If Our Bodies Could Talk: A Guide to Operating and Maintaining a Human Body

I think the book may be poorly named; it's not a manual, where you can flip to the section on your heart and look up its functions and potential problems: that's just its organizing metaphor. It has larger goals: asking how and why people acquire information about their bodies, looking at what the questions we ask reveal about these things, and at the history of the spread of knowledge (or of falsehoods) about our bodies. Which is not to say that it's dry or theoretical--it's peppered with anecdotes and interesting facts that keep you moving through the book.And to be honest--I think this book is actually a much better education than a simple manual would be, because it places questions and ideas about the body in a larger context. In an age of misinformation by commercial interests and conspiracy theories (some of the victims of whom you can see complaining in the reviews here), it has the potential to be an inoculation (ha) against the ignorance that is being actively spread throughout our society.If you're a person who has made certain beliefs about medicine and biology central to your understanding of yourself and the world, you're not going to be convinced or like this book when it points out the honest facts that contradict your beliefs.But if you're the kind of person who is interested in knowledge and truth more than in being comfortable; who hasn't yet fallen for conspiracy thinking about vaccinations or "the medical establishment" or whatever; who is willing to give our society a hard look; who is ready to examine your own thinking about health; then you will enjoy this book and find it as fascinating as I did.

Also serious, well-sourced, and sarcastic (judiciously applied sarcasm, IMHO).An avid reader, I almost never write reviews, but I am so grateful that a book like this has been written that I am taking a few moments to share my admiration.This book has running humor throughout, which makes delightful work of reading about important issues and details concerning health information that has largely been co-opted by commercial, political, and cultural agendas. (Warning: I found it hard to read this book alone; there was so much information and entertainment I wanted to share with family and friends.)I would give my right arm to be able to write like this. (And then what would happen to that arm? Would it appear in a traveling show with a banner: "Famous Author Strikes Miraculous Book-for-Body-Part-Deal"? Would my forfeited arm be available for purchase by, say, a tattoo training program? You'll have to read the book to find out :-)

Short review: Get this book. You'll not only laugh, but will learn a thing or two.Long review: If Our Bodies Could Talk is a book that everyone will enjoy - from those that may have random bodily questions that they were too embarrassed to ask Google, to those that have backgrounds in Science and Medicine (and anywhere in between.) Worried about that contact being stuck in your brain? This will help. It's broken down into categories that allow the reader to skip around if you so wish, (although I recommend reading it from start to finish.) This is one of the few books that I've read in a little less than four days and laughed throughout. Jim manages to cover vast topics, from juice diets and fad eating, to everything in between without bias. It's a breath of fresh air to read a book that covers health, yet isn't trying to sell you on some weird supplements or products. If you enjoy reading Jim's Atlantic columns, or watching the video series If Our Bodies Could Talk, this will be right up your alley.

I gave this book 5 stars, but it deserves 10. I have read quite a few 'medical' books and articles in my day and never have I come across one that answers so many interesting questions about the human body in such a way that every person can follow along and enjoy + the author's sense of humor had me laughing out loud. His topics range from Itch Specialists, MIA contact lenses, Sleep deprivation, and ways to lead a healthier life. It's got everything!

This is a really enjoyable book, a true pleasure to read! It is full of meaningful, relevant health information - as well as some just plain interesting factoids. The witty humor and quips keep it moving while the legitimate informative content makes you want to read more. The format also allows one to pick up and enjoy any one topic or topics for a quick snippet. ...Highly recommend!

Super book. Interesting brief answers to questions about he human body, with a large dash of humour. Example:"can you lose a contact lens in your eye, and if so, will it end up in your brain". Manages this while being scientifically accurate, brief, and humble about both the author's clear brilliance and also about medical science.

So excited to have Dr. Hamblin's writing in a book after following his hilarious online videos. Definitely looking forward to a healthier 2017 :)

I love Hamblin's work for the Atlantic so when I saw he wrote a book I had to read it. He is very funny and a bit weird (in the best way), while also tackling very important and urgent issues facing our society and our planet. Would recommend this book to anyone!

I've paid for a new book, but it came like this, used, like rubbish.

Five stars

If you've ever read James Hamblin's articles for the Atlantic, or watched his delightful video series that shares a name with his new book, you won't be surprised to hear that this is both insightful and a great deal of fun. If you haven't...do! Hamblin explores every facet of the human condition, what we actually know about it, what companies pretend to know to sell us stuff, and how we should think about our bodies and our health. It's a quick but meaningful read, well worth picking up. Work-Life Balance is about science, but there are always practical challenges when it comes to living it out.

This book explains in understandable (for a lay person) detail how the body works and, more important, how useless (or harmful) many of the practices and techniques advocated by current fads and advertising pressures are. The author does not pass judgment, however; he relies on the reader's ability to understand and arrive at reasonable conclusions. Plus, and I can't stress this enough, his understated sense of humour 'helps the medicine go down, in the most delightful way'.

Misleading title, bought it for my dad who has health issues, to give him some reading materials just for information as he is already being attended to by his myriad of specialists. This book reads humorous though somewhat childish like a sex ed for teenagers.... not for the mature crowd. Submitted a return and refund request, it’s been more than a week and am still waiting on the refund.