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Am I Normal?: The 200-Year Search for Normal People
A deep dive into the strange science of the 'Normal', and the roots of an anxiety-ridden modern obsession
Before the nineteenth century, the term normal was rarely ever associated with human behaviour. Normal was a term used in maths, for right angles. People weren't normal; triangles were.
But from the 1830s, this branch of science really took off across Europe and North America, with a proliferation of IQ tests, sex studies, a census of hallucinations - even a UK beauty map (which concluded the women in Aberdeen were "the most repellent"). This book tells the surprising history how the very notion of the normal came about, how it shaped us all, often while entrenching oppressive values.
Sarah Chaney looks at why we're still asking the internet: Do I have a normal body? Is my sex life normal? Are my kids normal? And along the way, she challenges why we ever thought it might be a desirable thing to be.
Before the nineteenth century, the term normal was rarely ever associated with human behaviour. Normal was a term used in maths, for right angles. People weren't normal; triangles were.
But from the 1830s, this branch of science really took off across Europe and North America, with a proliferation of IQ tests, sex studies, a census of hallucinations - even a UK beauty map (which concluded the women in Aberdeen were "the most repellent"). This book tells the surprising history how the very notion of the normal came about, how it shaped us all, often while entrenching oppressive values.
Sarah Chaney looks at why we're still asking the internet: Do I have a normal body? Is my sex life normal? Are my kids normal? And along the way, she challenges why we ever thought it might be a desirable thing to be.
324 pages, Hardcover
Published July 14, 2022
53 people are currently reading
1156 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 41 reviews
November 7, 2022
I do not particularly recommend this book, but I do recommend the topic of conversation, and if this is the only source, so be it.
This book gives historical context to our current-day obsession with being normal, and emphasizes how even just the idea of normal emerged in the past 200 years, once population surveys and statistics took off. The most valuable insight of the book is that when you think about it, the very concept of "normal" doesn't make much sense, and more often than not, has been (and is) taken to mean "socially desirable" instead. A very telling example of this is social attitudes towards homosexuality; until quite recently this was considered pathological, but now it is mostly accepted as normal. Overall the book is a collection of all the ways society has chosen to torture its members by setting standards, typically white middle/upper class ones, and expecting everyone to fall in line. Honestly, it gets quite depressing.
The mental shift that this book provides is an important one; questioning what "normal" is, and even the need to obtain it can be really freeing. Furthermore, the book really drives home the default-white problem which is still pervasive. However, I don't think the author provides particularly insightful commentary beyond just laying out the problem and providing historical background.
____________________________________________________
My problems with the book were:
- The author does not properly address the distinction between societal ideals and actual "normality". Understandably all of society has been confusing the two, but when trying to uncover the reasons why one or the other exists, or solutions to either, you need to know which one you're talking about! Society may want for people to have a certain look or body weight, and clinical health may recommend yet another goal for BMI, but that can all be different from what the entire population actually looks like.
- The author doesn't address the distinction between normal as in the actual average of the whole population, and normal as in common enough as to be unremarkable. Being left-handed is not actually that common, but its "normal" in the sense that it is nothing to worry about and billions of people are similar. More generally, when people are really worried about whether they are normal or not, they are just asking if something they have or do is something to be concerned about, and not wanting to stand out too much. Somehow, this never came up in the book.
- The way information is used is not scientific. The author will pick anecdotes and historical facts that tell the story she wants to tell, resulting in a potentially one-sided or misleading picture. For example, the overarching story tends to be that white Anglo-Saxon culture has set the beauty standards and the norms to match their own image; so beautiful is white. The author then brings up the use of whiting creams in certain Asian populations. But you could just as easily point out that now white beauty standards aim for tanned skin, and white women everywhere are getting skin cancer lying in tanning beds. Clearly, beauty standards are only somewhat related to what the dominating culture actually looks like. Much more nuanced is the fact that beauty standards change with time because they reflect the well-being and social status of the individual; fat women were once the ideal because only wealthy women could get fat. Before, pale skin meant not having to work in the sun, and now spending time in the sun means not having to work. Now, divas and celebrities are all sporting really long nails, which anyone with a manual job or even white collar job can't afford to have. I digress, but basically a lot of phenomena the author brings up rather reflect some other aspect of society than just an obsession with normal, but she bends the facts to fit her narrative.
