Grunt

By Mary Roach,

Book cover of Grunt: The Curious Science of Humans at War

Book description

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…

When you buy books, we may earn a commission that helps keep our lights on (or join the rebellion as a member).

Why read it?

1 author picked Grunt as one of their favorite books. Why do they recommend it?

Mary Roach is an absolute treasure as a science writer: not only hilarious, but often insightful. I’ll admit, when I wrote my first book, I always wondered "what would Mary Roach do?" when I came to a tricky bit. Grunt isn’t her best-known work, but it’s my favourite because it looks at something only she could do well: non-violent science in the military. The only gun, she writes, is the one that fires frozen chickens at windscreens to see if they can withstand the impact. This is a book about how to keep soldiers safe from the enemy, cool in…

If you love Grunt...

Ad

Book cover of Diary of a Citizen Scientist: Chasing Tiger Beetles and Other New Ways of Engaging the World

Diary of a Citizen Scientist By Sharman Apt Russell,

Citizen Scientist begins with this extraordinary statement by the Keeper of Entomology at the London Museum of Natural History, “Study any obscure insect for a week and you will then know more than anyone else on the planet.”

As the author chases the obscure Western red-bellied tiger beetle across New…

Want books like Grunt?

Our community of 12,000+ authors has personally recommended 100 books like Grunt.

Browse books like Grunt

Book cover of “Surely You’re Joking, Mr. Feynman!”
Book cover of Strange Angel: The Otherworldly Life of Rocket Scientist John Whiteside Parsons
Book cover of The Disappearing Spoon: And Other True Tales of Madness, Love, and the History of the World from the Periodic Table of the Elements

Share your top 3 reads of 2024!

And get a beautiful page showing off your 3 favorite reads.

1,587

readers submitted
so far, will you?

5 book lists we think you will like!

Interested in innovation, United States Marines, and presidential biography?

Innovation 84 books