Thursday, July 5, 2018

Natural Causes: An Epidemic of Wellness, the Certainty of Dying, and Killing Ourselves to Live Longer

Natural Causes: An Epidemic of Wellness, the Certainty of Dying, and Killing Ourselves to Live Longer by Barbara Ehrenreich     256 pages

"A razor-sharp polemic which offers an entirely new understanding of our bodies, ourselves, and our place in the universe, Natural Causes describes how we over-prepare and worry way too much about what is inevitable. One by one, Ehrenreich topples the shibboleths that guide our attempts to live a long, healthy life — from the importance of preventive medical screenings to the concepts of wellness and mindfulness, from dietary fads to fitness culture."

That's the publisher's blurb about this book.  I had read other books by this author and found them thought-provoking, so I had been anticipating this new book from her.  I didn't love it.  I found it was a strong starter, but then I started losing interest about halfway through.  I kept reading, but it just wasn't capturing me the way I had hoped. I still found some of the book to be thought-provoking, though, so it wasn't a total loss.  The author begins by focusing on the mysterious tendency of human immune cells to promote deadly cancers. From there, she explores how people feel that we like to believe we have agency over our own bodies and minds . . . but actually not.

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