- History ends 200 years ago. The author provides no further insight into how prior centuries handled “normal”, as if assuming that because this term was not used, the societal push to conform wasn’t there. I think a much more interesting book would have talked about what normal meant in the past, or if the interest was rather on societal control of behavior, then how much the church and other institutions set expectations.
This book gives historical context to our current-day obsession with being normal, and emphasizes how even just the idea of normal emerged in the past 200 years, once population surveys and statistics took off. The most valuable insight of the book is that when you think about it, the very concept of "normal" doesn't make much sense, and more often than not, has been (and is) taken to mean "socially desirable" instead. A very telling example of this is social attitudes towards homosexuality; until quite recently this was considered pathological, but now it is mostly accepted as normal. Overall the book is a collection of all the ways society has chosen to torture its members by setting standards, typically white middle/upper class ones, and expecting everyone to fall in line. Honestly, it gets quite depressing.
The mental shift that this book provides is an important one; questioning what "normal" is, and even the need to obtain it can be really freeing. Furthermore, the book really drives home the default-white problem which is still pervasive. However, I don't think the author provides particularly insightful commentary beyond just laying out the problem and providing historical background.
____________________________________________________
My problems with the book were:
- The author does not properly address the distinction between societal ideals and actual "normality". Understandably all of society has been confusing the two, but when trying to uncover the reasons why one or the other exists, or solutions to either, you need to know which one you're talking about! Society may want for people to have a certain look or body weight, and clinical health may recommend yet another goal for BMI, but that can all be different from what the entire population actually looks like.
- The author doesn't address the distinction between normal as in the actual average of the whole population, and normal as in common enough as to be unremarkable. Being left-handed is not actually that common, but its "normal" in the sense that it is nothing to worry about and billions of people are similar. More generally, when people are really worried about whether they are normal or not, they are just asking if something they have or do is something to be concerned about, and not wanting to stand out too much. Somehow, this never came up in the book.
- The way information is used is not scientific. The author will pick anecdotes and historical facts that tell the story she wants to tell, resulting in a potentially one-sided or misleading picture. For example, the overarching story tends to be that white Anglo-Saxon culture has set the beauty standards and the norms to match their own image; so beautiful is white. The author then brings up the use of whiting creams in certain Asian populations. But you could just as easily point out that now white beauty standards aim for tanned skin, and white women everywhere are getting skin cancer lying in tanning beds. Clearly, beauty standards are only somewhat related to what the dominating culture actually looks like. Much more nuanced is the fact that beauty standards change with time because they reflect the well-being and social status of the individual; fat women were once the ideal because only wealthy women could get fat. Before, pale skin meant not having to work in the sun, and now spending time in the sun means not having to work. Now, divas and celebrities are all sporting really long nails, which anyone with a manual job or even white collar job can't afford to have. I digress, but basically a lot of phenomena the author brings up rather reflect some other aspect of society than just an obsession with normal, but she bends the facts to fit her narrative.
- History ends 200 years ago. The author provides no further insight into how prior centuries handled “normal”, as if assuming that because this term was not used, the societal push to conform wasn’t there. I think a much more interesting book would have talked about what normal meant in the past, or if the interest was rather on societal control of behavior, then how much the church and other institutions set expectations.
March 20, 2023
Uno studio degli ultimi 200 anni attorno al concetto di normalità. Cos'è, come si calcola, come si decide cos'è normale, chi lo stabilisce, perché a un certo punto della storia è stato così importante definirlo? A queste e molte altre domande risponde Chaney (lasciando al lettore anche molte domande sul proprio concetto di normalità) indagando su corpo, mente, comportamenti sociali, bambini, ecc. Un viaggio molto interessante che sono felicissima di aver fatto.
January 29, 2025
Alguma vez achaste que não eras normal?
