The ability to make you look at things differently, with renewed interest and appreciation, is precisely the main achievement that Diane Ackerman conquers in her comprehensive analysis of the five main senses.

Not only have I been reacquainted with my deep sense of smelling and my fine hearing, the sensitivity of my skin or the many colours and tastes I am able to tell apart, but with every chapter I have travelled through time and space, from the emergence of life, across civilizations and cultural traditions, marvelling at how extraordinary the human body is, how absolutely intricate yet functional, how altogether miraculous that it should work in the way it does.

Often we take our physiology for granted and hurry along through our daily lives, preoccupied solely with our minds. Ever since rationality imposed itself as the new paradigm we have burdened ourselves with a strive for efficiency and productivity. Hence, we think of our bodies only in operational terms, as a means to an end. We rarely pay attention to our physical functions or needs, and it is only when one of the parts fails that we do spare a thought for it. Likewise, our senses are mere tools that we employ to fulfill a specific goal in the realm of the rational: we use our touch to interact with the gear we need in our jobs, we keep our eyes glued to screens for hours on end, unaware of everything going on around them, and we cover our ears with headphones and loud music in an effort to cancel out the outside world; when we smell is only by accident (some wall that has just been painted, petrol filling the car tank, the cake that burnt in the oven…) and eating is just a mechanic activity we do in order to maintain our energy levels so that we can continue working.

By delving deep into each sense, this book invites us to rethink the way in which we use our bodies, acknowledge how neglected they have been, and realise how much more they can offer us. A whole new world is ours to be discovered if we only purposefully attempt to sense it. Our realities can be greatly enhanced if we pay more attention to the sounds, smells, tastes, colours, textures and shapes that surround us, not only during a trip in nature, but right here and now, at the exact spot where we are.

I dare you to read this book and not be in awe at your own body after every single chapter. I bet by the end of it you will never think of your usual surroundings as dull and bleak again, and of your nose, ears, mouth, eyes and skin (the biggest organ of the body!), and everything else that forms the physical you, with indifference. Most probably, you will find yourself playing with your senses, pushing their limits and learning how much richer life becomes when sensed and lived with the whole body.

A few examples —the smell of fresh coffee in the morning, a live version of your favourite song, the taste of a home-baked brownie, the warmth of your lover’s skin or the first light of dawn that enters through your window— suffice to understand how much we would be missing out without our senses. Do not wait for them to weaken before you start valuing them every day. This is what this book is all about.