Breasts

'Florence Williams's double-D talents as a reporter and writer lift thisA book high above the genre and separate it from theranks of ordinaryA science writing. Breasts is illuminating, surprising, clever, important. Williams is an author to savour and look forward to.' -- Mary Roach 'A wonderful and entertaining tour through the evolution, biology andA cultural aspects of the organ that defines us as mammals!' -- Susan Love MD, author of Dr Susan Love's Breast Book and President of the Dr Susan Love Research Foundation 'I certainly didn't think I could appreciate breasts more than I alreadyA did. This is a truly outstanding book! Written with humour and humanity, itA is essential reading for anyone wishing to understand the fascinatingA intersections between personal health, toxic chemicals, western cultureA and the medical profession. I couldn't put it down.'A -- Bruce Lourie, co-author, Slow Death by Rubber Duck: The Secret Danger of Everyday Things 'Breasts is less a primer on anatomy than a catalog of environmental devastation akin to Rachel Carson's 1962 classic Silent Spring, which detailed the impact of industrial chemicals-notably, the pesticide DDT-on animal life. But Williams, who cites Carson as an inspiration, has written a far scarier book. Carson examined birds and fish. Williams looks at us.' New York Times 'Traversing anatomy, breast cancer in male US Marines, and implants (materials trialled before silicone include glass balls, ivory and wood chips), Williams brings boobs and boffins to life. A must-read for owners and admirers alike.' North & South (NZ) '...exceptional history... with smarts, sass, and intent... Meant to nurture the next generation for life on planet Earth, breasts are also humanity's first responders to environmental changes. And what have modern-day chemical exposures wrought? The answers to this question and many more are found in Williams' remarkably informative and compelling work of discovery.' Starred Review. Booklist 'In her comprehensive 'environmental history' of the only human body part without its own medical specialty,...Williams focuses on the importance of understanding breasts as more than sex objects...Williams puts hard data and personal history together with humor, creating an evenhanded cautionary tale that will both amuse and appall.' Publishers Weekly