Talks & Entertainment

From Senior Atlantic editor James Hamblin, “the most delightful MD ever” (BuzzFeed), comes If Our Bodies Could Talk: A Guide to Operating and Maintaining a Human Body—a witty and comprehensive illustrated handbook for tackling life’s most pressing health concerns and curiosities, ranging from sex and aging to wellness and nutrition.

Many people would like to know more about their bodies. Not very many people, however, have the patience to read a medical textbook about human anatomy and physiology. That’s where Hamblin comes in.

After graduating from medical school in 2009, Hamblin completed three years of medical residency before joining The Atlantic to help develop their health section. He is a writer there today, as well as the host of “If Our Bodies Could Talk,” an original web series about offbeat topics in health and wellness.

In his role, Hamblin receives many questions. How much sleep do I need? Are we meant to eat meat? Should I worry about cell phone cancer? If Our Bodies Could Talk is structured around responses to those kinds of questions and concerns both practical and paranoid, with answers illustrated (by artist Hallie Bateman) through stories drawn from years of original research as well as discussions and interviews with healthcare professionals, scientists, and medical practitioners around the country.

His responses examine not just how our bodies work, but also why these processes matter socially and why we think about them in particular ways. In conversation with Matt Thompson, the deputy editor of TheAtlantic.com. Book signing to follow.