A Natural History of the Senses
by Diane Ackerman
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Book Reviews of A Natural History of the Senses
Book Review: dipped in the well where art & science swirl, mingle, meld.
Summary: 5 Stars
I have always been a fan of essays, their many ideas and images packed into a tiny bead. You can read each essay and experience so many different ideas that you feel like an actor on the stage. This book does not only that, but more. Diane Ackerman has the ability to mix science and feeling to such a beautiful level that you begin to wonder if there truely is any difference between them. The writings pull you through so many experiences and, often, you find that you feel you have been there yourself. She draws you in with history and science, then immerses you into the very sense... captivating you with beautiful prose. By far my favorite book. If you wish to escape yet dive into life at the same time, read away!Book Review: A Sensual Dessert
Summary: 4 Stars
Diane Ackerman paints a magical, exquisite path of words as you explore the five senses & beyond through the talent of her pen. Along the way you will learn some pretty amazing facts about body, mind, self, and the amazing world around us all. This is a truly mesmerizing journey that you won't want to put down until it's over. The only complaint I have is that it is written twenty years ago (1990) so this will date the information just a little. Plus, it does contain some un-PC words like "Orientals" to describe Asians & a total disregard for veganism/ vegetarianism with misinformation about protein.Book Review: A cultural, creative, and sensory delight
Summary: 5 Stars
After reading a few of Ackerman's New Yorker pieces, as well as The Moon by Whale Light and her contribution to Sisters of the Earth, I knew I would eventually read all of her books. A Natural History of the Senses does not disappoint. It flows like cool water through literature, history, music, politics, philosophy, and poetry. As a writer, I appreciate this book as a resource of my own, a way to deepen my understanding of our sensory appreciation of the world - but also as an example of beautiful writing by a master of the craft. In a nutshell, I wish Diane Ackerman lived next door to me.
Book Review: Sense and Sensibility
Summary: 5 Stars
This is an entirely personal response, but this is one of the most important books I've read. For anyone who tries to live actively through their senses, experiencing the world around them and incorporating a sense memory, this book will satisfy powerful, intuitive feelings. It has just enough science to explain and fascinate, the rest is clear, resonant stories of sensual experience. There is a lucid, sincere and powerful feeling of sheer joy about that book, the joy Ackerman finds in her own experience and her pleasure and sharing, but the book never tips into the sentimental.Book Review: Reading this book will make you feel more alive!
Summary: 5 Stars
Other reviews have done a great job of describing what the book is about - what it 'means'. But the most important thing it what it does. It touchs the mind, the senses, the heart, the spirit and ultimately makes you remember what it feels like to be alive. And it may also give you some marketable ideas. What about scented candles that smell like fresh baked bread, musty attics, fresh mowed lawns or the sea shore. If it can be done, I'll just be there would be a audience for it. I've given the book to many friends in the past and will continue to do so as I make new ones.