Description
Book Synopsis*SHORTLISTED FOR THE 2022 BARBELLION PRIZE* As heard on BBC Radio 4 Book of the Week As seen on Sky Arts Book Club with Elizabeth Day and Andi Oliver An eye-opening account of disability, identity and how robotics and AI are altering our understanding of what it means to be human - from the bestselling author of Anatomy of a Soldier Harry Parker's life changed overnight when he lost his legs to an IED in Afghanistan. His rehabilitation took him into an often surprising landscape of a very human kind of hacking, and he wondered - are all humans becoming hybrids? Whether it's putting on contact lenses every day or DIY biohackers tinkering in garages, Parker introduces us to the exhilarating breadth of human invention - and intervention. Grappling with his own new identity and disability, he discovers the latest robotics, tech and implants that might lead us to powerful, liberating possibilities for what a body can be. "I loved Hybrid Humans. It is modest, wise ... and a way of looking at the future without nostalgia for the past" - Jeanette Winterson "This may be a tour of the scientific avant garde, but the focus is always on the human heart and mind" - Observer, Book of the Day "Harry Parker has explored the cutting edge of interaction between humanity, computing and AI ... a captivating and cautionary travel guide to a new world" - Gavin Francis, author of Adventures in Human Being
Trade ReviewI loved Hybrid Humans. It is modest, wise ... and a way of looking at the future without nostalgia for the past -- Jeanette Winterson
Harry Parker has explored the cutting edge of interaction between humanity, computing and AI ... a captivating and cautionary travel guide to a new world -- Gavin Francis, author of Adventures in Human Being
Fascinating ... Parker's writing is elegant and often lyrical ... As someone who has lived as a "hybrid" for more than a decade, Parker never forgets the realities of everyday life, which encompass both pain and beauty. This may be a tour of the scientific avant garde, but the focus is always on the human heart and mind -- David Robson, Book of the Day * Observer *
A terrific writer -- Elizabeth Day
Absorbing ... Parker takes us on a tour of the weird and wonderful world where man and machine meet * Daily Mail *
Praise for Anatomy of a Soldier: 'Marvellously told' -- Alan Bennett
Alive to every nuance of feeling -- Hilary Mantel
A brilliant book -- Edna O'Brien
Beautifully constructed and moving -- Val McDermid
A tour de force -- Nadeem Aslam
Compassionate and compelling -- Kate Hamer
An endless ability to surprise -- Phil Klay
