TOW #23: Sex, Sleep, Eat, Drink, Dream by Jennifer Ackerman (Part 2)

Writing goals: -smooth transitions
Reading goals: -interesting novel about science

     The human body is a marvelous, convoluted, intelligent organism, but does the human actually know how their own body works? Do you know what happens when you are coming down with a cold, or what happens when your adrenaline levels skyrocket? Did you know that you can tell time in your sleep, and that all of your body's activities are based on its circadian rhythm, a built-in biological clock for your body? Well, Jennifer Ackerman wrote Sex, Sleep, Eat, Drink, Dream to take readers on a journey through their bodies on an average day, from wake-up in the morning all the way until they wake up again the next morning. Ackerman's intriguing and entertaining book makes the reader think of their body in an entirely new way.
   Ackerman appeals strongly to ethos, quoting many scientists and studies that she has found pertaining to the subject. This shows that she has done research in order to sound credible. But this is not just one or two hours of research. Ackerman backs up her claims with multiple studies from many credibly universities and research centers. The back of the book includes a 40-page bibliography citing all of the sources she used, as well as an index to look up anything she had talked about in the book. This creates a relationship with the reader because the reader will now trust the author, and believe most of what she is saying in her book. This helps support Ackerman's purpose of informing her readers about the functions of their body. She also includes personal anecdotes within most sections. These anecdotes bring back the information to a bodily level, including a normal human giving their own experience on the topic. The reader can relate with Ackerman, and really apply the information she is giving to their own life. This also supports Ackerman's purpose of informing her readers, because they can now take this information they have learned from her book and apply it to the real world. For example, she includes an anecdote about her friend who is an insane runner and can tackle almost any course if she is prepared for it. One day, she was not prepared for a hill at the end of her marathon, and could not finish the course. She had ran that many miles so many times before, but just because her mind was not prepared for that one hill, it failed on her. This can be prepared to many people living a healthy lifestyle. If they do not prepare themselves for the workout they want to endure, they will never reach their goals.
    Ackerman does a phenomenal job of keeping her book practical, informative, and entertaining. Every section in the book including various interesting tidbits about the human body that can be applicable to any age of living. She talks about the best time to drink a cocktail, to take a nap, to run a race, to take medication, along with many other things. I think Ackerman achieves her purpose well of using her book to inform her readers about their body. I have an entirely new look on my body, looking at life in a different way, and really striving for a healthy lifestyle.