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Grunt: The Curious Science of Humans at War Reprint Edition

by Mary Roach (Author)
4.4 4.4 out of 5 stars 3,720 ratings
Editors' pick Best Nonfiction
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A New York Times / National Bestseller

"America's funniest science writer" (Washington Post) Mary Roach explores the science of keeping human beings intact, awake, sane, uninfected, and uninfested in the bizarre and extreme circumstances of war.

Grunt tackles the science behind some of a soldier's most challenging adversaries―panic, exhaustion, heat, noise―and introduces us to the scientists who seek to conquer them. Mary Roach dodges hostile fire with the U.S. Marine Corps Paintball Team as part of a study on hearing loss and survivability in combat. She visits the fashion design studio of U.S. Army Natick Labs and learns why a zipper is a problem for a sniper. She visits a repurposed movie studio where amputee actors help prepare Marine Corps medics for the shock and gore of combat wounds. At Camp Lemmonier, Djibouti, in east Africa, we learn how diarrhea can be a threat to national security. Roach samples caffeinated meat, sniffs an archival sample of a World War II stink bomb, and stays up all night with the crew tending the missiles on the nuclear submarine USS Tennessee. She answers questions not found in any other book on the military: Why is DARPA interested in ducks? How is a wedding gown like a bomb suit? Why are shrimp more dangerous to sailors than sharks? Take a tour of duty with Roach, and you’ll never see our nation’s defenders in the same way again.

15 illustrations
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  1. ISBN-10
    0393354377
  2. ISBN-13
    978-0393354379
  3. Edition
    Reprint
  4. Publisher
    W. W. Norton & Company
  5. Publication date
    June 6, 2017
  6. Language
    English
  7. Dimensions
    5.5 x 0.8 x 8.3 inches
  8. Print length
    288 pages
  9. See all details
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Editorial Reviews

Review

"A mirthful, informative peek behind the curtain of military science."
― Washington Post

"From the ever-illuminating author of Bonk and Stiff comes an examination of the science behind war. Even the tiniest minutiae count on the battlefield, and Roach leads us through her discoveries in her inimitable style."
― Elle

"Our most consistently entertaining science journalist…Roach goes where other writers wouldn’t dare….And her search produces images―a kind of technopoetry―that are hard to forget."
― O Magazine

"[Roach] takes on the challenges the military faces to keep its fighters safe and healthy with her trademark flair (and zingy footnotes)."
― Entertainment Weekly

"Roach is a tenacious investigative journalist with an appetite for the unappetizing...Grunt ranks high in the Roach repertoire."
― USA Today

"Mary Roach’s latest bit of brilliance….As meticulously researched, beautifully written, and disturbingly funny as her previous books…Grunt examines the science behind war, as well as the researchers who are leading the charge in these state-of- the-art developments. Roach’s prose is a triumph―an engaging blend of anecdote, research, and reflection."
― Boston Globe

"[Roach] writes exquisitely about the excruciating….wildly informative and vividly written"
― Los Angeles Times

"Nobody does weird science quite like [Roach], and this time, she takes on war. Though all her books look at the human body in extreme situations (sex! space! death!), this isn’t simply a blood-drenched affair. Instead, Roach looks at the unexpected things that take place behind the scenes."
― Wired

"Roach...applies her tenacious reporting and quirky point of view to efforts by scientists to conquer some of the soldier’s worst enemies."
― Seattle Times

"Extremely likable…and quick with a quip….[Roach’s] skill is to draw out the good humor and honesty of both the subjects and practitioners of these white arts among the dark arts of war."
― San Francisco Chronicle

"Covering these topics and more, Roach has done a fascinating job of portraying unexpected, creative sides of military science."
― New York Post

About the Author

Mary Roach is the author of five best-selling works of nonfiction, including Grunt, Stiff, and, most recently, Fuzz. Her writing has appeared in National Geographic and the New York Times Magazine, among other publications. She lives in Oakland, California.

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ W. W. Norton & Company; Reprint edition (June 6, 2017)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Paperback ‏ : ‎ 288 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0393354377
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0393354379
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 8 ounces
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5.5 x 0.8 x 8.3 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.4 4.4 out of 5 stars 3,720 ratings

About the author

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Mary Roach

Mary Roach

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Mary Roach is the author of Grunt: The Curious Science of Humans at War, Packing for Mars: The Curious Science of Life in the Void, Bonk: The Curious Coupling of Science and Sex, Spook: Science Tackles the Afterlife, and Stiff: The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers. Her writing has appeared in Outside, Wired, National Geographic, and the New York Times Magazine, among others. She lives in Oakland, California.

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Top reviews from the United States

Eddie S. Black
5.0 out of 5 stars Straight dope
Reviewed in the United States on July 16, 2020
Verified Purchase
This was a great book. Seriously.

