UID:
(DE-602)kobvindex_ZLB35104804
ISBN:
9780231556774
Content:
" Where would we be without the knee? This down-to-earth joint connecting the thigh and the lower leg doesn't receive the attention it deserves. Yet, as The Curious Human Knee reveals, it is crucial to countless facets of science, medicine, culture, and history8212 and even what makes us human. The science writer Han Yu provides an informative, surprising, and entertaining exploration of the human knee across time and place. She begins with our earliest ancestors, emphasizing that walking upright separates us from the apes and bipedal knees appeared long before big brains and sophisticated tools. Yu considers the intricate anatomy of the knee, its evolutionary history, and the complexity of treating knee pain, including her own. She examines why women's knees might be more prone to damage than men's and addresses the roles of race and class in ailments such as osteoarthritis. This book gets knee-deep into an astonishing range of topics8212 fashion from flappers to miniskirts and ripped jeans, cultural practices spanning Japanese knee walking and Thai boxing, and more. Yu reflects on the symbolic power of kneeling from the imperial court in China to the football field in the United States and shows why the knee figures into so many social and political phenomena. Distilling a vast amount of research in a style that is engaging, conversational, and even personal and witty, this book opens readers' eyes to the complexity and significance of the humble knee. "
Content:
Rezension(1): "〈a href=http://www.publishersweekly.com target=blank〉〈img src=https://images.contentreserve.com/pw_logo.png alt=Publisher's Weekly border=0 /〉〈/a〉: April 24, 2023 In this enlightening blend of science and cultural history, Yu ( Mind Thief ), an English professor at Kansas State University, considers the evolution and physiology of the human knee, as well as its role in fashion and customs. Expounding on how human knees differ from those of other great apes, she explains that human thigh bones meet shinbones at an angle that allows for greater balance while standing on two feet, an adaptation that enabled bipedalism but also put the joints at increased risk of injury from the greater weight placed on them. Yu studies clothing trends centered on knees, covering how 1920s flapper dresses with above-the-knee hemlines led to a moral panic and how 1970s punks used jeans ripped at the knee to indicate “their contempt for consumerism, wealth, and social status.” Other chapters meditate on the history of kneeling in front of royalty, why women athletes suffer more knee injuries than men, and the author’s recovery after tearing her meniscus, highlighting the overlooked role the knee plays in human evolutionary history and culture. Yu excels at identifying colorful material on an ostensibly mundane subject, and lay readers will appreciate the accessible prose. This makes for an animated and wide-ranging exploration of an unassuming body part."
Language:
English
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