Born to Run: A Hidden Tribe, The Ultra-runners, and the Greatest Race the World Has Never Seen by Christopher McDougallMy rating: 5 of 5 stars
"Perhaps all our troubles -- all the violence, obesity, illness, depression, and greed we can't overcome -- began when we stopped living as Running People..."
I borrowed this book, thinking it would help to read about the outside, especially now that lockdown restrictions no longer permit us to go out for walks.
I thought it was about running and fitness, but it turned out to be so much more. It's anthropology, history, biology and travelogue all wrapped in an exciting frame narrative: how one athlete kept getting injured, learned another way to run from an almost superhuman tribe in Mexico's Copper Canyons (who run practically barefoot), and got back into running pain-free. It also talks about the evolution of running, how Homo Sapiens emerged supreme, versus Neanderthals, and why our nuchal ligament is so important (useful for stabilizing the head when animals like dogs and horses... and men! move fast).
This book will make you swear never to buy branded shoes, want to buy chia seeds, and yes, go out and run as soon as it is safe to do so again! More than a book about running, it's a manifesto. A call to action, to return to our evolutionary roots.
"Know why people run marathons? Because running is rooted in our collective imagination, and our imagination is rooted in running. Language, art, science... they all had their roots in our ability to run. Running was the superpower that made us human -- which means it's a superpower all humans possess."
To hear the author summarize the book, watch his TED Talk here: https://www.ted.com/talks/christopher...
View all my reviews
No comments:
Post a Comment