Ou tentaste ser igual aos outros para não seres considerada uma pessoa “estranha”?
Neste livro, a escritora Sarah Chaney faz uma viagem no tempo para falar sobre o que é, afinal, “ser-se normal” e como esse termo da “normalidade” tem vindo a sofrer alterações ao longo da história.
Aqui são abordados vários temas sob o ponto de vista da normalidade, nomeadamente, a estética, a sexualidade, a mente, a educação e a sociedade no geral.
Gostei imenso da escrita e o facto de estar sustentada em factos/estudos científicos tornou a leitura ainda mais interessante. Voltei a ler sobre assuntos que abordei na escola e na faculdade e agora olhei para eles com outros olhos.
Realmente o normal não existe e não vale a pena tentarmos mudar para o encontrarmos.
Com esta leitura a palavra “normal” ganhou uma nova conotação para mim.
Que a normalidade seja sermos felizes e livres em vez de cópias e modelos preconcebidos.
Ou tentaste ser igual aos outros para não seres considerada uma pessoa “estranha”?
Neste livro, a escritora Sarah Chaney faz uma viagem no tempo para falar sobre o que é, afinal, “ser-se normal” e como esse termo da “normalidade” tem vindo a sofrer alterações ao longo da história.
Aqui são abordados vários temas sob o ponto de vista da normalidade, nomeadamente, a estética, a sexualidade, a mente, a educação e a sociedade no geral.
Gostei imenso da escrita e o facto de estar sustentada em factos/estudos científicos tornou a leitura ainda mais interessante. Voltei a ler sobre assuntos que abordei na escola e na faculdade e agora olhei para eles com outros olhos.
Realmente o normal não existe e não vale a pena tentarmos mudar para o encontrarmos.
Com esta leitura a palavra “normal” ganhou uma nova conotação para mim.
Que a normalidade seja sermos felizes e livres em vez de cópias e modelos preconcebidos.
July 30, 2025
eeendlich fertig. es hat sich bissi gezogen weil ich kein fan vom schreibstil bin, denn es ist sehr *wissenschaftlich* geschrieben, obwohl es inhaltlich eh sehr gut verständlich ist und bei weitem nicht hoch-wissenschaftlich. ich möchte es auf jedenfall noch mal lesen, da ich mir bei weitem weinger merke beim ersten read als ich gerne würde, aber ich habs direkt durch"gearbeitet" sprich wichtiges und interessantes markiert, das heißt ich werde mir wahrscheinlich nur die abschnitte nochmal vornehmen. finde das buch hat viele gute etappen, ist ausreichend(! nicht unfassbar, aber ausreichend) intersektionell und breitgefächert. ich für meinen teil habe die kapitel über "normalität" von körpern, psyche und kindern am meisten gemocht, beim thema medizin zb musste ich mich eher bissi zwingen dran zu bleiben, aber habe im nachhinein so viel neues erfahren, und das finde ich toll.
würde das buch allen empfehlen, die lust haben auf mehr wissen in vielen bereich, so ein zwischending aus politisch und sozialem, einiges an geschichte und außerdem auch gut anwendbar für selbstreflexion, so etwa :)
würde das buch allen empfehlen, die lust haben auf mehr wissen in vielen bereich, so ein zwischending aus politisch und sozialem, einiges an geschichte und außerdem auch gut anwendbar für selbstreflexion, so etwa :)
April 14, 2025
interesting read, but writing style and the level of information didn't really match? Like it was written in a very scientific way, but the info stayed kinda surface level and that combination bored me a bit.
September 6, 2025
This book felt like a bag of unpopped popcorn. So many fascinating questions and subjects summarised and ground down to a book akin to a Wikipedia article intro section. There’s a wealth of fascinating questions and subjects in here, and the intention and skill is there — but the format, or the rush to print this, was not *it*. There’s at the very least 7 different books here (corresponding to each chapter), and I’d pick one of those up if it were ever actualised. For now, I’m moving on.
