Description

A BBC Radio 4 Book of the Week

A gripping, eye-opening account of how technology is altering our understanding of what it means to be human – from the bestselling author of Anatomy of a Soldier

“I loved Hybrid Humans. It is modest, wise … and a way of looking at the future without nostalgia for the past” – Jeanette Winterson

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.

“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

Publisher Review

I 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 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