About the Author

Jennifer Ackerman is the author of Notes from the Shore and Chance in the House of Fate. The recipient of a grant from the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation and literature fellowships from the National Endowment for the Arts and the Bunting Institute of Radcliffe College, she writes for National Geographic, the New York Times, and other publications.

Reviews

"It's rare to find a book that delivers so much knowledge in prose that's such an enormous pleasure to read." --Miriam E. Nelson, Tufts University, and author of Strong Women Stay Young "Jennifer Ackerman writes with the precision of a scientist and the elegance of a poet . . . invigorating, informed, insightful, and wise." --Steve Olson, author of Mapping Human History and Count Down "A fascinating look at what modern science tells us about who we are." --Elizabeth Kolbert, author of Field Notes from a Catastrophe "A delightful picaresque . . . You'll never think about your body--and what you do to it--in the same way again." --Stephen S. Hall, author of Size Matters and Merchants of Immortality "Ackerman offers a pleasant day's diversion." Publishers Weekly "An insightful text celebrating just how clever is the machine we call the human body." Kirkus Reviews Ackerman has hit her stride [with] a virtual full-body scan conducted over the course of 24 hours." Booklist, ALA "A readable and remarkably comprehensive tour of all that is new and intriguing in the study of normal human physiology." --Abigail Zuger, M.D.
The New York Times "Ackerman's illuminating and hospitable book helps ensure that the inner life of our bodies will receive its fair share of wonderment." --Kyla Dunn The New York Times Book Review --

Just as Michael Sims does in his planetary guide, Apollo's Fire (Reviews, June 11), science journalist Ackerman (Notes from the Shore) uses a single day as a narrative framework for examining a wide array of scientific information, but she has chosen a much more intimate subject: the human body. Starting with a 5:30 a.m. wakeup call and working through to the wee hours (with a pause for a restorative midday nap), she explains the complex details behind some of the body's most basic functions. The day is a somewhat arbitrary structure for topics that could be discussed at any time (she holds off on exercise until the late afternoon, for example), but the arrangement is never obtrusive, and Ackerman's prose is inviting. While she doesn't offer a radical new perspective on the human body, she does provide a steady stream of interesting information on things like the tiny hair cells inside the cochlea that enable us to hear even the briefest of noises, and the aphrodisiac allure for women of the odor of men`s underarm sweat. All in all, Ackerman offers an pleasant day's diversion. (Oct. 2) Copyright 2007 Reed Business Information.