Overview

From birth to death, a lyrical exploration of the role of transformation in human life To be alive is to be in perpetual metamorphosis: growing, healing, learning, aging. In Shapeshifters, physician and writer Gavin Francis considers the inevitable changes all of our bodies undergo -- such as birth, puberty, and death, but also laughter, sleeping, and healing-and those that only some of our bodies will: like getting a tattoo, experiencing psychosis, suffering anorexia, being pregnant, or undergoing a gender transition. In Francis's hands, each event becomes an opportunity to explore the meaning of identity and the natures-biological, psychological, and philosophical-of our selves. True to its own subject, Shapeshifters combines Francis's lyrical imagination and deep knowledge of medicine and the humanities for a life-altering read.

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9781541697522

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Reviews

Ambitious... [Francis] is well schooled in the literature of medical curiosities, from Galen to Sir Thomas Browne and beyond. But Shapeshifters is at its best, and strangest, when dealing with mundane translations: puberty, pregnancy, menopause, the not so simple facts of our being sexed beings. Francis has an engaging way with medical-cultural history... Such is the breadth of [his] interests that Shapeshifters is never less than intellectually energetic. --the Guardian (UK) The heart of the book is about the key life transitions: conception, birth, puberty, pregnancy, menopause, death--and sleep. Francis's method is to weave together stories from his general practice, his medical training and his travels, with a host of quotes, references and anecdotes from art, literature and history. The result is a rich pleasure. --Sunday Times (UK) [A] timely, thought-provoking and eloquent book... Francis is the opposite of the arrogant doctor-god. Indeed with this book, brimming both with warmth and insight, he puts himself among the ranks of physicians with fine pens, including Oliver Sacks and Atul Gawande, who, for all their learning, retain a deep humility. --The Times (UK) A thoughtful exploration... Francis's wide-ranging experience and curiosity produce fascinating samples of medical and cultural approaches to human change. --Publishers Weekly What makes the book fun to read is not only the author's limpid anecdotes from his private practice, but also his abiding marvel at the body's endless expressions. Francis ranges freely and skillfully from the strange to the elemental... [he] always makes you think. Captivating medical narratives that fit well alongside those of Oliver Sachs, Atul Gawande, Jerome Groopman, and Berton Rouech . --Kirkus Reviews, starred review This stylish and exhilarating collection of essays comes from a wide-ranging mind and a profound humanity. With warmth and wit, Gavin Francis examines the body's strategies for survival and change, embedding his thoughts in a broad frame of reference from across human culture and history. Each piece is a pleasure to read, and in sum they are inspiring. --Hilary Mantel, Man Booker Prize-winning author of Wolf Hall and Bring Up the Bodies A wonderful series of meditations--clinical, anthropological, literary and deeply humane--on his patients and their illnesses. --Henry Marsh, author of Do No Harm Wonderful, written with a deep feeling for language. A writer-physician who sees the drama and beauty in human life. --Annie Dillard, author of An American Childhood and Pilgrim at Tinker Creek In this provocative and important book about our shared future, Francis ranges broadly to describe altered human states and selves. He delves into medical history, and, with equal ease, into medical case studies, to reveal how humans are capable of changing our bodies and minds. Steeped as much in history as in the future, we might describe this book as an audacious attempt to write a manifesto for a trans-human future (read it to understand what that phrase might mean). --Siddartha Mukherjee, author of The Emperor of All Maladies and The Gene

This stylish and exhilarating collection of essays comes from a wide-ranging mind and a profound humanity. With warmth and wit, Gavin Francis examines the body's strategies for survival and change, embedding his thoughts in a broad frame of reference from across human culture and history. Each piece is a pleasure to read, and in sum they are inspiring. --Hilary Mantel, Man Booker Prize-winning author of Wolf Hall and Bring Up the Bodies A wonderful series of meditations--clinical, anthropological, literary and deeply humane--on his patients and their illnesses. --Henry Marsh, author of Do No Harm Wonderful, written with a deep feeling for language. A writer-physician who sees the drama and beauty in human life. --Annie Dillard, author of An American Childhood and Pilgrim at Tinker Creek In this provocative and important book about our shared future, Francis ranges broadly to describe altered human states and selves. He delves into medical history, and, with equal ease, into medical case studies, to reveal how humans are capable of changing our bodies and minds. Steeped as much in history as in the future, we might describe this book as an audacious attempt to write a manifesto for a trans-human future (read it to understand what that phrase might mean). --Siddartha Mukherjee, author of The Emperor of All Maladies and The Gene

A wonderful series of meditations--clinical, anthropological, literary and deeply humane--on his patients and their illnesses. --Henry Marsh, Henry Marsh In this provocative and important book about our shared future, Francis ranges broadly to describe altered human states and selves. He delves into medical history, and, with equal ease, into medical case studies, to reveal how humans are capable of changing our bodies and minds. Steeped as much in history as in the future, we might describe this book as an audacious attempt to write a manifesto for a trans-human future (read it to understand what that phrase might mean). --Siddartha Mukherjee, author of The Emperor of All Maladies and The Gene

Author Information

Gavin Francis is a physician and the award-winning author of four books, including Adventures in Human Being, Empire Antarctica; and True North. A regular contributor to the London Review of Books, Guardian, and New York Review of Books, Francis lives in Edinburgh, Scotland.

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