Skeleton Keys

The Secret Life of Bone

De: Riley Black (Brian Switek)

Narrado por: Will Damron

“A provocative and entertaining magical mineral tour through the life and afterlife of bone.” —Wall Street Journal

Our bones have many stories to tell, if you know how to listen.

Bone is a marvel, an adaptable and resilient building material developed over more than four hundred million years of evolutionary history. It gives your body its shape and the ability to move. It grows and changes with you, an undeniable document of who you are and how you lived. Arguably, no other part of the human anatomy has such rich scientific and cultural significance, both brimming with life and a potent symbol of death.

In this delightful natural and cultural history of bone, Brian Switek explains where our skeletons came from, what they do inside us, and what others can learn about us when these artifacts of mineral and protein are all we've left behind.

Bone is as embedded in our culture as it is in our bodies. Our species has made instruments and jewelry from bone, treated the dead like collectors' items, put our faith in skull bumps as guides to human behavior, and arranged skeletons into macabre tributes to the afterlife. Switek makes a compelling case for getting better acquainted with our skeletons, in all their surprising roles. Bridging the worlds of paleontology, anthropology, medicine, and forensics, Skeleton Keys illuminates the complex life of bones inside our bodies and out.

Reseñas de la Crítica

“I sit here now crossing my extraordinary kneecaps... I can see them better thanks to Switek’s keys.” —Rose George, The New York Times Book Review

“Smart, lively, and hugely informative, Skeleton Keys is the ideal guide to the bones around us and in us.” —Elizabeth Kolbert, author of The Sixth Extinction

“A thoughtful, engaging meditation on the origins of the human skeleton, how it functions (or malfunctions) and how we come to terms with our essential but unsettling osseous framework.” —Nature

“Brian Switek writes with remarkable grace about the natural world. In Skeleton Keys, he looks inward, making us keenly aware of the marvels of the bones that give us the scaffolding we need to survive. Every chapter has some surprise, told in elegant tales, that you will repeat to your friends.” —Carl Zimmer, author of She Has Her Mother's Laugh: The Powers, Perversions, and Potential of Heredity

“[Switek] compellingly evokes the sheer wonder and complexity of the supporting framework inside you—and the murky human responses it arouses.” —Science

“From touring the famed Mutter Museum and London ossuaries, to ferreting out what really happened to Richard III, Skeleton Keys is a lyrical love letter to the 206 or so bones in the human skeleton and the colorful figures who have studied them over the centuries.”—Jennifer Ouellette, author of Me, Myself, and Why and The Calculus Diaries

“Skeleton Keys is an absorbing tour through the world of bones and the bones of the world. Considering in turn dinosaurs, saints, kings, and our own possible future, it is an assured and revelatory book.” —Maryn McKenna, author of Big Chicken and Superbug

“A cheerful popular-science romp through the matter that makes up our skeleton.... leaves the beaten path to deliver a fun explanation of the history, function, and cultural meaning of bone.” —Kirkus Reviews

“Informative, contemplative, and even lyrical, Switek’s work is popular-science writing at its best.” —Booklist

Great insight to my historical ancestry.

Narrated with interest in the subject. Author has a lovely sense of humor and writes in such a manner that a mere plebe as myself finished the book with much learned. Cheers!

Poorly set expectations

The premise is very interesting, however, the title and description are very misleading, as one would expect more of a look into bones rather than into history of their study, which was what I got and which would explain the unexpected political tangents, most of which were quite out of place. It is unfortunate that the political beliefs of the author do not leave a lot of space for neutrality, which undermines the scientific element.

Awesome Book, Read Very Well

My only quibble with this book is the subtitle, "The Secret Life of Bone." I was expecting a book that focused more on bones in a medical way, as was looking forward to that.

However, a more apt subtitle would be "The History of Bones." Once I realized, quite quickly, that this book was more of an historical look at bones--it starts with dinosaurs--I was all in, as the book is fascinating.

There is some medical information, but this book is more of a hybrid anthropological/sociological/historical look at bones. What we can surmise about people from their skeletons. as far as gender, race, etc., was very interesting, as was everything about the acquisition of skeletons--mostly Native American--and the valid controversies surrounding this practice.

Fossils, shrunken heads, selling skulls, racism, --there is a lot in this book, which makes it both educational and entertaining.

I also enjoyed the performer. His tone was great--he was serious when necessary and light when the topic called for that. I never felt like a student sitting in an anatomy class!

Overall, I recommend this book.

First half great, second disappointing

First half was just great, but than author focused on ethics, racism, etc. instead of biology. That’s a pity, as author could have easily shared more useful knowledge.

Great overall

If your into odd history and science stuff this is the perfect listen. I have heard it twice all the way through so far and still love it.