It’s the long-awaited return of RiYL guest number two, the great Mary Roach, who was in town kicking off a press tour for her new book, Grunt: The Curious Science of Humans at War. The author’s latest volume explores a subject near and dear to her heart, exploring her frequent theme of the human body as viewed through the camouflaged filter of the military. It’s a subject that links most of her books, gross and glorious popular science writing on topics from dead bodies to the stress of long distance space travel. In her new book, Roach examines everything from caffeinated meat to penis transplants with, balancing her delightful sense of humor with a serious inquisitiveness. Roach, who graduated with a bachelor’s in psychology has made a name for herself as a science writer, with a steady flow of best seller’s on the subject — six in all beginning with 2003’s ode to dead bodies, Stiff — in spite of having no formal training. It’s a remarkable feat, and a testament to her own engaging writing and unending inquisitiveness. On the day before she kicked Grunt press into full gear, Roach sat down with us in the lobby of her Manhattan hotel to discuss military secrecy, angler fish, and precisely what make a given subject “Roachable.”

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