Review: The Story of the Human Body: Evolution, Health, and Disease

The Story of the Human Body: Evolution, Health, and Disease by Daniel E. Lieberman
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I'm a little upset because I lost my first review of this book when I changed editions. My fault, though.

I received this book from my friend Simona when she was getting rid of some of her old things. She told me she couldn't really get into it, but after I told her I really enjoyed it, she decided to give it another try.

I really enjoyed this book, and it has made lasting changes to my diet and exercise routine. Unfortunately for Lieberman, it doesn't seem like the new terms he proposes in this book are really catching on like the word "meme" did for Dawkins. But then, "dysevolution" and "mismatch diseases" don't have quite the same ring.

Though I say this book has made lasting changes to my lifestyle, I would not really consider this a self-help book. Lieberman does not structure this book as a manual to combat dysevolution. Instead, he lays out the natural history of human evolution and how current environmental pressures are drastically different even from the not-so-distant past. But it is easy to pull relevant suggestions to leading a healthier life.

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