On the one hand, the whole gross gimmick has been so trendy lately that it’s getting a bit old, but on the other hand, it does hold a certain appeal to its target audience, and it’s certainly applicable as a window to look at history.  I like the way this book focuses on the everyday experiences of people long ago, serving to paint a picture of the times which students need to develop if they are going to have the necessary context for reading/pondering history or historical fiction.  It’s interesting enough that I don’t want to give it a Not Recommended rating, but I don’t feel like I can quite recommend it, on account of some doubtful bits of information:  I find it hard to accept without question its assertion that “There are no such insects on the other side of the Atlantic” when referring to mosquitoes, given that malaria in Europe is documented back to at least the middle ages; though corsets may have been worn by both sexes, and primarily for purposes of encouraging good posture, as this book declares, you can’t tell me that some of those women weren’t also concerned with keeping their jiggly parts from jiggling; and if the whole focus of your book is the ick factor, and you’ve got pages dedicated to dealing with bodily wastes, without a single mention of women’s menstrual hygiene issues, you’re being omitting some pretty significant ick.