Northshire Manchester: Rowan Jacobsen - In Defense of Sunlight: The Surprising Science of Sun Exposure

This is an in person event at our Manchester, VT store!

Acclaimed science and nature journalist Rowan Jacobsen will discuss the quiet revolution transforming our understanding of sunlight’s effects on human health.

For decades a "zero-sun" policy has characterized our approach to sun protection, but recent studies show that policy is mistaken. In Defense of Sunlight presents the growing case for the importance of modest sun exposure for our health and well-being. Jacobsen uses up-to-date studies to assess what sunlight can do for us and how a lack of sun could be harming us.

The book argues that sunlight is a simple, equitable treatment for a variety of health issues, from diabetes to dementia to multiple sclerosis. It outlines best practices for sun exposure, explains how current recommendations became misguided, and describes the research and mechanisms behind the new findings. It also addresses the implicit injustice in current approaches, which benefit the whitest people (who are most susceptible to skin cancer) at the expense of those with darker skin (who have very low rates of skin cancer and may gain the most from sun exposure).

"The sun provides our civilizations with light, warmth, dinner (via photosynthesis) and of late more and more of the power we use. It also provides our bodies, as this entertaining and informative account makes clear, with what they need. It's the only object in our universe we can't look at directly, but this sideways glance reminds us why we can't live without it." —Bill McKibben, author of Here Comes the Sun

Rowan Jacobsen writes about science, nature, and less-explored corners of the world for Harper's, Outside, The Atlantic, Scientific American, Smithsonian, The New York Times, The Washington Post, MIT Technology Review, Businessweek, and others. His work has been anthologized in The Best American Science & Nature Writing and other collections. He has received awards from the James Beard Foundation, the Society of American Travel Writers, and the Overseas Press Club. He is the author of nine books, including A Geography of Oysters, Fruitless Fall, and Truffle Hound.

If you have questions about this or any other Northshire event, please write us at events@northshire.com.