The Big Necessity: The Unmentionable World of Human Waste and Why it Matters by Rose George

A book about human waste doesn't sound too interesting, but Rose George's examination of the subject is a real eye-opener. She travels to many countries and interviews those in the waste disposal/sanitation business, as well as villagers, politicians and more. She talks to experts and users and illustrates the plight of many third world countries where the need for clean water cannot be separated from the need for adequate sanitation. Her chapters on American sewage treatment and the use of biosolids on American farmers' fields will certainly make you sit up & take notice. This is a well written, interesting and informative book. It is both entertaining and thought provoking.

From Publishers Weekly
Starred Review. With irreverence and pungent detail, George (A Life Removed) breaks the embarrassed silence over the economic, political, social and environmental problems of human waste disposal. Full of fascinating facts about the evolution of material culture as influenced by changing mores of disgust and decency (the popularity of high-heeled shoes dates back to the time when chamber pots were emptied into the streets)—the book shows how even advanced technology doesn't always meet basic needs: using toilet paper is shockingly unhygienic and millions of government-built latrines in developing countries have been turned into goat sheds and spare rooms due to poor design, a lack of regular water supply or simply because the subsidized (and expensive) cement and stone structures are often more appealing than the village huts. George explores how discussions on the importance of clean drinking water and the eradication of infectious diseases euphemistically address how to handle human waste. From the depths of the world's oldest surviving urban sewers in to Japan's robo-toilet revolution, George leads an intrepid, erudite and entertaining journey through the public consequences of this most private behavior. (Oct.)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Read about Ms. George on her website at:
http://rosegeorge.com/site/about/

If this subject interests you, another book to read is one that is lighter in tone and often funny.

Flushed: How the Plumber Saved Civilization by W. Hodding Carter.

From Publishers Weekly
Though it's a pretty safe bet that the only people who pick up this book will be those who are interested in sewage, the author's easy humor, average homeowner's point-of-view, and excitement for his subject should ensnare the casual browser. The book's also extensive: Carter, a history and nature author, discusses water-delivery and sewage systems from the height of Rome to the sewers of London to present-day Boston. Anecdotes and interviews pair well with thorough history and technical explanation, and Carter reserves a chapter to discuss the plumber himself: his profession, his training, and why, in the case of a nuclear holocaust, plumbers "will be our knights in droopy jeans." Though he can be a little too loose with the toilet-humor (chapter 12 is called "The Power of Poop"), his populist, live-and-in-color approach could make this a crossover hit.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Review
"Witty, enlightening, and just plain fun to read."
-- Minneapolis Star Tribune