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80th out of 100 books
—
1 voter
Poop Happened!: A History of the World from the Bottom Up
Did lead pipes
cause the fall of the Roman Empire?
How many toilets were in the
average Egyptian pyramid?
How did a knight wearing fifty
pounds of armor go to the bathroom?
Was poor hygiene the last straw
before the French Revolution?
Did Thomas Crapper really invent
the modern toilet?
How do astronauts go
in space?
History finally comes out of the water-closet in
this exploration of...more
cause the fall of the Roman Empire?
How many toilets were in the
average Egyptian pyramid?
How did a knight wearing fifty
pounds of armor go to the bathroom?
Was poor hygiene the last straw
before the French Revolution?
Did Thomas Crapper really invent
the modern toilet?
How do astronauts go
in space?
History finally comes out of the water-closet in
this exploration of...more
Paperback, 176 pages
Published
May 11th 2010
by Walker Childrens
(first published 2010)
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First sentence: "Take a good look at your toilet."
Poop Happened!: A History of the World from the Bottom Up is the type of book I would have loved if it had existed when I was in elementary school (not that I didn't like it being many years past elementary school). I just always hated as a kid how books never addressed the important things like how people in the olden days went to the bathroom. This book tells all that and more. It gives a good overview of the importance of proper waste disposal...more
Poop Happened!: A History of the World from the Bottom Up is the type of book I would have loved if it had existed when I was in elementary school (not that I didn't like it being many years past elementary school). I just always hated as a kid how books never addressed the important things like how people in the olden days went to the bathroom. This book tells all that and more. It gives a good overview of the importance of proper waste disposal...more
The next time you think you have a. . .well. . ."crappy" job, think about some of these:
Paleoscatologist
Fuller
Tanner
Gongfermor
Necessary Tubman
All of these are--essentially--poop handlers. Each occupation is explored as a sidebar within Sarah Albee's extensively-researched book that really stretches the bounds of what non-fiction could look like in the classroom.
Younger readers will be drawn by the subject, but Albee does not glorify or overplay the gross factor here but deals with a delicate sub...more
Paleoscatologist
Fuller
Tanner
Gongfermor
Necessary Tubman
All of these are--essentially--poop handlers. Each occupation is explored as a sidebar within Sarah Albee's extensively-researched book that really stretches the bounds of what non-fiction could look like in the classroom.
Younger readers will be drawn by the subject, but Albee does not glorify or overplay the gross factor here but deals with a delicate sub...more
Wow. Ms. Albee has done some SERIOUS research in putting this book together. While clearly it is meant to amuse as well as inform, the information is very complete. Starting with why the mismanagement of poop can lead to disease, there are thorough discussions on sanitary measures from Egypt, Greece and Rome through medieval Europe ("The Age of Shovelry") and preindustrial London up through the present day. Famous people, awful jobs, and all the minutiae anyone might ever want to know about toil...more
I started this book when I was subbing one day -- it was on the desk of the 7th grade social studies teacher whose class I was teaching. I started reading it during my free period and found it so compelling that I got it from the public library so I could finish it.
The best thing about this book is that it sneaks so many history lessons (most of the history of western civilization) into a topic that is highly interesting to kids (poop). I was amazed at how many memories of 9th & 10th grade h...more
The best thing about this book is that it sneaks so many history lessons (most of the history of western civilization) into a topic that is highly interesting to kids (poop). I was amazed at how many memories of 9th & 10th grade h...more
I don't know if I have ever laughed so much or been grossed out so much by a book. We sat in the library reading excerpts from this book for a long time and just couldn't put it down. It is fascinating, informative and addicting. You have probably always wondered what they did for bathrooms back in the old days...well this book will tell you in all the gross detail. And you probably didn't really want to know!
