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Summary
Summary
Starting with the basic questions, "What does it mean to be human?" and "What does it mean to be me ?" Who Am I? by Richard Walker is an exciting, unusual, and thought-provoking exploration of what human identity is at the most fundamental level. Sweeping through biology, biotechnology, psychology, and a range of social themes--with room for the astonishing, surprising, and the bizarre--this is a book that delves deep into our notions of who we are, and what an amazing species we have become. From how we learn language, to what light DNA studies can shed on ancient history, to why so much money is spent on fighting the aging process, and how emotions help us interpret our world, this book enlightens on a whole range of physical and metaphysical questions. Fresh, engaging design and a compelling question-and-answer text make this a book that will intrigue, inspire, and inform readers of all ages.
Author Notes
Richard Walker is an award-winning science writer and is the author of a wide range of
books on the human body, biology and natural history. He has a BSc and PhD in zoology, and
he spent several years teaching biology in London schools before becoming a full-time writer.
Reviews (3)
Publisher's Weekly Review
In four chapters that cover memory, identity, DNA, social interactions, development, disease, and more, Walker investigates what it means to be a human being. The full-color spreads are a busy mix of photographs, illustrations, microscopic imagery, and sidebars, offering readers plenty to examine on every page. Walker uses a no-nonsense q&a-style format ("Where do we come from?"), answering each question matter-of-factly ("DNA evidence shows that we evolved in Africa and then spread through the Middle East to the Far East, Australia and Oceania, Europe, and the Americas"). The chapters conclude with additional facts and questions to test readers' retention of the preceding section. Ages 9-up. (June) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
Horn Book Review
Four sections introduce a potpourri of information focusing on the unique characteristics and abilities of humans. Anatomy, communication, imagination, cultural components, personality characteristics, emotions, DNA, and gender issues are a few of the topics covered. Short blocks of text, photographs, quizzes, and brain teasers make for a busy layout, but most readers will find something to explore in greater depth. Reading list, websites. Glos., ind. (c) Copyright 2012. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Kirkus Review
A broad overview of what makes us tick and, more superficially, what makes us human. Loosely related to an exhibit of the same name at the London Science Museum, the survey organizes single-topic spreads into four general areas: the brain and nervous system; heredity and evolution; emotions and social communication; and reproduction and development. The busy design features dazzling washes of color that provide few places for eyes to rest, mid-sized blocks of commentary and relatively technical explanatory captions. These mingle with elaborate montages of photographed children, medical and microphotography and photorealistic digital images of human anatomy rendered with a plastic sheen. Other animals, even other primates, get barely a nod as discussions of language, emotion, multiple kinds of intelligence, gender identity, individual personality, sex and attractiveness, aging and all the rest stay closely focused on human traits and features. Readers will come away with a few mistaken ideas--no, all bacteria are not bad--but also a clearer picture of how our bodies and brains function. A close look at the human animal--informative despite a severe lack of overall context. (review questions, personality test, multimedia resource list) (Nonfiction. 11-14)]] Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
