A Left Hand Turn Around the World: Chasing the Mystery and Meaning of All Things Southpaw

by David Wolman

Traveling from the halls of history to the halls of science, Wolman explores a Scottish castle designed for left-handed swordfights, visits a Paris museum to inspect nineteenth-century brains that hold clues to this biological puzzle, and observes chimps with a primatologist in Atlanta who may help unravel the evolutionary mystery of left-handedness. Along the way, Wolman meets fellow left-handers who share his sense of kinship and reveal the essence of Southpaw. There is sinister Diabolos Rex, follower of the Left Hand Path; and John Evans, an amputee whose left hand was reattached to his right arm. In Japan, Wolman tees off with the National Association of Left-Handed Golfers and seeks wisdom from a left-handed baseball legend. A seamless blend of science, travel, culture, and humor, this inquisitive exploration of all things Southpaw is sure to be the perfect book for lefties and for all the righties who love them.

• ISBN10: 0786734973
• ISBN13: 9780786734979
• Publish Date: 24 April 2009 (first published 24 October 2005)
• Publish Status: Active
• Publish Country: US
• Publisher: INGRAM PUBLISHER SERVICES US
• Imprint: Da Capo Press Inc
• Format: eBook
• Pages: 248
• Language: English

Reviews

[wyvernfriend]

The number of words used to describe left-handedness that have negative connotations are rife. This is the story of one lefties trip to try to find out the why of left-handedness and if humans are unique.

His conclusion? That the scientists are still kinda stumped and unsure what's the reasoning but that some of them are arguing that handedness is a spectrum rather than a fixed thing.

For a leftie it's interesting, for everyone it has something to say. Assumption is interesting and it's also a situation that until people stop trying to force people to use particular hands for tasks we will not really understand it properly.