For instance, once a knight had his armor on it didn't come off for anything and it was...more
For instance, once a knight had his armor on it didn't come off for anything and it was...more
I'm always looking for fun, creative non-fiction to booktalk during my school visits. Poop Happened fits that description perfectly! The book is full of fun facts and illustrations and I know many middle school boys (and girls) will be excited to pick this one up.
I love the way the book is set up. The chapters are short and quick to read. In addition to the main chapter information, there's a lot of sidebar information and boxes full of fun facts. This is a book that can be read from forward to...more
I love the way the book is set up. The chapters are short and quick to read. In addition to the main chapter information, there's a lot of sidebar information and boxes full of fun facts. This is a book that can be read from forward to...more
I expected Poop Happened! : A History of the World from the Bottom Up to be just a gross book, perfect for reluctant readers. It IS gross, and it IS perfect for reluctant readers, but it is also very funny and wonderfully informative. Poop Happened isn’t a science book about the digestive system; rather, it is the history of human sanitation and how it affected the development of civilization, and it should be recommended to social studies teachers from fifth grade to high school. Albee’s discus...more
I loved this book! it was at times hilarious and disgusting, heart wrenching and eye opening! I'll never view my europoean business trips in the same light again! nor goose necks!
I enjoyed reading this book, learning about sanitation and the role it's had in the human experience. I can't imagine, after reading this book, how the human race survived until the mid 1920's. I can't imagine NOT having flush toilets and sewer systems.
I enjoyed reading this book, learning about sanitation and the role it's had in the human experience. I can't imagine, after reading this book, how the human race survived until the mid 1920's. I can't imagine NOT having flush toilets and sewer systems.
It might seem odd to say that a book about poop is delightfully written, but this one was, in addition to being meticulously researched. It is not so much a book about poop as a history of waste management in (mostly) the West. There's a lot about the Roman empire, Europe, especially London, and some about the US; the author apologizes for the eurocentric bias, which had a lot to do with available sources. It is nice to see a book targeted at younger audiences that acknowledges these limitations...more
Don't be misled by the title! This book's primary goal is -not- to present gross information for the sake of gross information. It's a remarkably thorough investigation of public sanitation and its role in the development of (primarily) western civilization. It doesn't hurt that the text is funny, irreverent, and yes gross, but one ends the book feeling relieved to have a non-smelly toilet that flushes into a robust sewage treatment system.
Did you ever wonder what Elizabethan London smelled like...more
Did you ever wonder what Elizabethan London smelled like...more
I'm not ashamed to admit that this book fascinated me. I could not put it down. The title is a bit misleading as it really focuses on the history of sanitation (or lack thereof) and the links to disease and pollution and the developments that were a result. I love the layout and the little trivia facts placed throughout the book. This book will be very appealing to intermediate and middle school students. (I would share facts to my 7 year old as I was reading and she would giggle and ask for mor...more
This book is so cool! You wouldn't think a book that focuses on poop would be enjoyable, but it really is. It's amazing how something so gross as poop has had such a huge influence on our history and how we know so little about it. Starting with cavepeople up through astronauts, teen readers will learn how people was disposed of, how toilet habits evolved, and what the future holds for the topic. The illustrations are humorous yet informative and the text is not boring at all. The resource mater...more
Ms. Albee takes a light-hearted approach to a historical review of how civilizations have dealt with human waste. Hilarious illustrations, including some historical reproductions, and short, but informative one-page articles on various topics make this book easy and enjoyable to read, appealing to both children and adults.
The articles and sidebars draw attention to intriguing details. For example, Ms. Albee explains that the etiquette of having the gentleman walk on the side closest to the stree...more
The articles and sidebars draw attention to intriguing details. For example, Ms. Albee explains that the etiquette of having the gentleman walk on the side closest to the stree...more
We all have to: pluck a rose, see a man about a horse, powder our nose, water the roses, spend a penny... (p. 159), and undoubtedly boys can spend hours talking about the subject. Poop Happened! is both an informative as well as funny look at what humans having been doing with,well, you know. The history of plumbing, clothing, and diseases are explored in this informative book. Sure to be a hit with not only boys but girls, too, I found the historical information fascinating.