I've got 25 years military, nine deployments, in both the Marine Corps and the Army National Guard. I've worked as an avionics technician on jet aircraft, and also been a platoon sergeant in an infantry unit. I'm no special forces, am definitely middle speed and semi-drag (if you're military, you understand), but, like I said, I've got a lot of experience in the military and the crazy machine that it is.

This book doesn't shy away from that crazy machine. It illustrates in beautiful, tragic, humor, the oddities of the science at work in the military. Our culture and way of doing things is often our own worse enemy. We fight our own plans and circumstances more than we ever fight the enemy.

Yet this book isn't about attacking the military at all. No, don't misunderstand me. I felt loved, reading this book. It looked at things, many of which in this book I can relate to directly, and showed it to me as one might show a sibling a funny photograph they took of a slightly embarrassing moment, but only to highlight the thing itself and also how much the sibling is loved.

If you're someone who works with anyone in the military and would like an inkling into their experiences and mindset, but would rather skip the politics and such, then this book is for you. Though, warning, the last chapter, which is very short, tore at my heart. If you're in the military, especially a leader, you should read this book and know that your asinine scheduling of a training exercise is just plain dumb and doesn't do anything but make people hate you.

Wonderful book. And to the author, if you're ever in Oregon, I'd like to buy you a beer for such a good read and the respectful manner you portrayed my brothers and sisters in arms. I was able to laughed at myself in these pages, and yet paused to wonder if I could perhaps do a little bit better job.
33 people found this helpful
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IVYSTUDENT
4.0 out of 5 stars Grunt is a Howl
Reviewed in the United States on August 15, 2016
Verified Purchase
Characteristically wry, detailed, and well-written, the latest book by Mary Roach is very good. I've read all books she has written and another she edited, and she never disappoints. Unbounded curiosity, finds the humor in most every situation, and a seemingly inexhaustible researcher, Roach makes everyone to whom I have recommended her books interested in subjects they didn't know they wanted to learn more about. This isn't her best, some chapters drag a bit, and it is slightly off the keen editing normal for her other books, but definitely worth reading and adding to your collection. I find myself re-reading her books over time...an extremely rare occurrence for me.
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Serenity...
5.0 out of 5 stars ~~Informative/Interesting~~
Reviewed in the United States on June 12, 2016
Verified Purchase
Having spent over twenty years in the USN in the aviation field, this book was both informative and interesting. Topics such as hearing as well as heat and diarrhea are covered. Shark repellant, flies, genital transplants and safety all have their own chapters and these are just a few of the topics.

The submarine base in Groton, CT, caught my attention as well. The 'Wet Trainer' enables submariners the ability to increase their knowledge of how to save the 'ship'. Fascinating to learn that old methods such as a pine plug cone could be effective in an extreme leak. Also, the USS Tang (1944) and the USS Squalus (1939) incidents were well detailed. I remember the USS Thresher in 1963 but was not familiar with the first two incidents.

The author has interspersed healthy doses of humor in this book. One thing that made me laugh out loud was the chapter on combat medic training. The author found some file drawers labeled 'spleens', 'aortas' and other body parts. She was on her way to the bathroom and when she saw 'head' it was a moment of interest! Another chuckle for me was in the discussion of the contents of the MRE packets. The USN has baby wipes in their packs for toilet purposes and the USMC uses a piece of their tee shirt! Think that none of us could disagree with that statement!

There are so many facts that relate to the manner in which the military is forced to operate that it makes one shake their head. And, sometimes in disbelief at the specifications that the military uses in production of an item.

The chapter that covered safety also brought back memories of my days in the USN on the end of many runways. In the morning our first duty at 0800 was FOD (Foreign Object Damage) walk down. In formation, we walked looking for any object that could cause damage to the engine of an aircraft. And, yes bird strikes were not common but I remember several aircraft engines being damaged by them during my 20 + years.

Of particular interest to the warriors returning from Iraq and Afghanistan are the two chapters devoted to genital transplants and injuries below the belt. The author states that there are '300 genito-urological injuries for 18,000 limb amputees'. Finally, some progress is being made in this area for the men affected by this type of injury.

Lots of unknown facts concerning the manner in which the 'powers to be' make decisions on important military items.

