Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this eARC.

“Thank God for Pooping: Transforming Your Health by Improving Your Gut Health” by Alexander Wright is a compelling exploration into the often overlooked but crucial aspect of our well-being: gut health. Wright’s book stands out with its candid title, which reflects the author’s approach to demystifying the complexities of our digestive system with humor and ease.

Wright begins by sharing his personal journey, detailing the struggles with anxiety and the myriad of psychiatric medications that failed to address the root cause of his discomfort. It’s through this lens of personal struggle that the book delves into the science of the gut, often referred to as the “second brain,” and its profound impact on overall health and mood regulation.

The book is structured in a way that educates the reader without overwhelming them with medical jargon. Wright skillfully breaks down the intricate relationship between gut health and various aspects of physical and mental well-being, including stress management, immune response, and serotonin production. He emphasizes the importance of a balanced diet, probiotics, and the role of exercise in maintaining a healthy gut flora.

What sets this book apart is its accessibility. Wright has a knack for explaining complex concepts in a way that resonates with the layperson. His use of anecdotes and relatable metaphors makes the content engaging and digestible (pun intended). The book is peppered with actionable advice, from dietary tips to stress-reduction techniques, all aimed at improving gut health and, by extension, enhancing the reader’s quality of life.

“Thank God for Pooping” is a holistic guide to living a healthier, happier life. Wright’s writing is imbued with a sense of optimism and empowerment, encouraging readers to take control of their health by starting with their gut. It’s a refreshing take on a topic that affects us all but is rarely talked about with such candor and practicality.

In conclusion, Alexander Wright’s “Thank God for Pooping” is a must-read for anyone seeking to understand the intricate workings of their body and improve their health from the inside out. It’s informative, engaging, and, most importantly, a reminder of the simple yet profound truth that our health is inextricably linked to our gut. A delightful and enlightening read that will leave you feeling both educated and entertained.

A very informative book on gut health, I learnt a lot of useful things from this.

Thank you NetGalley for my complimentary copy in return for my honest review.

As I familiar with lots of the themes and the medical conditions in this book, I was expecting well researched information presented in a clear way and backed up by medical papers and studies.

I am not a doctor not a researcher, but I feel some parts need some sort of verification. Some pages sounded like a shopping list, I am sorry.

First of all, this book could have been a blog post. It actually reads like a collection of online articles, without much depth and quite dubious bibliography.

Second of all, this book spreads misinformation, presenting "leaky gut syndrome" as something factual, not a hypothesis that's not recognised in practiced medicine, which is very irresponsible.

Third of all, there's an advertising (?) within the book as author recommends and links (in e-book format) a specific brand of dietary supplements. No disclosure of partnership with this brand was made, but it's introduced as the one to buy.

Fourth of all, there's nothing about pooping, which makes me think that the title is simply a buy-bait.

There's no doubt that gut health is important but I'm not sure if this subject should be communicated by someone who's not a specialist in this field, nor didn't seek collaboration with researchers on the matter while writing this book. The research of gut health impact on mental health is still in its infancy and Wright already presents it as gospel. I have serious doubts about ethics of this publication.

This is a useful book, one a reader might want to dip into at different times in life as there’s a lot of information to take on board. I would recommend it.

Quick Summary: An introductory level resource on gut health

My Review: Thank God for Pooping: Transforming Your Health by Improving Your Gut Health by Alexander Wright is a book aimed at education, self care, and health management.

About the Book: This book provides general information on a wide range of subject matters related to the gut. It talks about digestion and its associated components, from the oral ingestion phase to the chemical breakdown phase. It also talks about:

- Healthy food choices

- Simple exercises that promote digestion

- Medications and supplements

- Self-care, pertaining to sleep, stress management, and mental health wellness

- Reference listings were also provided.

My Final Say: This book pretty much hit the ground running, diving straight into the content without a proper introduction. On the backside, the same could be said. There was no conclusive summation of the book's material. I thought it rather peculiar. Additionally, after reading the material, I found myself wanting to know more about the author. Unfortunately, there was nothing. Thankfully, a search on Amazon provided a few bio details. (I did other research on this author, but it was not easy.)

Other: While this book has the potential to appeal to many, it may benefit from further development. I would suggest the inclusion of pictures, sample menus, and/or charts to provide visual support. Particularly, I think photographic aids to go along with the suggested exercises would have been helpful.

Rating: 2.5/5
Recommend: +/-

A digital ARC of this work was made available via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you to the author and to the publisher for granting access to this title.

I loved this book! Why are we all walking around without proper education about our body?? This is divided into 10 chapters . Stomach acid, Gut health, Exercise, Medications, Supplements, Stress, Serotonin, Sleep, Food, the brain-gut connection.

