All the Dirt: A History of Getting Clean Paperback – October 11, 2016

Admittedly, when I cracked open this book I was a bit worried that it would be as interesting as my grandfather’s book, THE FUN OF WATCHING PAINT DRY: OBSERVATIONS OF A HABITUAL VIEWER. Grandpa never sold many books. Still, the description captured my interest enough to give it a shot. I knew the basics of cultural relativism in terms of cleanliness and some historical elements, such as the famous Roman baths. ALL THE DIRT: A HISTORY OF GETTING CLEAN included that information and more; I never expected to read the book in one sitting. Indeed, the author’s writing style made this book flow (and it would be appropriate for its intended younger audience) with plenty of interesting tidbits on our notions of cleanliness both today and throughout history, as well as our practices of staying clean. The book combines anthropology, history, and modern medicine to tell a captivating story of the human love/hate relationship with grime.ALL THE DIRT begins with a few myths on cleanliness, and this provides a starting point for the rest of the book as the author elaborates on why each of these are, indeed, myths (without constant reference to the myths themselves). The author does a great job with transitioning from chapter to chapter, and the various sidebars are appropriate and add to the reading without killing the flow. The book starts in ancient history and ends in modern times. The young reader can learn about the sociological, anthropological, and religious traditions of bathing and keeping clean (or not keeping clean). Even the current controversy surrounding the use of antibacterial soap is included.Kids aged nine and older should enjoy ALL THE DIRT. For those kids not old enough to read on their own, the adults in their life would probably enjoy reading along. The writing is easy enough to young readers but interesting enough for the adults.Now if you’ll excuse me, I need a shower.In the interest of full disclosure, I received a complimentary electronic review copy of ALL THE DIRT from the publisher. They did not throw in a bar of soap, however.

I received an eARC copy of this book from the publisher. Here is my honest review.I requested this title because it seemed like something my 10 year old son would enjoy. And he would - most boys will enjoy the use of scatological terms and identify with the ancient concepts of not bathing. As a social studies teacher, I enjoyed the book as well. I found it to be laid out very logically. Ashenburg did a tremendous job of explaining history along with the customs and mores of various periods of history in a way that young readers can enjoy. This book has serves educational purposes along with pure enjoyment.

What a different view of history! I enjoyed the journey through world history, from the ancient Egyptians and Greeks, to the Middle Ages, the Renaissance, and on to modern times. I hadn't known everything that was mentioned about bathing and otherwise keeping clean. I appreciated the balanced view in the last chapter, where the author made the point that we need some exposure to germs in order to stay healthy. I received a free ecopy of this book from NetGalley and chose to review it.

This was a great history on cleanliness and what was thought of being clean through the ages and throughout the world. It was very interesting. It was written in a way that children could easily understand but that adults would also find engaging. I really enjoyed this book. I would recommend this book as a nonfiction to grade schoolers, teachers and parents.I received a copy of this from Netgalley and have given an honest review.

Fascinating. Clever. Disgusting. Unforgettable. This book really covers it all in a very enjoyable, easy to read format. I learned several things! Beginning with several myths about cleanliness, this book chronicles different beliefs and practices about bathing from ancient times to modern day. It covers several cultural aspects of bathing through history, including sociology, anthropology, archeology, medical knowledge at the time, and religious theology.The reading style flows from chapter to chapter with interesting sidebars along the way that add tremendously to the storyline. The reading level is appropriate for kids over 3rd or 4th grade, but younger readers would enjoy following along with a more mature reader. The interest level, though, is excellent, all the way through to adults. The illustrations are accurate but not offensive. It was a very enjoyable read.I gratefully received this book as a free eARC from the author, publisher, and NetGalley in exchange for my unbiased review.

All the Dirt: A History of Getting Clean by Katherine Ashenburg is a fascinating book on the history of mankind and getting "clean". This book explores various TIMES in history along with various CULTURES and tells the reader what culture, at that time period, believed was "clean". Don't eat while reading this! I tried, you won't want to. It is truly amazing the different thoughts, beliefs, customs, and crazy things they did to be clean, or not to be clean, and why. A lot of knowledge in this book and it is all fun stuff. Not just for kids either! I knew some but I learned so much! Truly an awesome book! Great job for grossing me out and making me learn something!!! Thanks NetGalley for the book suggesting, I will try to eat now. Maybe.