The Way We Work- David Macaulay

I've been blogging here for a while now, and although I'm making good progress, and starting to get outside contributions, I've focused almost exclusively on fiction. This review is part of my effort to rectify that situation.

When approaching informative nonfiction, there are few better places to begin than David Macaulay. He's been writing books for years, but he's probably best known for The Way Things Work, his amazingly accessible, readable, and beautifully illustrated guide to...the way things work. And by things he means anything from headphones, to a television, to the space shuttle, to a flush toilet.

Now he returns with his eagerly anticipated The Way We Work, whereupon he turns his finely attuned artist's eye, and keen sense of humor to the human body. Just like with his previous work, TWWW tackles the human body in minute and exacting detail. Ever wonder how your lungs work? How about your colon? spinal cord? memories? how the brain and eye process images? Where poop comes from? How about babies? What's DNA? How do your vocal cords work? This book answers just about every human body question you can possibly ask, including a bunch you never thought to ask, or never really wanted to know the answer to.

Throughout, Macaulay explains these processes in relatively simple English (it might not be appropriate for the total layperson, but anyone with more than a passing knowledge of human anatomy and physiology should be fine) and with breathtaking illustrations. Let's face it, no one reads a Macaulay book for the text.

The art is mesmerizing, anatomically correct, yet far from clinical and detached. Macaulay's work is full of whimsy, whether it's shouted conversations between bacteria in feces or a man pulling aside his stomach to show the viewer the true location of his pancreas. The colors are warm and vivid, and even the most complicated biological processes (Tumor growth? Nerve impulses? Any of your senses? No problem.) are clearly depicted in easy to follow diagrams and sequences.

Check out the following depiction of blood circulating through the body:

Trust me, this ride is worth the wait.

Here's how your nasal cavity works...

After reading this, I'll never feel the same way about snot again.

Check out more of the art here (click on the interior slideshow), or better yet, just buy the darn thing here.

The Way We Work is another informational triumph on Macaulay's part. You could read and reread this book everyday for the rest of your life, and you would still discover something new each time. Highly recommended.

Also, if you're local, there's an exhibition of Macaulay's work at the RISD museum. Check it out before it's gone...