The Left Stuff

The Left Stuff:
How the Left-Handed Have Survived and Thrived in a Right-Handed World

By Melissa Roth
M.Evans & Company/Roman & Littlefield

From the inside of a 21st century neuroimaging machine to the jungles of Madagascar to the bullpens of Major League Baseball, The Left Stuff takes readers on a lively adventure to uncover the truth behind the mysteries and contradictions that surround the fabled southpaw. Do they really die younger? Are they born or made? Are their brains organized differently? Is it true they suffer from a 'mating handicap' that has left them scarce in a world dominated by right-handers?

Weaving topical and historical anecdotes with research from the frontiers of science, journalist Melissa Roth investigates the role that both nature and nurture have played in directing us to choose sides, revealing what our uneven hand skills can tell us about how we're wired and how we communicate.

Debunking the false claims of the 'dying lefty' and the 'left-hander syndrome,' The Left Stuff challenges the many stigmas that have attached themselves to the 'sinister-sided.' Why are humans overwhelmingly right-handed, and how has a stubborn minority survived and even thrived against the weight of history and the forces of evolution?

With help from the fields of neuroscience and psychology, the book deconstructs the unusual talents of lefties from Leonard daVinci to Bill Gates, Alexander the Great to Bill Clinton, John McCain to Jon Stewart, offering a picture of the important role this 'backwards' trait has played in advancing humankind.

A compelling look at the overlap between our evolutionary past and our scientific future, The Left Stuff sheds new light on the discussion of how our brains and our hands relate to each other, and how they're connected to how we evolved. Fascinating, provocative, and insightful, the book offers an engaging look at how modern science has put the power of understanding in the palms of our hands.