Clean

“Fun, interesting and credible.” —The New York Times Book Review

“A searching and vital explication of germ theory, social norms, and what the modern era is really doing to our bodies and our psyches.” —Vanity Fair

“A breezy social history with a health angle… . the science writing is accessible and articulate—graceful even—and there are some wonderful surprises” —The Wall Street Journal

“Deeply researched… . James Hamblin explores the history behind the human obsession with cleanliness and the colossal industry driving our current desire to scrub every inch of our bodies.” —Smithsonian

“There’s a line… between how we lather up to avoid disease and how we scrub down to feel clean. Where you draw it may help or harm the microscopic creatures living on your body’s largest organ. Who better to investigate than a doctor and journalist who hasn’t showered in years? —NPR

“A fascinating, rich mix of science, marketing and culture that will have you questioning everything you think you know about your daily skincare routine.” —BookPage

“Fascinating … Hamblin takes us on a slippery ride through the soap marketing of the twentieth century, sharing some of the racial, class, and gender undertones many of us probably missed, and introduces us to fascinating people.” —Spirituality & Health

“Clean is a thought-provoking and deeply-researched investigation into the life and times of our skin. From unraveling the history of soap to profiling our many microbes, Hamblin’s analysis is anything but skin deep.” —Bianca Bosker, author of Cork Dork

“James Hamblin’s characteristic mix of clarity and levity shine through every single page. You’ll never think about your largest organ the same way again.” —David Epstein, author of Range and The Sports Gene

“A wide-ranging study that shows how cleanliness was not always next to godliness.” —Kirkus Reviews

James Hamblin, MD, MPH, is a staff writer at The Atlantic, a lecturer at the Yale School of Public Health, and a specialist in preventive medicine. He is the author of If Our Bodies Could Talk and hosted a video series of the same name. He’s based in Brooklyn, New York. He only uses soap on his hands.

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