Most highly recommended.
68 people found this helpful
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Jim G.
5.0 out of 5 stars Well written
Reviewed in the United States on January 10, 2024
Verified Purchase
Has the perfect amount of humor built into the subject lines.
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Top reviews from other countries

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Cliente Amazon2
5.0 out of 5 stars Un documentario molto interessante.
Reviewed in Italy on September 21, 2023
Verified Purchase
Presenta degli aspetti della vita e dell'equipaggiamento militare imprevisti. Con il solito sano cinismo della Roach. Purtroppo non c'è al momento l'edizione italiana ed ho dovuto leggerlo in inglese, ciononosatae il testo è comprensibile per chi ha un livello almeno medio di conoscenza della lingua.
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OUELLET, Raymond
5.0 out of 5 stars Grunt
Reviewed in France on January 19, 2018
Verified Purchase
Ce livre de Mary Roach était excellent, amusant, et répondait à toutes mes attentes. Elle est un auteur que j'aime énormément merci.
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Pankaj
5.0 out of 5 stars amazing facts and funny writing
Reviewed in India on December 11, 2016
Verified Purchase
Just to know what goes behind the soldiers survival...amazing facts and funny writing style
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Peer Sylvester
5.0 out of 5 stars Roach wie man sie kennt - leider zu kurz!
Reviewed in Germany on October 31, 2016
Verified Purchase
Ich liebe die Bücher von Mary Roach (einzig Spook ist etwas schwächer), denn sie versteht es unterhaltsam zu schreiben: Sie sucht sich meistens ein abseitiges Thema aus und schreibt über alles, was sie selbst daran interessiert und geht auch ungewöhnlichen Fragen tiefer nach.
In diesem Buch geht es um die Wissenschaft des Militärs - aber gerade nicht um die Rüstungstechnik, sondern um alles andere. Medizinische Aspekte werden auch behandelt, aber auch hier eher die Themen, an die man nicht denkt: Das Training von Feldsanitätern, die unter Kugelhagel richtige Entschiedungen treffen müssen oder den Kampf gegen den Durchfall. Aber auch andere Dinge - Stinkbomben, das "Hördilemma" (einerseits müssen die Soldaten natürlich alles in der Umgebung mitbekommen, andererseits brachen sie eigentlich Hörschutz, weil Waffen und Explosionen sonst die Hörfähigkeit beeinträchtigen) und die Forschung über Haie zum Beispiel. Das ist interessant, das ist lehrreich und man wundert sich, dass man da sonst nie dran gedacht hat.
Allerdings merkt man dem Buch die Selbstbeschränkung an - gerade in den ersten Kapiteln habe ich das Gefühl, Roach hätte noch sehr viel mehr schreiben können und reißt daher vieles nur an. Da das Buch nun nicht gerade umfangreich ist (unter 300 Seiten), ist das ein bisschen schade. Aber das ist ja auch ein Lob für das Buch...
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Brian R. Martin
5.0 out of 5 stars Medical science and modern warfare.
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on October 4, 2016
Verified Purchase
Mary Roach is a successful author in the arcane field of bizarre facts about the human body. For example, in ‘Stiff’ she examined in detail what happens to a body after death. Her books are characterised by detailed research, including close-up observation ‘in the field’, combined with a quirky humour, that you either love or find rather irritating. Although there are occasions where it is a little too much, in general I appreciate the humour, which lightens the narratives of often disturbing topics. This is particularly true of the present book where she examines the role of medical science in war. The investigation is largely about the American experience, although there are examples from other countries and wars. America has a unique range of military-funded institutes devoted to some aspect of the medical-military interaction, and I was impressed by the willingness of just about everyone she encounters to make her welcome, and to explain what they are doing and why. This ranged from those working on classified projects, to sailors in the cramped conditions on board a nuclear submarine. It is hard to imagine such openness in other countries.

Some of the institutes are developing new medical and surgical techniques to treat seriously wounded soldiers, who in former times would be considered hopeless cases, such as those with major trauma injuries caused by the infamous IEDs in the Iraq wars. So we learn for example about progress in penis reconstruction and genital implants. But there is also information about research into more mundane conditions such as sleep deprivation, heat exhaustion and diarrhoea. The latter historically has decimated armies, and even today is a major problem where fresh water is not available. One institute teaches submariners how to escape safely if their ship is disabled at great depths (counter intuitively, holding your breath when ascending means certain death); another trains military medics to overcome a host of problems when treating the wounded while under fire. While the range of topics being studied is vast and most of obvious use, some initially sound bizarre, such as the experiments to find out what food bears like to eat, whether sharks really are attracted to human flesh (it turns out that if you are shipwrecked in seas inhabited by sharks, they are well down your list of worries) and the extraordinary ‘chicken gun’ that fires dead chickens at over 400mph at jet planes to test their ability to survive bird strikes.

One of the most moving parts of the book is the chapter devoted to autopsies of dead servicemen, who are brought to the autopsy room just as they died, including any equipment attached to them as part of the attempts to keep them alive. The point here is to learn not just how they died in battle in order develop better defences to protect them, but also to examine the adequacy of medical procedures after they were wounded. What other country has the will and resources to be so thorough?

Mary Roach has done a considerable service by producing this short and informative book on a subject that many of us are ignorant about, and even are content with that. She has done this in a way that is readable and reminds us that conflicts have consequences long after hostilities have ceased.
5 people found this helpful
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