Explaining Humans: What Science Can Teach Us About Life, Love and Relationships (Paperback)
Camilla Pang (author)- 10+ in stock
In this insightful and entertaining book, biochemist Camilla Pang explores relationships and obscure social norms through scientific methods, illuminating the revelatory power of neurodiversity.
Winner of the Royal Society Insight Investment Science Book Prize 2020
Diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder at the age of eight, Camilla Pang struggled to understand the world around her and the way people worked. Desperate for a solution, Camilla asked her mother if there was an instruction manual for humans that she could consult. But, without the blueprint to life she was hoping for, Camilla began to create her own. Now armed with a PhD in biochemistry, Camilla dismantles our obscure social customs and identifies what it really means to be human using her unique expertise and a language she knows best: science.
Through a set of scientific principles, this book examines life's everyday interactions including:
- Decisions and the route we take to make them;
- Conflict and how we can avoid it;
- Relationships and how we establish them;
- Etiquette and how we conform to it.
Explaining Humans is an original and incisive exploration of human nature and the strangeness of social norms, written from the outside looking in. Camilla's unique perspective of the world, in turn, tells us so much about ourselves - about who we are and why we do it - and is a fascinating guide on how to lead a more connected, happier life.
Publisher: Penguin Books Ltd
ISBN: 9780241987117
Number of pages: 256
Weight: 181 g
Dimensions: 198 x 129 x 16 mm
MEDIA REVIEWS
'This vital memoir illuminates the power of being on the autism spectrum' - The Times
'This book is truly exceptional. Applying science to the problems of human relationships, the perils of perfectionism and the pitfalls of social etiquette, Millie has written a joyous, funny and hugely insightful text for all of us - whether neurotypical or neurodiverse. This 'Outsiders Guide to the Human Race' is warm, witty and a joy to read.' - Gina Rippon, cognitive neuroscientist/autism researcher and author of The Gendered Brain
'Thoughtful, incisive and important: this is a must-read for an accessible education in human understanding. It blew my mind!' - Laura Jane Williams, author of Our Stop and Becoming: Second Sex, Second Chances, and Figuring Out Who the Hell I Am
'Whether neurodiverse or neurotypical, Pang's witty account is a must-read for anyone who wants to broaden their understanding of life beyond what society defines as the 'norm'' - Dazed
'Camilla's book is an accessible guide to scientific concepts that is humorous and engaging' - BBC Science Focus
'A scientific blueprint of human nature and all its bizarre social norms' - Bustle
'An easy-to-read part-memoir, part-explanation of why humans are the way they are and what we can learn from it' - Refinery29
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“Amazing book”
I bought this for my daughter, after she read Camilla's article in a BBC science magazine. She found it very interesting and enjoyable, and always loves hearing about other amazing people with ASD and what they... More
“interesting and useful book”
The book is written in simple and interesting way. I work at the Neurodevelopmental Disorder field. I will recommend this book to the parents and young persons diagnosed with ASD/ADHD. It will them to understand and... More
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