Pros: I almost didn't read this book because of its title, but the first line of the description where the author mentioned anxiety changed my mind because I too was told that my physical symptoms were all in my head.

Cons: Although I found the description of the book to be relatable, I was surprised that the book itself was more clinical with information about gut health rather than personal experiences with anxiety and stomach issues. I also would have liked to know more about the author and his background to better understand his level of expertise to share this information.

Thank you to NetGalley and BooksGoSocial for the opportunity to read this book.

The writing and organization of this book is amateurish. A simple google search will glean the exact information included in the book. It will get readers because of the catchy title, but people who suffer pooping problems are almost guaranteed to learn nothing new.

I don’t think I have ever read a book without any sort of introduction. This book had none—nothing about pooping or why gut health matters. It did not even mention the Bristol stool scale. You would think a book with poop in the title wouldn’t mention the most widely used method to talk about the subject. The book just jumped into chapter 1 starting out with “your stomach acid’s pH might change…” It was the weirdest start to a book! I had to check the title and table of contents to see if I was in the right book and if I’d accidentally skipped an intro.

I felt like I was reading a book written 90% by ChatGPT. In addition to a weird writing style, there were some inaccuracies in the book. As a holistic health educator, who talks quite a bit about gut health, I was hoping to learn some new information about gut health and, instead I grew frustrated seeing obvious inaccuracies. (One example, collagen is not a vitamin.)

This book has a lot of really good information and ties so much of the gut brain barrier together with practical and useful approaches to improving health. At times it reads like a research presentation for a college class and can becoime a bit dry but overall I find the information very informing and useful.

I won't deny I picked this for the title, but it was surprisingly informative on what supplements and foods are healthy for not only improving gut health, but your overall health. Easy to read and not complicated with its terminology and it was fantastic to read that plantain contains serotonin because it just makes sense.

The concept of the book sounded interesting. The organisation of the chapters was sensible, but I felt that the content was not too satisfactory.

The descriptions on the many topics covered were too general and introductory. Important details were left out. For example, the author wrote that magnesium lowered stress. But how much did we need per day for that effect? Pumpkin seeds was cited as a good food source for magnesium, but, again, how much do we consume per day?

Instead of a book that gave information, this book read like a pointer to researches that the readers needed to do themselves to discover helpful information.

(I received a free review copy from NetGalley.)

A fascinating and informative book about the digestion system. That doesn't sound very interesting you might say but actually it makes a great read if you are at least interested in your health and wellbeing. The children loved the title and the picture on the cover.

A comprehensive guide to gut health and the factors that affect it. Informative and easy to read. I’m fairly knowledgeable on the subject but I learned and understand better many things relating to gut health. Well worth the read for anyone wanting to learn how to improve their health and well being. I’m glad to have it as a resource to return to when needed.

Thanks to NetGalley and BooksGoSocial for this digital review copy.

Straightforward, well-written information about more aspects of health than pooping.

The food recommendations are straightforward and (mostly) easy to implement although some are costly - not the authors fault. I'm buying blueberries and walnuts today!

I have other books like Genius kitchen but this is so much easier to use - my only disappointment is that the gut-brain chapter was not longer. A link between IBS and depression was mentioned - I'm sure many people would like to know more but perhaps the research isn't extensive yet.
Highly recommended with enough detail to investigate further with confidence.

Thank God for Pooping by Alexander Wright got my attention first just because of this awesome book title!

Having personal issues with my stomach because of stress I was absolutely interested to get to know more about the "gut", it's health, how to deal with stress and all the important stuff to have a better life.

This book was a really quick read and totally interesting! Learned a lot new things I definitely wanna try out and I know now what's going on inside me. LOL
Definitely thinking about reading more about this topic.

Thanks a lot to Alexander Wright and BooksGoSocial for this ARC via NetGalley.
This is my honest review in my own words.

This book is a light read with insight to our bodies that can change our daily life.

The only gripe I have with it is that this is a book that references studies, but there are no connotations to which study it is. There is just a list at the end of the book, but it doesn’t mention which article was used for which statement.

There is also a couple of writing errors, but that is just a a small thing that doesn’t take away from the experience. Even with the flaws I just mentioned, it is highly recommended to read this book. The wording is light and airy for the most part (which is an accomplishment for such a heavy topic).

I have read many books about the mind gut condition. This book is good for someone who is new to this theory. I found it interesting but nothing new that I didn't know already. It was a good refresher for me however.

I found this really helpful, I was looking for something to give me insight into issues after surgery.