A Natural History of the Senses, Diane Ackerman

Many know Diane Ackerman for her most recent novel, The Zookeeper's Wife. While I haven't read the latter, A Natural History of the Senses urged me to investigate. My second nonfiction selection of the summer, Ackerman's book lives up to the promise of its title--and more. Getting dry only near page 250 of its 300-plus pages, the rhythm picks up shortly thereafter, leaving the reader with a sense of accomplishment at having absorbed so many interesting tidbits of information on the five senses, and at having, in a sense (pun entirely intended), recharged: For after completing A Natural History of the Senses, I was made aware of the wonder of my functioning body for perhaps the first time. Since I'm not as aware of trends in recent nonfiction as I'd like to be, I can't be sure, but from what I've read in the Tribune and heard from friends, it would seem that Ackerman's book ranks with some of the best of those pop-science books (a la "Bonk," "Freakonomics," etc.) that have graced the bestseller lists in the last few decades. I'd definitely recommend A Natural History of the Senses to anyone looking to beef up on interesting party facts. (Why do you think I read it? Girls always chase after those witty intellectuals.)

• Orphaned calves are wrapped in the skins of stillborns so that the mother of the stillborn will nurse the orphan--if she can't smell that the calf is her own, she won't nurse it.
• Those with smell disorders also find their sex drives lowered and have problems with their long-term memory.
• Touch is ten times stronger than verbal or emotional contact.
• In medieval times, a knight wore a lock of his lady's pubic hair into battle.
• Women often have colder hands and feet than men because when temperatures lower, the body automatically sends blood to protect her reproductive organs from freezing.
• Potato chips were invented in Saratoga Springs in the late 1800s.
• Those who crave carbohydrates are attempting to raise their levels of serotonin, as do those who suffer from seasonal affective disorder; ingredients in most carbohydrates have been tested and results show them to increase personal contentment.
• Humans can talk for exactly the same reason they can choke so easily: their larynx lies lower in their throat than the larynx of any other mammal.
• One's perception of color can be effected by emotions and memories associated with the color.

These were just a few of the surprisingly interesting things Ackerman dug up to include in her book; if you find any of them as intriguing as I do, I'd suggest checking it out.