March 22, 2024
Bardzo ciekawe spojrzenie na pojęcie "normalności" - ile krzywdy i stresów takie wpasowywanie się może wywołać. Początkowe rozdziały ciekawsze od kolejnych, ale ogólnie bardzo wciągająca lektura
June 27, 2024
3.5 🌟Een superboeiend topic waardoor je de dingen in vraag stelt, maar soms iets te wetenschappelijk/traag voor mij.
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March 8, 2025👌🏼
July 28, 2025
Been struggle city to get through this. Cool concept but I just don’t vibe with history x
April 22, 2025
well researched, easy read and honestly changed my perception of what "normal" means and why we've been chasing it on a societal and individual level. it also helped me make peace with my perhaps atypical situation in the current landscape of my life. i'd recommend this to anyone struggling with feeling like the odd one out in general.
December 28, 2022
Who hasn't wondered if they are normal? Indeed, when I announced I was reading this book to my family, they fell about laughing and shaking their heads. I'm guessing they don't perceive me as normal. Nice.
Anyway, I read this book relatively quickly. It's an entertaining read. If you are a social scientist, it probably won't come as a huge surprise to you that, like most scientific terms, the label of 'normal' is one that is socially constructed and follows the contours of power and stigma in relation to race, class and gender; in other words, normal is 'us' and abnormal is 'them'. The case studies bring it to life and each chapter can be read in its own right; the one on the construction of BMI and 'normal' female bodies is particularly interesting, as is the discussion of what the 'normal distribution' came to represent, beyond mathematics. Chaney writes well and with references hidden by superscript numbers, it's an easy-flowing read in the popular medicine genre.
One criticism is that Chaney focuses her examples on the 19th and early 20th centuries because she's a historian. The current status of being 'normal' in contemporary society is not examined in any depth. Indeed, it could be argued that there are both normative and counter-normative pressures operating simultaneously in post-modern culture; on the one hand, for example, women have never looked so similar in terms of the young having long hair, but this gives value to deviancy; so shaving one's head or having a buzz cut becomes counter-culture, and if the other parameters are right (e.g. age, class) then being 'different' becomes a virtue; a way of attracting attention. Similarly, people aim to give unique names to their children, the irony being that names also operate normatively so that every parent of an 'Eva' is disappointed when they arrive at school and find another three or four little Evas when they felt sure they were the first ones to think of it. There's no exploration here of contemporary trends to value difference, and of course, what happens when everyone is so different they all become rather similar.
I'm off to try to be different. Wish me luck!
Anyway, I read this book relatively quickly. It's an entertaining read. If you are a social scientist, it probably won't come as a huge surprise to you that, like most scientific terms, the label of 'normal' is one that is socially constructed and follows the contours of power and stigma in relation to race, class and gender; in other words, normal is 'us' and abnormal is 'them'. The case studies bring it to life and each chapter can be read in its own right; the one on the construction of BMI and 'normal' female bodies is particularly interesting, as is the discussion of what the 'normal distribution' came to represent, beyond mathematics. Chaney writes well and with references hidden by superscript numbers, it's an easy-flowing read in the popular medicine genre.
One criticism is that Chaney focuses her examples on the 19th and early 20th centuries because she's a historian. The current status of being 'normal' in contemporary society is not examined in any depth. Indeed, it could be argued that there are both normative and counter-normative pressures operating simultaneously in post-modern culture; on the one hand, for example, women have never looked so similar in terms of the young having long hair, but this gives value to deviancy; so shaving one's head or having a buzz cut becomes counter-culture, and if the other parameters are right (e.g. age, class) then being 'different' becomes a virtue; a way of attracting attention. Similarly, people aim to give unique names to their children, the irony being that names also operate normatively so that every parent of an 'Eva' is disappointed when they arrive at school and find another three or four little Evas when they felt sure they were the first ones to think of it. There's no exploration here of contemporary trends to value difference, and of course, what happens when everyone is so different they all become rather similar.
I'm off to try to be different. Wish me luck!
