Gross Universe: Your Guide to All Disgusting Things Under the Sun

Alice Kidd is an editor with The New Catalyst editorial collective in
Lillooet, B.C.

Comparative physiology can be disgusting, frightening, and deadly dull,
but in Gross Universe Jeff Szpirglas offers us an escape through humour.
His presentation of various body parts (e.g., skin, blood, mouth, hair)
and their excretions and secretions (e.g., mucus, wax, feces) provides
detailed and accurate information. The addition of comparative
physiology (e.g., lizards, birds, sheep, and micro-organisms) is a
masterful stroke to further distance us from the “gross.” Luckily
for some parents and teachers, children will be able to read this book
on their own—although they may want to shock you with the particularly
disgusting bits!

Michael Cho’s cartoon-style illustrations provide a strong support
for the topic through a palette of muddy and fluorescent tones in
dissonant combinations, as well as exaggerated facial features on all
characters, even the micro-critters. The large, loud titles and detailed
sidebars add to this effect.

The book’s subtitle says it all. Szpirglas not only appeals to the
bathroom humorist in all of us, he also does a marvellous job of
presenting a large array of fun facts about the physiology of humans and
other creatures. My one disappointment was the lack of suggested sources
for further reading. Highly recommended.