusson, is a testament to some of the strange and ingenious things we have done with urine. We have used it to dye our hair, make gunpowder and clean our clothes. Every page of this book is filled with fascinating facts about pee.

The book begins with a glossary with all the urine related words you will ever need to know. Weeting, for instance, was what they called the urine that was collected each day from people’s homes and used in the wool industry of England.

Once you are well versed in pee words, the rest of the book is organized into short stories that relate to urine presented in alphabetical order by the main feature of the story. You can start at the beginning with Alchemists and read your way to Ziggy Stardust or hop around and read whatever catches your eye. Each entry is less than two pages which makes it perfect for reading snippets on the bus or between bites at lunch.

There is a little bit of something for everyone here. History, art, economics, environmental issues, medicine and much more are all packed into this adorable little book. And once you have acquired all of this incredible knowledge about pee you can share it with you friends, just not during dinner.

If you are interested in a more serious look at what comes out of us, you can pick up a copy of The Big Necessity: The Unmentionable World of Human Waste and Why it Matters. Author Rose George takes an in-depth look at toilets, or the lack there of, around the world. From high tech toilets in Japan that have heated seats and play music to places in India where there is not a toilet to be found.

“The Big Necessity” also takes a look at the sanitation system in the United States, which may make you think about how we get rid of our waste. Whichever book you choose you will be entertained and amazed and might just pause and think the next time you go to the toilet, loo, privy, or sulabh.