American Idle: A Journey Through Our Sedentary Culture (Capital Ideas Series) - Softcover

Collins, Mary

3.47

32 ratings by Goodreads

9781933102887: American Idle: A Journey Through Our Sedentary Culture (Capital Ideas Series)

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1933102888 ISBN 13: 9781933102887

Publisher: Capital Books, 2009

View all copies of this ISBN edition:

** The American Society of Journalists and Authors (ASJA) awarded AMERICAN IDLE an Honorable Mention in the Non-Fiction category of their 2010 annual writing awards!! Congratulations to Mary! **

For 99 percent of our history, humans have lived as a species on the move, but modern life has stopped us in our tracks. AMERICAN IDLE: A Journey Through Our Sedentary Culture offers the first comprehensive look at the social, cultural, moral and physical consequences of living in a sedentary culture that has immobilized us as effectively as a shattered body part.

As author Mary Collins recovers from a devastating bicycle accident, she begins a journey to find out more about America’s wounded national body. She discovers:

* Why humans are meant to move.
* What social changes led us to our current state.
* Why past efforts have been so ineffective, and why will power isn’t the problem.
* How our impaired physical selves impact our social lives and moral judgment.

In her pursuit, Collins:

* Visits the Olympic Center, factory floors, archeological sites, city planners, health experts, and even the National Zoo.
* Explores the hazards of a society centered on desk jobs.
* Looks into why organized sports have made kids less fit and advocates for more free play.
* Uncovers remarkable new research about how physical activity impacts the adult brain.
* Talks with experts about the growing imbalance between our overactive minds and our underused bodies.
* Offers advice on how to integrate movement into the natural flow of our daily lives again.

In sum, AMERICAN IDLE offers readers a road map back to physical grace.

"synopsis" may belong to another edition of this title.

About the Author:

MARY COLLINS is a professor of creative writing at Central Connecticut State University and is the award-winning author of The Essential Daughter: Changing Expectations for Girls at Home (Praeger), National Public Radio (Seven Locks Press), and Airborne: A Photobiography of Wilbur and Orville Wright (National Geographic Books). Ms. Collins has received numerous awards for her work, both as a professor and a writer, including the Best Essay of the Year Award from the American Society of Journalist and Authors (ASJA) and the Best Young Adult Book Award from ASJA as well. In addition, Ms. Collins has written many articles and books for a variety of clients, including Smithsonian Magazine, the New York Times, National Geographic Books, the Discovery Channel, the Boston Globe, Time-Life Books, McGraw-Hill, Pearson Publishing, and others. Prior to teaching at Central Connecticut State University, Collins was an award-winning faculty member at Johns Hopkins University’s graduate writing program in Washington, D.C. She remains actively involved in the professional writing community, is a sought-after panelist and speaker.

Review:

American Idle: A Journey Through Our Sedentary Culture by Mary Collins is such an interesting take on our way of life in North America. The physically active author had a severe bike accident, which drastically impaired her health. In her eagerness to regain some mobile abilities she began a study of movement and its ability to empower us. She began to realize how important being outdoors in green space is and that adults and children in our culture live almost entirely indoors and don't move their bodies any more than necessary. Collins has spent years studying the importance of movement and outdoor exercise to our overall health and writes about her findings, including physical, mental, and spiritual. Many interesting findings and simple ways to alter our family lives are included in this astonishing book. A must read!

"About this title" may belong to another edition of this title.