May 4, 2023
"Doe toch eens normaal!" Maar normaal zijn, wat betekent dat eigenlijk? Gemiddeld zijn? Je conform de heersende normen gedragen? Als je je afvraagt of je nu wel normaal bent, dan wil je waarschijnlijk weten of je fysiek en mentaal gezond bent en of je lijkt op de anderen op je heen. Zo eenvoudig als het woord lijkt, zo ingewikkeld is de definitie van "normaal".
Dit boek toont hoe ons idee over normaliteit gevormd is door de 19e eeuwse obsessie met meetbaarheid. Uit twijfelachtige metingen distilleerde men een statistisch gemiddelde waaraan eigenlijk niemand voldoet. Groeicurves voor baby's, "standaardmaten" voor kledij die eindeloos verschillen, seksuele normen en dubbele standaarden, intelligentietesten, alle labeltjes in de DSM-5 voor wie "afwijkend gedrag" vertoont. Allemaal zaken die we baseren op cijfertjes waarvan we aannemen dat ze neutraal zijn en objectief. Maar de "gemiddelde mens" bestaat niet, zo blijkt. Toch streven we dat ideaalbeeld na, ook al voldoet niemand eraan. Bovendien is het idee van normaal of gemiddeld ook zeer veranderlijk in de tijd.
Dit was een interessant boek met veel boeiende geschiedenis waarover ik weinig wist. Wie je bent als onderzoeker (historisch gezien een witte man met enig maatschappelijk privilege) bepaalt ook hoe en wat je meet. Hun idee over normaal werd zo "het normaal". De premisse van dit boek is dan ook heel erg interessant maar het ging soms een beetje alle kanten uit. Toch is het onderwerp op zich alleen al de moeite waard.
Dit boek toont hoe ons idee over normaliteit gevormd is door de 19e eeuwse obsessie met meetbaarheid. Uit twijfelachtige metingen distilleerde men een statistisch gemiddelde waaraan eigenlijk niemand voldoet. Groeicurves voor baby's, "standaardmaten" voor kledij die eindeloos verschillen, seksuele normen en dubbele standaarden, intelligentietesten, alle labeltjes in de DSM-5 voor wie "afwijkend gedrag" vertoont. Allemaal zaken die we baseren op cijfertjes waarvan we aannemen dat ze neutraal zijn en objectief. Maar de "gemiddelde mens" bestaat niet, zo blijkt. Toch streven we dat ideaalbeeld na, ook al voldoet niemand eraan. Bovendien is het idee van normaal of gemiddeld ook zeer veranderlijk in de tijd.
Dit was een interessant boek met veel boeiende geschiedenis waarover ik weinig wist. Wie je bent als onderzoeker (historisch gezien een witte man met enig maatschappelijk privilege) bepaalt ook hoe en wat je meet. Hun idee over normaal werd zo "het normaal". De premisse van dit boek is dan ook heel erg interessant maar het ging soms een beetje alle kanten uit. Toch is het onderwerp op zich alleen al de moeite waard.
May 3, 2025
You sort of know what’s coming with this excellent book from the title, don’t you? But the extent to which the idea of “normal” has been deeply embedded in medical institutions and society itself, and on what shaky foundations, is pretty staggering. The book is cultural archaeology at its best, going to the roots of received ideas of what a normal body, normal appearance, normal sexuality, normal diets really are, and what harm it can do to emphasises a sense of conformity when we are all so weird and unique in our own ways. Not a new idea of course, but that’s the magic of this account - we get to see the source texts, the way the idea of normal distribution became so scientifically mainstream (and on what huge assumptions). You’re left wondering how different our society might have been if some different perspectives had been allowed in at different times. And a true sense of the damage we’ve done to ourselves of believing that there’s a ‘normal’ that should govern us and our conduct. A book that describes a simple pretext but with enormous ramifications. #aminormal #guehennoreads #booksofinstagram #booksof2024
April 8, 2023
4/5 sterren , dan 5 omdat de schrijfster het boeiend en luchtig weet te houden zodat het een leuk boek is om te lezen , normaliteit over fysiek, psychische, sex, emoties, enz . , het boek deed me ook wat nadenken , ....
