Humans

‘Surekha Davies turns the tables and looks at humankind through the burning eyes of the monsters it has created in its seemingly limitless effort to isolate otherness. A triumph of scholarship that is as erudite as it is entertaining.‘--Lindsey Fitzharris, New York Times-bestselling author of The Facemaker: A Visionary Surgeon‘s Battle to Mend the Disfigured Soldiers of World War I ‘To consider the monster is to consider what it means to be human, because it forces us to examine how we have prescribed those limits, whether in terms of race, sexuality, appearance, or capacities. So Davies‘s book could not be more timely or urgent. That it is constantly insightful, erudite, and entertaining makes it irresistible; I can imagine no more congenial way of arguing that, in the end, the monsters are us.‘--Philip Ball, author of The Book of Minds: How to Understand Ourselves and Other Beings, from Animals to AI to Aliens ‘In a fascinating upending of the usual analysis of monsters, Davies focuses on the humans who perpetrate ‘monstrification, ‘ from scientists and sports doctors to pop stars and spiritual leaders. The monster here emerges less as a figure for identity than a metaphor for a cultural process, constantly under revision, that allows one group of humans to disavow the humanity of another. Thoughtful, wide-ranging, and fun.‘--Annalee Newitz, bestselling author of The Terraformers and Four Lost Cities: A Secret History of the Urban Age ‘A marvel of fast-paced storytelling and rigorous historical analysis. Davies takes readers on a journey across space and time, carefully reconstructing centuries-old processes of monster-making with wit and aplomb. In the process, we learn that monster-makers have policed the boundaries of humanity out of ignorance, fear, and hate, producing forms of legal and social exclusion that we all live with today. But there is also a sense of hope suffused throughout the pages of this book: hope that with knowledge, bravery, and love, we can recognize the humanity in all of us and chart more inclusive, less frightful futures.‘--Tamara J. Walker, author of Beyond the Shores: A History of African Americans Abroad