Highlighting: “The Unseen Body” by Jonathan Reisman, M.D. Flatiron Books. 2021. English. Hardcover. 224 pages. ISBN-13: 978-1250246622.
Jonathan Reisman, MD, is a man of many passions and talents. He is a doctor of internal medicine and pediatrics, as well as a wilderness physician, philanthropist, naturalist, adventure traveler, writer, foodie and teacher of wilderness survival and prehistoric crafts. And he is the author of “The Unseen Body,” his first book, out this month and published by Flatiron Books, a division of Macmillan. The book takes the reader on a journey through the human body and around the world, weaving together stories about our internal organs with a unique perspective on life, culture, and the natural world. It is a doctor’s journey through the hidden wonders of human anatomy, but made special because of Dr. Reisman’s restless nature, adventures and interests, linked by his medical training.
Dr. Reisman describes his book as “a poetic exploration of the human body from the perspective of a naturalist or a traveler exploring a new geography. Each chapter is about a different body part or bodily fluid, and it combines stories from my medical training and medical work with stories from my interest in nature, in traveling to exotic lands and in food.
“The Unseen Body” is really a one-of-a-kind educational journey that allows the reader to navigate the insides of our bodies as if the reader themselves were exploring and discovering a new world. Offbeat questions are also answered, such as why the throat is so foolishly designed and why lungs are illegal to sell as human food in the United States.
Readers will meet an Inupiat Eskimo whaling captain in Alaska, a Tibetan Buddhist lama living in a cave in the Himalayas and a plumber. Each of these characters helps to add new perspectives about our body parts. Reisman brings readers to the Arctic to better understand fat, to high-altitude Nepal to better understand the brain, and to the wild, roadless mountains of Kamchatka to understand the heart. “The Unseen Body” is a behind-the-scenes look at life itself, accompanied by stories from the author’s experience practicing medicine around the world.
Reisman was born and raised in Closter, New Jersey. His wife, Anna Wexler, is from an Orthodox family in Fair Lawn. Her parents are Chaim and Irene Wexler. Dr. Reisman has practiced medicine in some of the world’s most remote places—in the Arctic, aboard a ship in Antarctica, high in the Nepali Himalayas, in urban slums of Kolkata, India, and among the Oglala Sioux in South Dakota.
“Travel to unfamiliar destinations enriches us in many ways, often giving a clearer perspective on everyday life, and for me, the world’s geographies and cultures continue to teach me about the most everyday aspects of life, and one that interests us all, our own bodies,” he said. His journey to where he is now, saving lives and changing communities for the last 10 years, began while traveling in Kamchatka, Russia. It was then that Reisman first realized that becoming a doctor would give him the skills to help people living in isolated and underserved areas. So immediately after returning home, he enrolled in post-baccalaureate science classes and started studying for the MCAT to apply to medical school.
Reisman’s insatiable drive to learn and to help people also led him to be founder and president of a 501(c)(3) charity dedicated to improving health and education in India. In 2009, as a young medical student, he founded the not-for-profit World Health and Education Network (WHEN). He decided to do this as soon as he returned home to the United States after volunteering with Calcutta Rescue. WHEN was started to raise funds for that charity, but has since expanded its support for a number of nonprofit organizations. WHEN is now dedicated to helping improve healthcare and education throughout the world. 100% of WHEN’s donations will reach the intended nonprofits that it supports. WHEN’s mission is summed up in one question: WHEN will everyone have access to high quality education and healthcare?
When you read “The Unseen Body,” you get to share, appreciate and understand the marvels of the human body from Reisman’s unique vantage point. With his special blend of science and personal experience, the author makes the human body a place that is both strange and fascinating.
For more information, contact: Jonathan Reisman, [email protected]
Book Website: https://www.theunseenbody.com/
To order: https://www.amazon.com/Unseen-Body-Doctors-Journey-Through/dp/1250246628.
Susan R. Eisenstein is a longtime Jewish educator, passionate about creating special, innovative activities for her students. She is also passionate about writing about Jewish topics and about Israel. Susan has two master’s degrees and a doctorate in education from Columbia University.
