On Muscle : The Stuff That Moves Us and Why It Matters

''Remarkable . . . A singular book about the true meanings of strength and flexibility, about our ability to define who we are and who we might be'' Ed Yong, New York Times bestselling author of An Immense World and I Contain Multitudes

From the bestselling author of Why We Swim comes a mind-expanding exploration of muscle that will change the way you think about how we move and why it matters.

Cardiac, smooth, skeletal-these three different types of muscle in our bodies make our hearts beat; push food through our intestines, blood through our vessels, attach to our bones and help us move. Individually, they do different things. Collectively, they drive us through our days.

Join athlete and writer Bonnie Tsui as she jumps headfirst into the intriguing world of muscle from the five angles of strength, form, action, flexibility and endurance. Tsui introduces us to the first female weightlifter to pick up the famed Scottish Dinnie Stones, then takes us on a 50-mile run through the Nevada desert that follows the path of escape from a Native boarding school, giving the concept of endurance new meaning. She travels to Oslo, where cutting-edge research reveals how muscles help us bounce back after injury and illness, an important aspect of longevity. She jumps into the action with a historic Double Dutch club in Washington, D.C., to explain anew what Charles Darwin meant by the brain-body connection.

On Muscle is a powerful reminder that using our muscles promote longevity, joy, and, most important, the feeling that we can do anything.