“A cultural history of the digestive system traces our attitudes about eating through considerable twists and turns. The material, in scope and erudition, is absolutely delicious.”

– The Wall Street Journal

“Rumbles could not come at a more apt or more dyspeptic moment. Richardson is interested in the gut’s workings, but she is also interested in its symbolism. In other words, she is interested in why we are all sick to our stomachs. Richardson makes a number of fascinating forays into corners of history that I had never thought to wonder about. In addition to its many charms as a source of information, Rumbles is a compelling compendium of ideas. Its discussion of gut disease as an emblem of modernity leaves readers with much to digest. The perfect book for our golden age of indigestion.” 
 

– Becca Rothfeld, The Washington Post

"It is engagingly written and is full of fascinating trivia. The smorgasbord of topics covered in Rumbles is vast, ranging from religion, racism, colonialism, animal rights, etiquette, and capitalism to obesity, constipation, and gender, and the book is a hearty read."

– Science

"Richardson, a health historian, effectively explains why the gastrointestinal tract deserves its share of esteem. Her attention is directed more toward the medical history, sociology, cultural impact, and metaphors associated with the digestive system than its physiology. Richardson's discussion is populated by philosophers, literary writers, suffragettes on hunger strikes, medical scientists, bodybuilders, and psychologists. She touches on toilet habits and taboos, the gut's relationship with the brain and immune system, its microbiome, diet, and folklore. An unexpectedly absorbing, sometimes slightly strange 'scoping' of our relationship with the gastrointestinal tract."

– Booklist, starred review

"Richardson serves up a piquant cultural history of the stomach. Readers will be more than happy to come along for the ride. A fascinating history."

– Publishers Weekly

“Fascinating. A window into our relationship with the gut as mediated by medicine, literature, politics, and language.” 

– Times Literary Supplement

“A brilliant new cultural history of the gut.”

– The Daily Mail

“A vivid cultural history of changing metaphorical, political, and scientific visions of our guts.” 

– The Guardian

“Marshaling a wealth of resources, Richardson offers eye-popping (and sometimes gut-wrenching) insight into how our presumed cutting-edge understanding of the gut is not as new as we might want to believe. Rumbles will persuade you that to listen to the ‘rumbles’ of our gut is to immerse ourselves in an abiding historical legacy, for better or for worse.” 

– Professor Jean Walton, author of Dissident Gut

“A thrilling and surprising journey into the science and culture of an organ that refuses to be civilized.”

– Paul Craddock, author of Spare Parts