2020 UAS One Campus, One Book Selection Announced: "If Our Bodies Could Talk: a Guide to Operating and Maintaining a Human Body" by James Hamblin

In 2014, James Hamblin launched a series of short-form videos for The Atlantic called "If Our Bodies Could Talk." With it, the doctor-turned-journalist established himself as a seriously entertaining authority in the field of health.

Juneau, Alaska

Date of Press Release: August 6, 2020

The 2020 UAS One Campus, One Book selection is "If Our Bodies Could Talk: a Guide to Operating and Maintaining a Human Body" by James Hamblin.

About the Book

In 2014, James Hamblin launched a series of short-form videos for The Atlantic called "If Our Bodies Could Talk." With it, the doctor-turned-journalist established himself as a seriously entertaining authority in the field of health.

“If you want to understand the strange workings of the human body, and the future of medicine, you must read this illuminating, engaging book.” --Siddhartha Mukherjee, author of The Gene.

Now, in illuminating and genuinely funny prose, Hamblin explores the human stories behind health questions that never seem to go away—and which tend to be mischaracterized and oversimplified by marketing and news media. He covers topics such as sleep, aging, diet, and much more. Hamblin draws from his own medical training as well from hundreds of interviews with distinguished scientists and medical practitioners. He translates the (traditionally boring) textbook of human anatomy and physiology into accessible, engaging, socially contextualized, up-to-the-moment answers. They offer clarity, examine the limits of our certainty, and ultimately help readers worry less about things that don’t really matter. If Our Bodies Could Talk is a comprehensive, illustrated guide that entertains and educates in equal doses.

In 2012, Hamblin went on leave from a radiology residency at UCLA to take a job as editor of the health section of The Atlantic’s digital magazine. He describes the reasoning behind this seemingly reckless decision in the book’s prologue.

“I justified leaving a very stable, lucrative career for a very unstable industry by the fact that there are not enough science journalists or doctors working in public health. I wanted to have an impact on the roots of problems more than the symptoms, to question the textbooks rather than memorize them, and, ideally, to make people laugh. Journalism allows me to have some hand in public scientific literacy, and that might be ...the most valuable tool in pursuing health and happiness.”

Events

OCOB Virtual Book Discussion

Aug 19-Sep 2 on Twitter #UASReads

This fall, UAS One Campus, One Book invites you to join in a community-wide read of James Hamblin’s If Our Bodies Could Talk: Operating and Maintaining a Human Body, and illuminating and genuinely funny exploration of the human stories behind health questions that never seem to go away—and which tend to be mischaracterized and oversimplified by marketing and news media.

Starting August 19, Egan Library (@EganLibrary) will host a series of Twitter chats, using the hashtags #UASReads #IfOurBodiesCouldTalk. Each Wednesday, over three weeks, at 3 p.m. AKST, we'll post discussion questions devoted to different sections of the book (on August 19, we'll discuss; Appearing & Perceiving; on August 26; Eating & Drinking, and on September 2; Relating & Enduring). We encourage you to respond and to share your own thoughts about the book and what it says about our notions of health and normalcy. So grab or download a copy; we can't wait to hear what you have to say!

A Conversation with James Hamblin

Thursday Sep 3, 6-7pm AKST

Zoom and FB Live

In 2014, James Hamblin launched a series of short-form videos for The Atlantic called "If Our Bodies Could Talk," With it, the doctor-turned-journalist established himself as a seriously entertaining authority in the field of health. Hamblin will discuss his work as a health journalist and participate in an interactive conversation and moderated QA with attendees.

Hamblin is a preventive medicine physician, staff writer at The Atlantic, and lecturer at Yale School of Public Health. He is the author of the 2020 UAS One Campus, One Book selection: If Our Bodies Could Talk (Doubleday, 2016) and the forthcoming Clean (Riverhead, 2020). He hosted the video series If Our Bodies Could Talk, for which he was a finalist in the Webby awards for Best Web Personality. He is a past Yale University Poynter Fellow in journalism, and he has lectured at Harvard Medical School, Wharton Business School, Columbia Mailman School of Public Health, and SXSW, among others. Zoom ID: 919 8999 9378 or join via the UAS (UASAlaska) Facebook Page.

About OCOB

One Campus, One Book is the common reading program at UAS-Juneau and 2019 marks the 9th year of celebrating literature and the relationships and communities that develop between readers, writers and our stories. Discussing a common book can also provide a safe venue for beginning difficult dialogues and allows members of the UAS community (and the broader Juneau community) to begin each academic year on the same page. Complimentary copies are provided to UAS students attending Juneau Campus New-Student Orientation and distributed at the Egan Library, Student Housing and other venues where first-year students gather. Ebook and audiobook editions of the selected books are made available when possible.

About James Hamblin | Physician, Journalist

Hamblin is a preventive medicine physician, staff writer at The Atlantic, and lecturer at Yale School of Public Health. He is the author of If Our Bodies Could Talk (Doubleday, 2016) and the forthcoming Clean (Riverhead, 2020). He hosted the video series If Our Bodies Could Talk, for which he was a finalist in the Webby awards for Best Web Personality. He is a past Yale University Poynter Fellow in journalism, and he has lectured at Harvard Medical School, Wharton Business School, Columbia Mailman School of Public Health, and SXSW, among others.

His writing and videos have been featured in The New York Times, Politico, NPR, The Guardian, Elle, Mother Jones, The Washington Post, The Awl, The Los Angeles Times, and Marketplace, among others. Time named him among the 140 people to follow on Twitter, Greatist named him among the most influential people in health media, and BuzzFeed called him "the most delightful MD ever," though he is not as delightful as William Carlos Williams.

After medical school at Indiana University, he did three years of residency before joining The Atlantic to develop a health section and write. More on that at Columbia Journalism Review, The Washington Post, Journal of the American College of Radiology, and Politico.

Media Samples and Links

If Our Bodies Could Talk video series extended trailer

You’re Likely to Get the Coronavirus, Feb 2020 article from The Atlantic

Vote No on the Sad Desk Lunch

Hamblin’s snarky and informational PSA warning of the health hazards of eating at your desk at work.

CrossFit vs Yoga: Choose a Side

How does a workout become a social identity? In some ways, it's choosing a gym. In some ways, it's choosing a life.

Talking simply, not simplistically, about health

As a journalist, improv comedian, and physician, James strives to communicate simply with the public about complex health issues, without being simplistic. In his 2017 TEDMED Talk, James shares some novel ways to talk about health and tips for adopting communication approaches that people actually listen to and trust.

If Our Bodies Could Talk, short-form video series from The Atlantic

Off-beat perspectives on health topics from Dr. James Hamblin presented in small bites (4-6 minute snappy videos). 58 videos in the series as of 2019.

Living Simply in a Dumpster 

One professor left his home for a 36-square-foot open-air box, and he is happier for it. How much does a person really need?

What Are Active-Shooter Drills Doing to Kids? 

The psychological effects of realistic simulations could be dangerous.