jij , ja jij ben jij normaal ? Als je het bent zul je moeten veranderen om het te blijven wat 40 jaar geleden normaal was is het nu niet meer , .... er was geen internet , binnen 40 jaar is het weer wat anders , ... mss ben ik de enige die normaal is : ) , nuja gemiddelden de meeste mensen die leven zijn nu dood , dus het gemiddelde is dood .... , doodnormaal ,
Zoveel mogelijk respect en geduld hebben dat blijft mss wel tijdloos normaal , en als het op is , diep ademhalen mss kan men het straks maken in pillen ,
Abnormal, normaal , ik wist niet dat de namen , Norma en Norman gebaseerd waren op normaal als men leest kan men altijd iets leren ,
5 sterren leuk normaal boek ; ) !
jij , ja jij ben jij normaal ? Als je het bent zul je moeten veranderen om het te blijven wat 40 jaar geleden normaal was is het nu niet meer , .... er was geen internet , binnen 40 jaar is het weer wat anders , ... mss ben ik de enige die normaal is : ) , nuja gemiddelden de meeste mensen die leven zijn nu dood , dus het gemiddelde is dood .... , doodnormaal ,
Zoveel mogelijk respect en geduld hebben dat blijft mss wel tijdloos normaal , en als het op is , diep ademhalen mss kan men het straks maken in pillen ,
Abnormal, normaal , ik wist niet dat de namen , Norma en Norman gebaseerd waren op normaal als men leest kan men altijd iets leren ,
5 sterren leuk normaal boek ; ) !
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January 1, 2024Un saggio utile a comprendere il concetto di “normalità “: da dove nasce, come ha influenzato l’umanità e il modo che abbiamo di percepire il mondo e la nostra società.
L’autrice si situa all’interno del testo introducendo i capitoli con una sua esperienza passata o un suo modo di percepire tale concetto, avvicinando chi legge ai temi trattati.
Il libro può essere utile ad avere un’ottima introduzione del termine passando per diversi punti di vista e ambiti di applicazione, ovviamente non può essere esaustivo perché l’argomento è vastissimo, ma aiuta sicuramente a mettere in discussione molte idee e fornisce interessanti fonti da approfondire successivamente.
L’autrice si situa all’interno del testo introducendo i capitoli con una sua esperienza passata o un suo modo di percepire tale concetto, avvicinando chi legge ai temi trattati.
Il libro può essere utile ad avere un’ottima introduzione del termine passando per diversi punti di vista e ambiti di applicazione, ovviamente non può essere esaustivo perché l’argomento è vastissimo, ma aiuta sicuramente a mettere in discussione molte idee e fornisce interessanti fonti da approfondire successivamente.
November 23, 2022
Who knew? Well I didn't! I enjoyed the historical deep dive into where 'normal' came from and that's it is a relatively new concept. So called 'scientific' tests (which were biased - they left out whole groups of people yet could ascertain who was 'normal' - ah no!). What we base 'normal' on today and how those original tests are faulty. It is a really interesting topic, and sure the writer doesn't come up with many/any solutions, but hey, who can in just 1 book? I enjoyed all the examples - shocking as some of the beliefs and thoughts are to current ears, that is how we got here.
December 27, 2023
Zanimljiva studija koja izučava historiju normalnosti. Dopao mi se pristup autorice koja je ubacila dosta vlastitih anegdota i samim tim postiže da se umanji abnormalnost istog.
Kroz poglavlja koja se tiču historije, misli, osjećaja, sexa, djetinjstva i društva autorica uspjeva da obuhvati jako velik dio historije koja do sada nije bila proučavana iz ove perspektive. Ipak postoje neke teme koje je samo spomenula ili nije uopšte, ali ovakva studija je bila sama po sebi veliki zalogaj koji treba cijeniti.
Kroz poglavlja koja se tiču historije, misli, osjećaja, sexa, djetinjstva i društva autorica uspjeva da obuhvati jako velik dio historije koja do sada nije bila proučavana iz ove perspektive. Ipak postoje neke teme koje je samo spomenula ili nije uopšte, ali ovakva studija je bila sama po sebi veliki zalogaj koji treba cijeniti.
