I was provided a copy of this book for review purposes. This post contains affiliate links.All opinions are my own. It is my Universe, after all.
I am not a scientist. Plan and simple. I am fascinated by science. I believe in science but I have never had the mind that processes science. I watch Cosmos and know that e=mc2 but I always feel like an outsider looking in. Therefore, I don't tend to seek out scientific books.
When I was asked to review Touch: The Science of Hand, Heart, and Mind
by David J. Linden, I had no idea what to think. He is a neuroscientist from Johns Hopkins writing about how the brain, nervous system, and skin work together. It sounded interesting (or else this crazed mom would have politely said "no, thank you") but would I enjoy it?The short answer is "Yes!"Linden writes in a completely approachable and even humorous manner. He cites lots of studies and backs up everything with tremendous research. Yet it never felt like I was reading a medical journal or something else that I clearly wasn't qualified to understand. Instead, I laughed, learned and as I told him in our interview, came out with a few stories to share at parties to feel a little bit smarter.Speaking of our interview, I had the pleasure of speaking with Linden. He was as funny and affable on the phone as he is in the book. For my Austin friends, keep an eye out at BookPeople as he will be coming to town for a visit. I not only recommend getting the book, I recommend meeting him. If our travels allow, I will be there.In the book, the part that stood out to me the most was the importance of touch in the development of children. As a mom, I couldn't help but zoom in on that. Reader's Digest version -- touch matters. Children die without it. A child born without the sense of sight or hearing can go on to have a full life life. A child who is denied touch fails to thrive. If they survive physically, they are mentally and emotionally damaged. Examples from orphanages sadly demonstrated this point.All humans need touch and in our interview, Linden said that was the most important takeaway. "Don't be afraid to touch your children". He stressed that this was true of fathers as well as mothers. He almost bemoaned our post-sexual-abuse-scandal world that tells teachers not to touch their students. While we need safety and appropriate parameters, children need that contact with their educators to create trust and bond with them. He suggested that we need a national discussion on appropriate touch. I agree!So check out Touch: The Science of Hand, Heart, and Mind. You will find out how a rattlesnake has infra-red vision (this Texan shook in her boots with that) and how Gelada baboons have their sister's backs. And don't worry, there are a lot of human stories, too. There are even slightly randy stories involving braille and genitalia -- I kid you not! I recommend it highly.
