piabo's Reviews (301)

We all know exercise is good, and we should do more of it. But for me the messaging was usually mixed with either the aim to shrink people's bodies or to achieve great things in sport. Only later did I realize that moving increases mental health and resilience. This book gave more of the scientific background on it, especially connected to the brain (e.g. learning, memory, and brain degenerative diseases).

I find it crazy how much of this knowledge is not concretely taught in schools or made public knowledge. The anecdotal ideas we all have on working out are not nearly as motivating and hopeful as this book.

This book feels like the movement equivalent to "Why We Sleep", it is good to read to be reminded of why physical activity is important, but it also makes some bold claims or uses correlation instead of causation. I think the author could have been a little more differentiating when talking about a lot of the science to make it less scandalous or act as if one size fits all. People's body and what is their ideal movement are a lot more nuanced than I felt the author made it seem. Or maybe I was just annoyed that it was written kind of dry with little empathy, just facts.
Out of the three books I read on movement back to back, this was the most neuroscience heavy, and least personal. 

Ach, ein süßes Buch. Bücher sind schon cool, und Menschen, die lesen halt auch. Das ist einfach nur ein wholesome Buch über solche Menschen. Und über eine Kleinstadt und über Freundschaft.

I loved this book because it included both science and realistic self-help guidance. The author made great science-based suggestions on how everyone can start integrating movement into their life and how to stick with it. As well as how to improve the joy and other returns we get from it.
At no point was the book judgmental towards different body weights and forms, it was inclusive in gender, age, disability status, race, and many more.
Movement really is for everyone, and I love how this book approached it.

A right dose of everything and I think it really got me hooked.
Out of the three books I read back to back on the science of movement, I enjoyed this the most.

Yes, it's possible to write an entire book about white tears and how damaging they are, without too much repetition and staying relevant the entire time.

I, as a white woman, felt called out many times. Which I honestly love at this point. It is crazy how many dynamics go unnoticed even though I am trying.

The patriarchy obviously affects all women (and men), but white women still manage to significantly benefit compared to women of color, indigenous and black women.

This book used the historical context so well to explain what gave rise to current sexist and racist structures. It was so clear on the intersectional connections. I really learned a lot and loved it.

10/10 would recommend.

Although not the focus of the book, here is a thought I had:
Lately I have been realizing a lot how important history actually is. Not specific dates and names of rulers etc. but laws and norms and exploitation. And how these get carried over generations and centuries and still affect our systems today. I always thought history does not matter much to me, because all the people who lived before are dead. I thought the only thing why history is interesting, is to learn from past mistakes.
But it's not true, society and why it is like it is, is heavily influenced by what came before. It's like evolution. "Nothing is biology makes sense except in the light of evolution".

I have been looking for a succinct book about movement for a long time now. Others have often included pseudo-science, wellness culture, or alternative medicine bullshit. This one is a straight to the point book talking about different areas of movement, the science behind it and how it it beneficial (or not so much) for us.

We all know movement is good, but being reminded of it, with a bit of background knowledge, was fun.
So here the gist, as we all know already:
Walk, use gravity, learn survival skills (e.g. swim, jump, climb), do rhythmic movements, belly laugh, stretch a little bit, breathe, focus on how your body feels, let your mind wander, trust yourself, ever stop learning, and more. 

It was hard for me to get into it because I was not that interested into history or felt it was not relevant (ignorant, I know). But the more I read, the more relevant and interesting it felt.
The author does a great job incorporating various kinds of trans-identities, challenging the reader to broaden their understanding and not denying the topic complexity.
Well written and super interesting towards the end. Also, a great attempt on removing the Western worldview for a while and include more experiences/identities into the trans community.

I did not even think of many of the examples of trans experiences before, and I am very glad I see them now. And I see how they are still relevant now. The fact that we do not learn much about trans people in history is also a byproduct of transphobic and anti-queer societies, rulers, and historians.

Very insightful read about the cobalt (and general resource) mining in DR Congo. The author is not a native but included a lot of local perspective and is well trained in the field of human rights, so I think he makes good and valid points.

The world's climate friendly future heavily depends on cobalt and other metals from the DRC but they way it is currently working deeply exploits the people living there. People die daily and live in very poor conditions because people up the chain think of their lives are worthless and disposable. We really have to take responsibility and make sure that no one along the production line can exploit workers.

The topic is complex, and I initially did not want to read the book because I wanted to keep living in happy land where electric vehicles and batteries save the world. But now I am glad I did, the situation currently seems hopeless but ignoring it won't solve it either.
Let's all learn more to understand how we can reduce suffering and still create a livable future for all. 

THIS BOOK IS SO SO SO GOOD! Don't be misled by the cover and its one author, in reality, this book was written by more than one hundred experts in the field. LEADING SCIENTISTS! Who really understand what they are writing about.

The book is scary at many times. Our world and future is really messed up, and it is unbelievable how little we all seem to care. We people from the West did so much shady shit with our environment.
But the book never shamed anyone. It simply stated facts and ideas how we can move on.

Greta Thunberg has really got this topic. She and her co-authors understood the multidimensionality of the climate emergency and how the only approach we can take is intersectional. I am really in awe with the diverse perspectives this book has taken into account and how it does not shy away from complexity and paradoxes.

I have just listened to it so far, but will get the hard copy now too. And I will read and re-read and read again many times. Each chapter is gold. This is the biggest thing of our times, especially when we consider how it is interlinked with every other crisis. 
I pledge myself for this cause.
More to come.

Please read it. Even just one chapter.

Fun to reread it again after more than 5 years. I remember being more excited about everything in the book back when I was still in school and less experienced interacting with strangers and people.
Now I must say that most of the points in the book are behaviors that I either already do, or that I know would be beneficial and don't do because of lack of energy or no interest.
Crazy how much a few years of being in university and traveling the world can do to a person.

I would agree that this is a classic and definitely not harmful to read. Might reread again in a few years just to see how I feel about it then.

A genderless society as seen by a cis-man from another planet. Interesting idea and cool to read how it is meant to be based in biology. I liked the theoretical idea and some of the writing was interesting. But for the most part, I was confused and bored. Maybe if I read it another time and take better notes of all the names and places and exact chain of events (I am pretty sure there were jumps sometimes, that were not explained in the same detail as other parts of the story and I therefore missed it).

I was also meant to discuss this with a book club but could unfortunately not make it to the meeting, I am sure it would have been a more satisfying experience to discuss this with other people and get to hear their understanding.
Definitely enjoyed watching some YouTube videos as explanation.