The Book of Immortality: The Science, Belief, and Magic Behind

The Book of Immortality: The Science, Belief, and Magic Behind Living Forever
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What have we not done to live forever? The critically acclaimed author of The Fruit Huntersâ€”now an award-winning documentary filmâ€”weaves together religion, science, and mythology in a gripping exploration of the most universal of human obsessions: immortality.

What have we not done to live forever? Adam Leith Gollner, the critically acclaimed author of The Fruit Hunters, weaves together religion, science, and mythology in a gripping exploration of the most universal of human obsessions: immortality.

Raised without religion, Adam Leith Gollner was struck by mankindâ€™s tireless efforts to cheat aging and death. In a narrative that pivots between profundity and hilarity, he brings us into the world of those whose lives are shaped by a belief in immortality. From a Jesuit priest on his deathbed to antiaging researchers at Harvard, Gollnerâ€” sorting truth from absurdityâ€”canvasses religion and science for insight, along with an array of cults, myths, and fringe figures.

He journeys to David Copperfieldâ€™s archipelago in the Bahamas, where the magician claims to have found â€œa liquid that reverses genes.â€ He explores a cryonics facility, attends a costume party set in the year 2068 with a group of radical life-extensionists, and soaks in the transformative mineral waters at the Esalen Institute. Looking to history, Gollner visits St. Augustine, Florida, where Ponce de LeÃ³n is thought to have sought the Fountain of Youth.

Combining immersive reporting, rigorous research, and lyrical prose, Gollner charts the rise of longevity science from its alchemical beginnings to modern-day genetic interventions. He delves into the symbolic representation of eternal life and its connection to water. Interlaced throughout is a compelling meditation on the nature of belief, showing how every story we tell about immortality is a story about the meaning of death.

â€œPart journalist, part detective, part scientist.â€ (New York Post). Adam Leith Gollner has written a rollicking and revelatory examination of our age-old notion of living forever.
Country USA
Brand Scribner Book Company
Manufacturer Scribner
Binding Hardcover
ReleaseDate 2013-08-20
UnitCount 1
EANs 9781439109427

Country	USA
Brand	Scribner Book Company
Manufacturer	Scribner
Binding	Hardcover
ReleaseDate	2013-08-20
UnitCount	1
EANs	9781439109427

The Book of Immortality: The Science, Belief, and Magic Behind Living Forever