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The Sublime Engine: A Biography Of The Human Heart (2011)

by Stephen Amidon(Favorite Author)

3.6 of 5 Votes: 1

ISBN

1605295841 (ISBN13: 9781605295848)

languge

English

genre

History & Biography

publisher

Rodale Books

review 1: In The Sublime Engine: A Biography of the Human Heart, brothers Stephen Amidon and Thomas Amidon approach a discussion of the heart from differing perspectives-- one from the point of view of a leading cardiologist and the other from the creative perspective of a novelist. Unfortunately from my point of view it just never really came together-- I felt it focused too much on the figurative aspects and not enough on the physical.It was interesting to read about the history of scientific thought regarding the heart, but reading about how writers, poets and artists have depicted the heart through the ages,didn't really interest me-- this seemed more like a college research paper than anything else. For those who are wanting a largely physiological view of the heart, you won't ... moreget it by reading this book-- or at least you won't in the first 60-70 pages which is as far as I got. However, if you are of a more artistic bent and want an analysis of how artists, writers and poets have depicted the heart through the ages, you will probably enjoy this book more than I.Disclaimer: A free copy of this book was received from Amazon Vine in exchange for an honest review.
review 2: A neat little book, written by two brothers -- a cardiologist and a science writer -- that covers our relationship to the heart over time, from ancient times to today. Each section starts with a fictionalized account of a story related to the physical heart, which introduces that era's thoughts about the heart, how it was thought to work, and how it influenced thinking and culture. I found this to be very good science writing, although I think the book would have been aided with a few more illustrations. The chapter on what we know about the heart and its diseases today was particularly clear and easy to follow. And the chapter on The Future Heart, which tackles possible new therapies as well as socioeconomic barriers to their development and widespread use, was also quite compelling. less

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