The Curious Human Knee

This title was previously available on NetGalley and is now archived.
Buy on Amazon Buy on BN.com Buy on Bookshop.org
*This page contains affiliate links, so we may earn a small commission when you make a purchase through links on our site at no additional cost to you.
Send NetGalley books directly to your Kindle or Kindle app

1
To read on a Kindle or Kindle app, please add kindle@netgalley.com as an approved email address to receive files in your Amazon account. Click here for step-by-step instructions.
2
Also find your Kindle email address within your Amazon account, and enter it here.
Pub Date 06 Jun 2023 | Archive Date 13 Sep 2023

Talking about this book? Use #TheCuriousHumanKnee #NetGalley. More hashtag tips!


Description

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 history—and even what makes us human.

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. The book gets knee-deep into an astonishing range of topics—fashion from flappers to miniskirts and ripped jeans, cultural practices spanning Japanese knee walking and Thai boxing. 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.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Han Yu is a professor in the Department of English at Kansas State University, where she teaches scientific and technical communication. Her books include Mind Thief: The Story of Alzheimer’s (Columbia, 2021).

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...


Advance Praise

"Walking will never be the same. Kudos to Professor Yu for exploring the functional development, frailties, and cultural impacts of this seemingly simple hinge joint. In a conversational tone, she bridges topics as disparate as women’s fashions, martial arts, therapeutic heat, and police tactics. Wonderful stories, personal anecdotes, and summaries of scientific investigations combine to provide the reader with openings for many stimulating dinner-time conversations. Who knew that flapper girls applied rouge to their knees to attract further attention?"

--Roy A. Meals, MD, orthopedic surgeon and author of Bones, Inside and Out

"Walking will never be the same. Kudos to Professor Yu for exploring the functional development, frailties, and cultural impacts of this seemingly simple hinge joint. In a conversational tone, she...


Available Editions

EDITION Hardcover
ISBN 9780231207027
PRICE $29.95 (USD)
PAGES 296

Available on NetGalley

NetGalley Shelf App (PDF)
Send to Kindle (PDF)
Download (PDF)

Average rating from 12 members


Readers who liked this book also liked: