Carol Ann Rinzler

This was an interesting, well-written book. I learned a lot about conditions such as clubfoot and gout. The gout chapter was especially fascinating; I really enjoyed hearing about gout's supposed influence on the American Revolution. However, I felt the pictures could have been better; it's very difficult to read about a condition like flatfeet without knowing what it looks like. Another thing I didn't like was how the author went on these long tangents into topics such as evolution and show more separation anxiety; I was there to read about feet! show less

Summary: Our feet don't get enough love. Although Leonardo da Vinci said that "the human foot is a masterpiece of engineering and a work of art," for most of us, are feet carry us through our days without our giving them much thought beyond making sure that our socks match and our shoes stay tied. But Rinzler does her best to remedy that, tackling the ways in which the our feet have been integral to human life and human history. She starts with "Destiny", in which she addresses the evolution show more of the foot and an upright posture. She then moves on the "Disability" (the medical and historical ramifications of clubfoot), "Difference" (flat feet and their use as a social and cultural indicator), "Diet" (gout), and "Desire" (you can probably guess).

Review: This book should have been like catnip for me. A microhistory of an anatomical structure, and hey, we know I think anatomy's cool (see: my extreme geeking out over The Resurrectionist, all tied in with relevant history and biology and culture. I love all of those things, but somehow this book didn't quite hit the mark. In some ways, it was great: I love books like this as a good source of trivia, and this one had some awesome ones. (a quarter of the bones in the human skeleton are in the feet! Gout was historically a disease of rich white men because the uric acid crystals that cause it are the products of protein metabolism, and rich white men were the ones historically eating most of the meat! The Sistine Chapel ceiling contains an anatomically correct image of a brain!) It even provided me with an anatomical justification for why I'm so picky about my shoes: my extremely high arches mean that I tend to clutch my toes against the ground to get better purchase, so I need something with enough straps to keep them on my feet... but at least those high arches mean I'm probably not a witch! (See? Lots of fun trivia.)

My problem with this book was that I felt like Rinzler was trying to emulate Mary Roach, and that it wound up with her getting in her own way. There were some humorous bits that just fell flat, the writing style often felt a little cumbersome, the tangents and the digressions went on for extended periods without coming back around to the feet, and in general, it wasn't quite as light and easy as I think she was aiming for. I also really wish there'd been more of an introduction. The current Intro is really more of an Acknowledgements, and I think the book could have used a more factual introduction, going over some of the basic anatomy of the foot (maybe with some labelled diagrams, which are conspicuously absent) before diving into the first chapter and its specific topic.

So, overall, I found this book interesting, and full of good facts, but the writing style wasn't my favorite, and it kept it from being a total winner. 3.5 out of 5 stars.

Recommendation: Even though Rinzler doesn't have Mary Roach's knack for easy prose, Roach's books are still the closest readalikes. If you like that style of microhistory, this one's got enough interesting information to make it worth your while. show less

"Feed a cold and starve a fever!
Copper coins can cure warts!
Never eat a three-leaved plant!
Wear a tight hat and you'll go bald!
Medical folklore is a part of daily life. Sometimes it's helpful, sometimes it's harmless, sometimes it can be fatal.
Hundreds of domestic remedies, popular beliefs, do's and don'ts and old wives' tales are collected in this easy-reference handbook -- and their truth examined in the light of current medical science.
As you might expect, about two thirds are true and show more helpful. But perhaps it's for the other third or so of entries that you'll particularly want to have this entertaining and invaluable book." show less

A nice, easy non-fiction read covering evolutionary, medical and cultural issues involving human feet. I was most interested in the first part, describing the role of the foot and of standing upright on human evolution. There is also an interesting section on medical issues including clubfoot and gout.
The book deteriorates in the last chapters, which cover cultural and sexual issues. The writer has a meandering style, bring up many interesting but sometimes loosely connected facts. I enjoyed show more many of the facts, but suspect this would have been a stronger offering if it were shortened by about 30-50 pages. show less