Not for the squeamish. I read while I'm having breakfast, and some of this book was too much for me. Well written and well researched.
( )

Баррель человеческой крови почти в полторы тысячи раз дороже барреля нефти. В отличие от запрещенной торговли органами этот бизнес вполне процветает. Известно о нем не так много, но британская журналистка Роуз Джордж проливает на него свет, делясь как деловыми подробностями, так и научными фактами о самой главной жидкости наших тел. Кстати, британскую кровь брать за границей особо не любят, ведь она должна быть взята у людей, родившихся после 1996 года, то есть находящихся вне подозрений относительно той памятной эпидемии коровьего бешенства, вызывавшей болезнь Крейтцфельдта — Якоба. Книга не ограничивается мировой торговлей донорской кровью и касается смежных бизнесов. Например, неожиданно закрытого (и непомерно прибыльного) рынка женских гигиенических средств, призванных с кровью ежемесячно бороться. Его объем оценивается в 23 млрд. долларов, и стартапов, желающих подрезать «крылышки» транснациональным гигантам, не убавляется. Национального героя Индии Муругу, успешно создавшего один такой, Unilever даже приглашал в Лондон для изучения его опыта.

A book about blood. Donating it. The history of the system that enable donation. Leeched and bloodletting. Menstruation. I was amazed about the taboos and myths that still surround it in parts of the world! Tainted blood supplies. And more. Each topic dealt with stands alone...this is a book you can dip into over time. I read it all at once and it remained fascinating. Well researched and written in an engaging style. As a Canadian, I noticed two, albeit minor, errors about Canada which made me worry about the accuracy of parts of the book I knew less about. ( )

This book was a series of essays in which each essay dealt with blood or some medical issue with blood. This format made for easy and interesting reading. The essays were all varied and didn't relate to each other, except that they had something to do with blood. There was an fascinating chapter on the establishment of the successful blood donation system in the U. K. that was fascinating medical, social, and cultural history. There was an interesting chapter on the tragic transmission of viruses through blood donations as well as one on the use of medical leeches in modern medicine. Who knew? For me the most interesting and unexpected chapter was the one on menstruation and the impact it has on society. This is a topic that is rarely tackled in a thoughtful way, and this essay proved to be the exception. It was thoughtful and yet passionate at the same time. It was medical, cultural, and economical. Economical in that the author dealt with the economic impact that this one fact of life has on the life of humans. She proves beyond doubt that the expense of supplies and the unwillingness of governments and business leaders to even talk about it costs money and most of that cost is passed onto the poorest of the people on this planet. In this essay they author introduced the reader to the "Pad Man of India" and his efforts to make the lives of women in India easier through the introduction of low cost menstrual supplies. The book was very grim in places, but was also full of light humor. I found it to be very readable and informative. ( )

Interesting but not quite as engaging as Mary Roach, somehow. I'd still happily read George's other book about waste--but it was just another decent nonfiction book, to me.

Contents, since the chapter titles are completely useless and I have far too many quotes to include:

1. My Pint: The blood donation preparation process in the UK and elsewhere, plus an introduction to the basic elements of blood.

2. That Most Singular and Valuable Reptile: Leaches and bloodletting in medicine, past and present, including a trip to a leach farm. Interesting, but I felt confused about why this was an entire chapter--it seemed to stray a little far from the focus.

3. Janet and Percy: For me the only uplifting chapter--more than informative and not super depressing. Mixes a history of medical blood transfer in with the story of Janet Vaughan, an absolutely amazing woman ahead of her time, and Percy Oliver, who organized the first blood donation system, in London during the lead-up to WWII.

4. Blood Borne: Depressing chapter #1. AIDS, primarily in South Africa. Rapes are at a record high, men and girls both commonly have at least two partners, and many children are born with HIV.

5. The Yellow Stuff: Depressing chapter #2. Payments for plasma and the commercialization of blood components in Canada (via the U.S., of course). Tainted blood and the unaware people who die from the blood transfers they need.

6. Rotting Pickles: Depressing chapter #3. Menstruation and stigma against it, Nepalese cultures that require women to sleep in shacks during their periods, and disgustingly uninformed science relating to women's reproductive systems.

7. Nasty Cloths: A less depressing chapter about "feminine sanitary products" with particular focus on one man in India (Muruga, formally Arunachalam Muruganantham) who found a way to buck commercialization and ensure that women could make and get the pads they need.

8. Code Red: Blood use in surgery (in history and now), organized around an arrival at a London trauma hospital. Pretty short chapter.

9. Blood Like Guinness: A future-oriented chapter with a little bit of looking forward, a little bit of looking back. Touches on myths and religions as well as modern science. Ended somewhat abruptly as we hit the notes on page 289 out of 353.

Hard to believe we got through discussions of vampirism without finding out what happens if humans drink blood. Anything? Nothing?

I had tons of quotes marked, which is great, but I'd probably be in violation of copyright if I typed them up.

Anyway, definitely an interesting book, but it felt more like a collection of SciAm articles. So something that you can dip into and out of, maybe with a focus on whatever interests you. ( )