February 22, 2023
„Before about 1820, the word normal was not used by anyone to describe themselves or each other; nor was it used by scientists or doctors to understand human populations. Normal was a term used in maths, for angles, equations and formulae. People weren't normal: lines and calculations were“.
Tikėtasi daugiau. Vis tik be tos pradžios 1820 (tikėjausi porą tūkstančių metų ilgesnės istorijos) jokių didesnių šokų ar siurprizų, net jeigu vis tik ir įdomi.
Tikėtasi daugiau. Vis tik be tos pradžios 1820 (tikėjausi porą tūkstančių metų ilgesnės istorijos) jokių didesnių šokų ar siurprizų, net jeigu vis tik ir įdomi.
October 20, 2023
A book about social science that is both tongue in cheek, and highly informative. It dissects the ways that our idea of 'normal' has been constructed (and changed) throughout history to benefit a very certain few, and exclude or marginalise others. (Often with very little factual basis as data is routinely left out of studies or altered to suit what researchers want to see).
I learnt a lot, questioned a lot, and laughed a fair bit!
Easily digestible social science books for the win!
I learnt a lot, questioned a lot, and laughed a fair bit!
Easily digestible social science books for the win!
March 9, 2025
A history and popular science book about what we assume is 'normal'.
It includes a discussion on norms, normative judgements, normality, and normalisation.
The book's content assists the general reader and humanities and social science students to understand better and rethink how modern-era politico-economic elites have used and misused the definitions and interpretations of what is 'normal'.
The author states that 'normal' is not a natural entity but a historically constructed label.
It includes a discussion on norms, normative judgements, normality, and normalisation.
The book's content assists the general reader and humanities and social science students to understand better and rethink how modern-era politico-economic elites have used and misused the definitions and interpretations of what is 'normal'.
The author states that 'normal' is not a natural entity but a historically constructed label.
December 20, 2025
The overall message is that, as I hope most people would acknowledge, ideas of “normality” constantly change over time, vary between cultures and societies, and often don’t really exist at all. It’s an interesting book about the history of science, medicine and sociology. It could be viewed as a kind of introductory book, since each chapter could more or less be turned into an entire book of its own.
June 14, 2024
Bardzo ciekawie i w wyważony sposób (odpowiednia jak dla mnie mieszanka danych, wiarygodnych informacji oraz plot i anegdot z życia autorki) autorka rozprawia się z mitem o normalności. Czy ktoś tu jest normalny? Z pewnością - i na szczęście - nie. Myślę, że takie podejście do mitów kultury może się również przydać w psychoterapii.
July 12, 2024
Am I Normal? What you discover by reading this is, that's the wrong question. The better question is, who defined what is normal. Likely it was a heterosexual middle class white male defining an ideal and not an average. The history of the normal is relatively new and most often used to exclude.
March 1, 2023
Interesting premise and surely interesting examples that made me rethink some of my beliefs. But the book suffers from losing momentum as the scope widens from the individual to society.
Nice for a quick read, but don't expect anything mind-shattering.
Nice for a quick read, but don't expect anything mind-shattering.
March 17, 2023
4.5 stars but rounded down.
An interesting look into the creation of the 'normal'. I'd encourage those who are most likely to be affected by the normal (i.e teens/those 'coming of age') to read this, although I think most people would benefit from doing so.
An interesting look into the creation of the 'normal'. I'd encourage those who are most likely to be affected by the normal (i.e teens/those 'coming of age') to read this, although I think most people would benefit from doing so.
October 30, 2023
I found this book to be an interesting and informative read. The history of 'normal' was well documented and in a way that kept me reading and enjoying the book throughout. It has certainly made me think.
September 26, 2023
Loved this book, found it incredibly interesting and insightful
October 17, 2023
Interesting
December 11, 2023
Learned a lot! Kept asking myself this q a lot lately. And to have found all the answers to my most immediate q’s, and more, ah!😩 VERY refreshing, thanks Sarah!
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