In Defense of Sunlight

“Clear-eyed…the sun-deprived among us would surely profit from Mr. Jacobsen’s straightforward recommendations, which include getting outside every day and working in an environment with plenty of natural light.” —Wall Street Journal

“Drawing on decades-long and recent research supplemented by interviews with scientists who challenge the existing scary sunscreen rhetoric, Jacobsen shows how easily solid science can be swayed by zealous marketing efforts…ushers in a newfound appreciation for our skin.” —Undark

“A terrific book—well written, well researched, and genuinely thought-provoking. It is a must-read, and it will likely change the way you think about light, health, and wellbeing.” —Alistair Nunn, The Guy Foundation

“Jacobsen presents an illuminating assessment of how solar energy impacts human health.” —Booklist, STARRED review

“Well-written, thoroughly documented…An engaging science-based ‘energy diet’ that advocates for appropriate doses of sunshine.” —Kirkus Reviews

“An eye-opening investigation into the health benefits of sunlight…Illuminating and accessibly written, this will make readers want to head outside.” —Publishers Weekly
“The sun provides our civilizations with light, warmth, dinner (via photosynthesis) and of late more and more of the power we use. It also provides our bodies, as this entertaining and informative account makes clear, with what they need. It’s the only object in our universe we can’t look at directly, but this sideways glance reminds us why we can’t live without it.” —Bill McKibben, author of Here Comes the Sun

“Sunlight and its effects on health have become the subject of polarized messaging, but the science is more nuanced than most people realize. In In Defense of Sunlight, Rowan Jacobsen offers an engaging, accessible look at the scientific evidence and raises important questions about how we think about, talk about, and understand the effects of sun exposure on human health. A fascinating read for anyone interested in health, prevention, and the unintended consequences of oversimplified advice from well-intentioned but siloed medical experts.” —Adewole Adamson, MD, dermatologist and melanoma researcher, University of Texas

“The rigorously researched In Defense of Sunlight convinced my brain of what my body and soul already suspected: that used judiciously and with respect for its force, the sun is my friend and ally, not an enemy to be shunned.” —Kristi Coulter, author of Exit Interview: The Life and Death of My Ambitious Career

“A comprehensive overview of the scientific evidence for the ability of sunlight to promote good health, In Defense of Sunlight simplifies scientific jargon and explains why there is harmony between sun exposure and our existence. Jacobsen describes his own awakening to the multifaceted benefits of sunlight and helps the reader to safely obtain similar rewards.” —Prue Hart, Ph.D., MS researcher, Kids Research Institute Australia

“A much overdue wake up call for the significant public health risks imposed on humans by the modern built environment and the poorly considered medical advice on sunlight exposure.” —Geoffrey Guy, D.Sc., founder of the Guy Foundation and author of Quantum Biology

“In this absorbing and fast-paced investigation, Rowan Jacobsen has responsibly reexamined the thinking about sunlight and human health and shown us a plausibly better way. Employing his typically dogged research style, he burns a shoe store’s worth of shoe leather getting to the bottom of what is no less than a plot against nature. Avoid this book (and the sun) at your peril.” —Paul Greenberg, bestselling author of Four Fish and The Climate Diet

Rowan Jacobsen’s award-winning science and cultural writing has appeared in The New York Times, The Washington Post, Harper’s Magazine, Outside, The Atlantic, Scientific American, Smithsonian, National Geographic, MIT Technology Review, and elsewhere. His work has been anthologized in The Best American Science and Nature Writing.

He has been a fellow at the Alicia Patterson Foundation, at the Knight Science Journalism program at MIT, and at the Nova Institute for Health, researching the impacts of light on the human body.

He is the author of ten books, including the James Beard Award–winning A Geography of Oysters, Fruitless Fall, and Wild Chocolate.

Jacobsen has spoken at Harvard, Yale, and the Aspen Ideas Institute, and has appeared on CBS, NBC, and NPR. He can be found in Vermont—at least when the sun is shining.

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