What the Nose Knows: The Science of Scent in Everyday Life
Adult/High School—Gilbert, a psychologist concerned with the aromatic side of life, is a marvelous storyteller. Weaving together all that is involved in human anatomical smell function, the connecting wires between smell and emotional life, comparative data revealing differences and likenesses between men and women and dogs and humans, the invention and production of artificial scents, and more, he leads readers from tales that amaze to facts that amuse, interspersing opportunities for unabashed wonder. Would the entertainment world be different today if Smell-O-Vision hadn't been beat to market by AromaRama? Would your sense of smell be better if you hadn't played soccer as a kid? Are there good vocational choices for folks who can't smell well at all? The author's prose is flawless, making this book a perfect choice for teens interested in science as well as those still nursing a middle school devotion to trivia. Be sure to point it out to Advanced Placement teachers in both the English and physical sciences departments, but expect less-motivated readers to find chunks of it welcome when read aloud.—Francisca Goldsmith, Halifax Public Libraries, Nova ScotiaCopyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.