- 302 pages
- English
- ePUB (mobile friendly)
- Available on iOS & Android
eBook - ePub
About this book
An "extraordinary" look at the stubborn problem of human waste disposal: "Among the best nonfiction books of the new millennium." ā
The New York Times
Acclaimed as "valuable and often entertaining" ( Los Angeles Times), The Big Necessity defies the taboo on bodily wasteāsomething common to all and as natural as breathing. We prefer not to talk about it, but we shouldāeven those of us who take care of our business in pristine, sanitary conditions. Disease spread by waste kills more people worldwide every year than any other single cause of death. Even in America, nearly two million people have no access to an indoor toilet. Yet the subject remains unmentionable.
Moving from the underground sewers of Paris, London, and New York (an infrastructure disaster waiting to happen) to an Indian slum where ten toilets are shared by 60,000 people, The Big Necessity breaks the silence, revealing everything that matters about how people doāand don'tādeal with their own waste. With razor-sharp wit and crusading urgency, mixing levity with gravity, Rose George has turned the subject we like to avoid into a cause with the most serious of consequences.
"One smart bookĀ .Ā .Ā . delving deep into the history and implications of a daily act that dare not speak its name." ā Newsweek
"Makes a passionate argument for putting sanitation at the top of the world's development agenda." ā Time
"With irreverence and pungent detail, George breaks the embarrassed silence over the economic, political, social and environmental problems of human waste disposal. Full of fascinating factsĀ .Ā .Ā . an intrepid, erudite and entertaining journey through the public consequences of this most private behavior." ā Publishers Weekly (starred review)
Acclaimed as "valuable and often entertaining" ( Los Angeles Times), The Big Necessity defies the taboo on bodily wasteāsomething common to all and as natural as breathing. We prefer not to talk about it, but we shouldāeven those of us who take care of our business in pristine, sanitary conditions. Disease spread by waste kills more people worldwide every year than any other single cause of death. Even in America, nearly two million people have no access to an indoor toilet. Yet the subject remains unmentionable.
Moving from the underground sewers of Paris, London, and New York (an infrastructure disaster waiting to happen) to an Indian slum where ten toilets are shared by 60,000 people, The Big Necessity breaks the silence, revealing everything that matters about how people doāand don'tādeal with their own waste. With razor-sharp wit and crusading urgency, mixing levity with gravity, Rose George has turned the subject we like to avoid into a cause with the most serious of consequences.
"One smart bookĀ .Ā .Ā . delving deep into the history and implications of a daily act that dare not speak its name." ā Newsweek
"Makes a passionate argument for putting sanitation at the top of the world's development agenda." ā Time
"With irreverence and pungent detail, George breaks the embarrassed silence over the economic, political, social and environmental problems of human waste disposal. Full of fascinating factsĀ .Ā .Ā . an intrepid, erudite and entertaining journey through the public consequences of this most private behavior." ā Publishers Weekly (starred review)
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Please note we cannot support devices running on iOS 13 and Android 7 or earlier. Learn more about using the app.
Yes, you can access The Big Necessity by Rose George in PDF and/or ePUB format, as well as other popular books in Technology & Engineering & Social History. We have over one million books available in our catalogue for you to explore.
Information
Table of contents
- Cover
- Title
- Copyright
- Dedication
- Contents
- Introduction: Examining the Unmentionables
- 1. In the Sewers
- 2. The Robo-Toilet Revolution
- 3. 2.6 Billion
- 4. Going to the Sulabh
- 5. Chinaās Biogas Boom
- 6. A Public Necessity
- 7. The Battle of Biosolids
- 8. Open DefecationāFree India
- 9. In the Cities
- 10. The End
- Notes
- Further Reading
- Filmography
- Acknowledgments
- Index
- About the Author