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380th out of 864 books
—
493 voters
Skin: A Natural History
We expose it, cover it, paint it, tattoo it, scar it, and pierce it. Our intimate connection with the world, skin protects us while advertising our health, our identity, and our individuality. This dazzling synthetic overview, written with a poetic touch and taking many intriguing side excursions, is a complete guidebook to the pliable covering that makes us who we are. Sk...more
Hardcover, 281 pages
Published
October 5th 2006
by University of California Press
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This is one of my favorite books to date. I discovered its existence when I was writing a paper on the effects of ultra-violet radiation on the evolution of human skin - this book was a perfect reference point for the assignment. To paraphrase Albert Einstein, "If you can't explain it simply, you don't know it well enough." Skin is bursting with interesting information as well as passion and great writing technique and skill. The result is a book that will keep you up at night instead of putting...more
An great book. It's written as a natural science historical piece allowing her to give the data as well as the history and stories. Skin is one of the most under appreciated organs we have. This book is very powerful because it demystifies a superficial indicator that ha led to do much hated and cruelty in the form of racism. Excellent book
An excellent book especially on a topic which is rarely tackled by authors. I especially like Nina's take on the the role that skin played in human evolution and how it allowed our ancestors to support a larger brain and evolve into modern homo sapiens.
Book is not bogged down by complex scientific terminology or is too simplistic to be considered unscientific.
A good read.
Book is not bogged down by complex scientific terminology or is too simplistic to be considered unscientific.
A good read.
Skin. The organ you probably take the most for granted. It seems extremely simple, but as Nina G. Jablonski shows us in this book, Skin: A Natural History, it is extremely complex. I chose this book for my alternate reading assignment in my Biological Anthropology class this past semester, and it's fascinating. She goes over, of course, the "basics" that most (if not all) of us know from our introductory biology courses in high school or college, but she takes it a little more in depth as well....more
مجهود كبير .. وتفسير أكثر من مقنع على تطور لون البشرة تبعا للعوامل الجوية والملاءمة الحياتية بناء على دلائل علمية واضحة .
Nina Joblanski has studied and researched skin for many years and has put together all that she has learned in a nice concise book that's pretty accessible for everyone to read. I especially like her thoughts about how humans have socially removed touch as one form of communication and for forming community and relationships. And there is so much more ...
Fascinating, although somewhat disturbing at times.
An entertaining read, Jablonski has some fantastic and informative prose. Also, a delightful history, with some interesting tidbits. However, some of the science lacks sufficient detail for my mind (though I realize this is entirely not Jablonksi's fault, as she is writing a natural history, not a scientific treatise); some social issues are not raised, and at times, the book is slightly redundant.
Overall, a good read- and well worth a leaf through, if only for the stunning color pictures in the...more
Overall, a good read- and well worth a leaf through, if only for the stunning color pictures in the...more
Available at DCPL
the flat-out best bioethnopsychosociological book i have read, which basically means it's very accessible and written with enough of a sense of humor to remain engaging throughout...she explores the biological basis of the development of the Other and finds evolutionary answers for pressing questions regarding race throughout the world...soooo good
Just could not get into this book. Whew. Moving on to the next thing. Sorry, Nina! Its me, not you!
Nina jablonsky is the world expert on why different skin colors arose - very interesting reading about uv protection versus folic acid needs of the body. Strange to think that chemical differences cause wars!
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Full of fascinating information about the evolutionary biology of human skin, but I found later chapters that strayed farther from this theme (and farther from Nina's expertise) to be less engaging.
Aug 13, 2008
catherine
rated it
4 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
anyone interested in biology, anthropology or evolution
Shelves:
bio-sci
well researched, organized and written, and an absolutely beautiful publication. achieved a balance between biology, anthropology and evolutionary history.
great info-- for the short version watch her TED talk.
One of the snappiest popular science books I've ever read. Each chapter was interesting and informative. Gave me lots to think about.
I had high hopes, but this book was really boring. I think my high school bio text was a better read!
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Nina G. Jablonski is Professor and Head of the Department of Anthropology at the Pennsylvania State University. She edited The First Americans: The Pleistocene Colonization of the New World and The Origin and Diversification of Language (both UC Press), among other books. Her research on human skin has been featured in National Geographic, Scientific American, and other publications.
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