I'm not usually the kind of guy to read a book about poop, but this one was great. Essentially a history of sanitation, Poop Happened! is entertainting, educational, and disgusting. Reading it makes me wonder how any of our ancestors ever survived in the first place: until the last two hundred years or so, the entire western world was buried in disease and excrement.
A fascinating read about humanity at its basest level. I definitely will be washing my hands more often.
A fascinating read about humanity at its basest level. I definitely will be washing my hands more often.
I checked this book out, thinking my daughter, 10, might like it, but was rewarded with an, "EEEEEWWWWWWW" for my efforts. So, I read it myself. It's not something that you stop to think about when you read history. But proper sanitation really is important to a civilization. When I watch historical movies or read historical books, I'm now going to think "Where are the piles of stinking filth?" Another reason to be happy we live when we do!
Dec 01, 2012
Meghan
added it
An interesting twist on traditional history books; this book dives into the down and dirty by discussing history in the context of bathroom usage and practices. This is not the traditional method of teaching history, but it provides for a fascinating read; it turns out that there is a lot that you can learn about a civilization or an era from the bathroom trends of people.
I might start off by saying that boys will most likely gravitate towards this book on the infamous number two, but girls who like history books with a sense of humor might enjoy this entry. The illustrations and short entries alone are enough to draw in young readers that need the historical lowdown on poop. Enough said.
Recommended for grades fourth and up.
Recommended for grades fourth and up.
Everyone should read this book- not just the older juvenile audience it was marketed to! We may be thoroughly grossed out by what our ancestors' lives were really like. Sarah Albee points out the world of waste management isn't a bed of roses even today and we need to address these issues worldwide. Disgustingly fascinating, humorous and sobering.
Jan 10, 2011
Aimee
added it
Read for a publisher review so I could add to the library free... was not looking forward to reading the self proclaimed #1 book on #2 - but, it was truly fascinating! It will open your eyes to our history in a whole new way. Warning: if you have pre-teen boys (or husbands) your dinner conversations will be changed forever if they read it!
Very good read about the problems of waste management through the ages. Focuses primarily on European and American experiences (better recorded history) and the problems associated with high population density. Enlightening, fun and informative. Makes you glad that you live in a society with clean water and sanitation controls.
Almost a four-star rating for awesome history of not only toilet habits of the ages but also public sanitation in general. I wish author had focused a little more attention on water wastage but, hey, it's a book for kids. This should be part of every juvenile world history curriculum.
Interesting read that fascinated my son. Answers lots of questions that I think most kids have. I know I wondered about it as a kid. Most surprising fact to me was that people had pants so tight they couldn't sit down in them several hundred years ago.
Pretty interesting book about how people have dealt with their waste over time ... and the consequences for not dealing with it properly. This is a social history, more than a history of any particular waste device. Plenty of material for potty humor. Good for elementary school and up.
The title caught my eye, so I bought it. It gave me all that history they don't cover in school about where people used the bathroom and where the waste went. A very easy and light read. Once I started it, I had to finish it.
Gross, engaging, well documented, informative and quite educational! Loved all the illustrations and artwork that accompanied all the snippets of information of toilets, disease and hygiene over the ages.
I realize putting this on my goodreads sets me apart...I teach 4th grade, what more can I say?!?!? Can you imagine your teacher bringing this to school? You would die. The thought of that kills me!!!!
This book is disgusting, hilarious, and factual. A definite win, and sure to horrify the germaphobes in your life. (I TOLD you that those bathroom air dryers are worse than paper towels!)
This time I decided to write a longer review than usual. You can find it at http://www.teacherdance.blogspot.com/...
Great book - really! This historical accounting is presented in a fun and informative way. I actually really enjoyed it - if you can enjoy this subject matter! (hehe)
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Apr 26, 2011 03:46pm