Book – Author Bill Sullivan

The Book

Pleased to Meet Me

GENES, GERMS, and the CURIOUS FORCES THAT MAKE US WHO WE ARE

Available now at your favorite bookseller!

Published by National Geographic Books on August 6, 2019

Why are you attracted to a certain “type?” Why are you a morning person? Why do you vote the way you do?
From a witty new voice in popular science comes a clever, life-changing look at what makes you you.

“I can’t believe I just said that.” “What possessed me to do that?” “What’s wrong with me?” We’re constantly seeking answers to these fundamental human questions, and now, science has the answers. The foods we enjoy, the people we love, the emotions we feel, and the beliefs we hold can all be traced back to our DNA, germs, and environment. This witty, colloquial book is popular science at its best, describing in everyday language how genetics, epigenetics, microbiology, and psychology work together to influence our personality and actions. Mixing cutting-edge research and relatable humor, Pleased to Meet Me is filled with fascinating insights that shine a light on who we really are–and how we might become our best selves.

Translated into a dozen languages, Pleased to Meet Me is available around the world!

Shortlisted for the Indiana Authors Awards!

Available now:

Praise for PLEASED TO MEET ME

“From microbes that make you intoxicated, to the genetic demons hiding within your DNA–Sullivan takes you on a whirlwind journey through human biology, explaining the reasons you look and feel the way you do along the way. Deftly weaving cutting-edge science with popular culture, Pleased to Meet Me, is an accessible and fast paced book that’s sure to leave you wanting more.”
—Sharon Moalem MD, PhD, New York Times bestselling author of Survival of the Sickest: A Medical Maverick Discovers Why We Need Disease

“In equal parts approachable and mind-blowing, Sullivan gives us a whistle-stop tour of the myriad factors that make you who you are. Although it’s easy to believe that we choose our own paths in life, a good deal is navigated by invisibly small forces inside and outside of us.”
—David Eagleman, PhD, New York Times bestselling author, host of PBS series The Brain

“Sullivan artfully reports on how our genes interact with our surroundings to shape our unique personalities and the persons we’ve become. Pleased to Meet Me is a beautiful melding of science and the human experience!”
—Peter Hotez, MD, PhD, FASTMH, FAAP, author of Vaccines Did Not Cause Rachel’s Autism: My Journey as a Vaccine Scientist, Pediatrician, and Autism Dad

“Bill Sullivan’s Pleased to Meet Me is a delightful tour of human diversity. With wit and charm, Sullivan explores why humans vary so dramatically in their chosen foods, past-times, romantic partners, virtues, and vices—and how a unique combination of genes and environment shapes each of our planet’s seven billion inhabitants in subtly and sometimes starkly different ways. Pleased to Meet Me is a rare treat: a book that’s fun to read from cover to cover, while leaving you wiser and better-informed about who you really are.”
—Adam Alter, New York Times bestselling author of Drunk Tank Pink and Irresistible

“I highly recommend this book for everyone with an interest in human behaviour. It accomplishes the rare feat of presenting large amounts of scientific information in a manner that makes it both fascinating and fun to read. Sullivan explains how genes influence everything from how food tastes to our moods, love lives, political preferences and beliefs. And since genes can be programmed while one is still in the womb, he shows how parents’ lifestyles influence genetic expression in their children. Not only will readers’ knowledge of body and brain be greatly enhanced by this book, but they are likely to become more tolerant and compassionate as well.”
—James E. Alcock, PhD, author of Belief: What It Means to Believe and Why Our Convictions Are So Compelling

“Bill Sullivan is a sympathetic guide who understands your dislike of exercise and most things healthy. This wide-ranging tome puts a new light on human pursuits, including eating, drinking, thinking, sex, free will, even politics and religion, all presented with topical humor and wit.”
—Scott Anderson, co-author of The Psychobiotic Revolution

“Filled with surprising facts, witty anecdotes, and engaging explorations of the biological forces that make us who we are, Pleased to Meet Me is a must-read for anyone interested in an intelligent approach to self-discovery. Sullivan translates cutting-edge science into practical insights about the ways that genes, germs, and environment shape our health, happiness, and relationships. This book will change the way you see yourself — and will provide newfound empathy for others.”
—Ty Tashiro, PhD, author of AWKWARD: The Science of Why We’re Socially Awkward and Why That’s Awesome

“Fascinating and compelling, Pleased to Meet Me is in parts as close to philosophy as science books get. Infused with the author’s warm and witty character, the book exposes us as the biological machines we really are. It left me marveling at the insights into our nature, and full of compassion for the quirks of circumstance that define each of us.”
—Alanna Collen, PhD, author of 10% Human: How Your Body’s Microbes Hold the Key to Health and Happiness

“Pleased to Meet Me is one of those rare books that makes you see the world in a new way that’s simultaneously fascinating and horrifying. Fascinating because science is learning more and more about how genetics, environmental factors, and microbes affect our behavior–and horrifying because of the implications of this neurological cabal. We like to think we’re totally in control of how we think and act, but Sullivan makes a strong case that our beloved “agency” is not what we think it is.”
—Matt Simon, science journalist at WIRED and author of Plight of the Living Dead: What Real-Life Zombies Reveal About Our World–And Ourselves

Pleased to Meet Me reviewed in the New York Post!

Pleased to Meet Me review by Sheila Kennedy.

Pleased to Meet Me featured in BookBub’s Best Nonfiction Books of Summer 2019.

Pleased to Meet Me featured in STAT’s “36 Books and Podcasts on Health and Science to Check Out this Summer” (2021)

“The author has a talent for distilling what may otherwise be dry and difficult material into a wondrous adventure into the physiology and psychology of the human machine. Fans of Mary Roach will adore this new entry into the science for the curious lay-person canon.”
Read the full review at Somerset County Library System of New Jersey

“There is so much that’s fascinating here, and suffice to say there’s more that’s potentially influenced by genetics than I ever thought possible. That’s not to say we should give in and indulge any and every vice — he also emphasizes that although a lot is programmed into our genes, there’s still personal responsibility and choice to manage responses. But it serves as a helpful reminder that much of the hand we’re dealt was beyond our choosing, and moral judgment of others helps nothing.”
Read the full review at What’s Nonfiction?

“With Pleased to Meet Me, Sullivan has pulled back the curtain and revealed that answers to the questions we’ve had for ages have been within our grasp the entire time. We just needed someone to show us where—and how—to look for that information. This book provides fascinating insights that are tangible, smart and worth a deeper look.”
Read the full review at Jathan & Heather.

Reviews from the TLC Book Tour!

Tuesday, August 6th: Amy’s Book-et List

Thursday, August 8th: bookchickdi

Friday, August 9th: A Bookish Way of Life

Monday, August 12th: Stacy’s Books

Monday, August 12th: JulzReads

Tuesday, August 13th: Orange County Readers

Monday, August 19th: 100 Pages a Day…Stephanie’s Book Reviews

Tuesday, August 20th: Instagram: @crystals_library

Wednesday, August 21st: Jennifer ~ Tar Heel Reader

Wednesday, August 21st: Jathan & Heather

Thursday, August 22nd: The Desert Bibliophile