Sex Sleep Eat Drink Dream is not your ordinary boring, informative, convoluted science book. Instead, this book is a game changer in the realm of biological non-fiction. Jennifer Ackerman creatively takes the reader through a day in the life of their body. Often using second person, she organizes the book from starting at the moment you wake up, all through the body's daily activities, to the deep sleep and the mystery of dreams. Not only does she get down to the molecular level of why the body acts the way it does, she always brings it back to the big picture of the body's function to keep the reader on track of the day and not lost in the scientific language. As well as thoroughly explaining complicated science talk in a more basic way, she backs up all of her explanations with scientific evidence, experiments, and studies. Not only do these back up her explanations, but they also combat popular believing myths of the body, keeping the book entertaining and intriguing. For example, did you know that being in the cold and getting sick are not correlated? More people get sick in the winter time because of the close proximity to other humans from being inside more often. Also, the best time to work out is not in the morning like most people think, but in the evening when your muscle strength, flexibility, and body temperature is at its peak. Being educated about these myths are important to live in your one and only body the best way possible.
Ackerman uses multiple anecdotes as well to appeal to pathos and ethos. These anecdotes help remind the reader once in a while that Ackerman is also a human, and just a writer, not a doctor or scientist. This reminder is helpful because she was just as curious as the reader to the functions our body carries out and why. The whole book entails interesting details and facts about the body that I would never have knew on my own. For example, the bugs and bacteria in our stomach help determine what weight we are, by fidgeting you can burn off as many calories as you consume, that the descend action of a workout is what actually builds your muscles, and many many many more.
I am so excited to finish this book. Just like Ackerman felt, I am so fascinated by the human body, and how I constantly do things without one thought to the action. I am amazed at what goes on inside the body, without me even knowing. This is my one and only body that I will live with for 85+ (hopefully) years. I might as well get to know it a little bit.
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