Am I Normal? by Sarah Chaney, Paperback, 9781788162463 | Buy online at The Nile
Departments
 Free Returns*

Am I Normal?

The 200-Year Search for Normal People (and Why They Don’t Exist)

Author: Sarah Chaney  

Am I Normal?
Paperback

The riveting history of the strange science of the 'Normal', and the origins of an anxiety-ridden modern obsession

Read more
Just a few left, order soon
New
$25.48
Or pay later with
Free 30 day returns       Secure transaction
Just a few left, order soon
Check delivery options
Paperback

PRODUCT INFORMATION

Summary

The riveting history of the strange science of the 'Normal', and the origins of an anxiety-ridden modern obsession

Read more

Description

As heard on BBC Radio 4 Woman's Hour
A Blackwell's and Waterstones Best Popular Science Book of 2022

'Excellent ... one of those rare pop-science books that make you look at the whole world differently' The Daily Telegraph
'Riveting' Mail on Sunday
'Captivating' Guardian, Book of the Day
'Compelling' Observer

Sarah Chaney takes us on an eye-opening and surprising journey into the history of science, revisiting the studies, landmark experiments and tests that proliferated from the early 19th century to find answers to the question: what's normal? These include a census of hallucinations - and even a UK beauty map (which claimed the women in Aberdeen were "the most repellent"). On the way she exposes many of the hangovers that are still with us from these dubious endeavours, from IQ tests to the BMI.

Interrogating how the notion and science of standardisation has shaped us all, as individuals and as a society, this book challenges why we ever thought that normal might be a desirable thing to be.

Read more

Critic Reviews

'Sarah Chaney charts, fascinatingly, [a] progressive creep of the idea of the "normal" into the heart of society... shocking and salutary' - The Times

'Compelling, highly readable ... Encompassing everything from sex surveys to baby weight, beauty standards to sexuality, this is a brilliantly engaging work of popular science' - Observer

'Captivating' - Book of the Day

'Eureka! Sarah Chaney's excellent Am I Normal? is one of those rare pop-science books that make you look at the whole world differently' - Tim Smith-Laing

'Riveting ... The moral of the story, indeed of this engaging book, is that instead of ruminating endlessly on the worried (and unanswerable) question Am I Normal?, we should be asking ourselves instead whether normal even exists and why, quite frankly, anyone cares' - Mail on Sunday, *****

Read more

About the Author

Sarah Chaney is a research fellow at the Queen Mary Centre for the History of the Emotions. She spent her teens and twenties furiously rebelling against the mainstream, whilst secretly longing to be normal. It wasn't until she passed thirty that she (mostly) stopped worrying about this mythical ideal. Alongside her research work she runs the public exhibitions and events programme at the Royal College of Nursing, occasionally writes for The Conversation and Psychology Today and reads far too much X-Men fanfic.

Read more

Product Details

Publisher
Profile Books Ltd | Wellcome Collection
Published
13th July 2023
Pages
336
ISBN
9781788162463

Returns

This item is eligible for free returns within 30 days of delivery. See our returns policy for further details.

New
$25.48
Or pay later with
Free 30 day returns       Secure transaction
Just a few left, order soon
Check delivery options
Browse by category
YOUR PAYMENT IS SECURE

We use 100% PCI DSS compliant payment services. That means your payment information is always protected, and never gets seen by anyone.
30-DAY FREE RETURN POLICY

Return nearly all items within 30 days of delivery. Unused or faulty items are acceptable as free returns. *Exceptions apply, see our returns policy.

The Nile
Follow Us
Help & Support
Contact Us

Copyright © 2025 The Nile Group.

Zip

 AfterPay

PayPal

Credit Card
Buy Baby at The Nile
 
 
 
Buy Toys at The Nile
Buy Books at The Nile
Buy Movies & TV at The Nile
Our Top Brands