Everything you wanted to know about human plumbing but were afraid to ask.

In this amusing handbook, debut author Ruiz argues that it’s well past time for society to get over its discomfort regarding the urinary system. She not only provides critical information about it, she also encourages readers to be proactive participants in keeping it healthy. The author includes her own journey as a urologist’s wife, constantly fielding questions from strangers and loved ones alike—at first, somewhat gingerly, but eventually embracing her role as “a human conduit between the patient and the highly skilled doctor.” She employs an accessible style with colorful phrases scattered throughout; for instance, she uses a baseball analogy to detail the various urology subspecialties—her husband specializes in reconstructive surgery—and describes a weak urine flow thusly: “his pee stream was sounding more like a slow skipping rock across a very large pond.” Other topics include penile prostheses, prostate health, vasectomies, kidney stones, and hormone replacement therapy. Of particular note are chapters covering diabetes, the effects of anesthesia, a neighbor’s alarming case of parasites, and pelvic floor therapy. In this last instance, Ruiz discovered that the muscles at play are the same that one uses for holding in flatulence, and she says that a genteel doctor she interviewed “actually made the word ‘fart’ sound as though it were the harp in an orchestra.” Impressively, the book has already been translated into 13 languages; this may allow the author to break taboos globally for the sake of improving health. That said, there’s occasional confusion between possessives and plurals (“I knew he was fixing penis’s, I just never realized he was an expert with vagina’s too”) and a few other errors in the text (“vas deference”; “urinary track”). However, in the larger context of flawed health care systems, it’s notable that Ruiz mentions issues surrounding access to medical services in the second chapter, as seeing a specialist isn’t necessarily simple for underserved populations.

A lighthearted approach to the serious matter of urological health.