Video Description: Mary Roach isn’t afraid to go there. After tackling the “curious science” of cadavers, outer space, and the human digestive system (Stiffed, Packing for Mars, Gulp), the bestselling author explores the military in her new book, “Grunt: The Curious Science of Humans at War” (W.W. Norton & Company). In Grunt, Roach uses her trademark wit, warmth, and curiosity to dissect the fascinating science of keeping soldiers alive – before, during, and long after battle.

• How does one research topics that Ms. Roach has written about? Examine some of the titles mentioned in this video and explore how they were formulated.
• What would you write about if you wanted to explore a ‘taboo’ topic? Have students brainstorm a list to share with the class.
• Use the video as inspiration/example for an activity that has your students interview each other on writing they have done. Use the video to show interview styles, types of questions, and how a finished interview video could be edited together.