“David Waltner-Toews has written a fascinating little book on the subject, full of small- and large-scale insights, esoteric yet riveting assessments of globalization, and wisecracks that are no doubt unavoidable given the subject matter…It’s a book worth reading.” —New York Journal of Books

“At the heart (or gut) of The Origin of Feces is the idea that whether we like it or not, excrement is not only connected to every aspect of our lives but is also a crucial ingredient of life itself…Those sorts of ideas, along with a load of surprising facts and a good dose of levity (your inner five-year-old will think the poop jokes are hilarious), make for an enjoyably absorbing and profound read.” —Canadian Geographic

“Uses humour and science to discuss its evolutionary, ecological and cultural perspectives. He shines a light on a subject many people would rather not think about, thank you very much.” —The Record

“David Waltner-Toews picks up the thread with his impassioned treatise on the long, strange, even transcendent afterlife of poop in The Origin of Feces, a book whose cover is guaranteed to make you few friends at the coffee shop.” —Slate.com

“Waltner-Toews takes as humorous approach to the scatological subject as you can; one chapter is titled ‘The Other Dark Matter.’ But at the heart of the book is a rather weighty message: ‘Unless we change how we think about’ waste, he writes, ‘we are doomed to forever live in it.’” — The Washington Post

“In many modern societies, poop is perceived as a problem— potentially dangerous waste that has no place in our lives… in the cleverly-named The Origin of Feces, Canadian veterinarian and epidemiologist Waltner-Toews does the dirty work of dispelling that perception.” — National Geographic

“It may be a poor topic for polite company, but we can learn a tremendous amount from both human and animal waste.… Until you read this, you really won’t know sh*t.” — Publishers Weekly, starred

“Whether it's a gag gift, a toilet-side alternative to Sudoku or just some light, easily digestible po(o)p-sci fare, The Origin of Feces is sure to be a fun and pungent read.” — Bookish.com