Review
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'[Wim Hof] has become a phenomenon, and Carney is an entertaining guide to his world and his followers .’
Source: The Times 'Book of the Week'
‘When it's cold outside, do you turn the heating up? Do you always put a coat on before going out? Do you think your
comfortable life is good for you? If so, you have to read Scott Carney's What Doesn't Kill Us. Through some great
stories ― which often involve Carney in the snow without much on ― and some serious research, he shows us how to escape
the bland, shuffling gait of our centrally-heated, fleece-jacketed, molly-coddled lives by diving head first into the
ice-cold, axe-sharp, y experiences that made our ancestors' hearts beat faster every day. If we do that, we can
awake from the dull slumber of modern life, and open our eyes to a better, ier dawn of crisp air, better
circulation, and the ability to truly mean it when we say: I'm alive. Buy this book, and you'll emerge a stronger,
ier, more human human.’ Author: James Wallman Source: author of Stuffocation: Living More With Less
‘Climbing a ain in nothing but a pair of shorts seems idiotic to most, but for Wim Hof and his companions, it’s
just another day. When investigative journalist and anthropologist Carney heard about Hof’s mind-boggling methods and
cls that he could ‘hack’ the human body, he knew he had to venture to Poland to expose this fraud. But in just a few
days, Hof changed Carney’s mind, and so began a friendship and a new adventure. Carney now chronicles his journey to
push himself mentally and physically using Wim Hof’s method of cold exposure, breath-holding, and meditation to tap into
our primal selves. Our ancestors survived harsh conditions without modern technology, while we live in comfortable
bubbles with little to struggle against and wonder how they survived. The question is, ‘What happens when we push our
bodies to the limit?’ Carney calls on evolutionary biology and other modern scientific disciplines to explore and
explain Hof’s unconventional methods. Fresh and exciting, this book has wide appeal for readers interested in ,
sports, self-improvement, and extreme challenges.’
Source: Booklist
‘As this engaging autoethnography relates, anthropologist and investigative journalist Carney was skeptical upon
encountering a photo of a nearly naked Wim Hof sitting on a glacier in the Arctic Circle. Hof, a Dutch fitness guru who
runs a training camp in Poland’s wilderness, cls he can control his body temperature and immune system solely with
his mind; though Carney set out to prove Hof a charlatan, he was instead won over. Carney documents his interactions
with Hof and the many others who have learned to control their bodies in seemingly impossible ways: he learned Hof’s
breathing techniques for tricking the body into doing things it isn’t evolutionarily designed for, and underwent
training to face extreme cold while barely clothed. It is this training that enables Hof and Carney to summit Mt.
Kilimanjaro in 28 hours while wearing shorts. This is part guide and part popular science book; readers will learn about
how Neanderthals used the body’s ‘brown ’ to keep warm and how exposure nearly reverses the symptoms of es. The
accomplishments Carney documents are unbelievable and fascinating; this isn’t a how-to for those looking to perform
extraordinary feats, but it is an entertaining account that will appeal to the adventurous.’
Source: Publishers Weekly
‘Scott Carney is so curious about getting to the truth of things that he is willing to endure great pain and suffering
to get there. While investigating the controversial methods of Wim Hof and others operating on the scientific fringe,
Carney entered a skeptic yet emerged a true believer. In What Doesn't Kill Us, readers get to follow him along on his
transformational journey, and the ins are truly fascinating. Informative, fun, and with a y degree of danger,
this is a book for the adventurer in all of us.’
Author: Gabriel Reece Source: Co-founder of XPT (Extreme Performance Training)
‘The further we get from the harsh environmental conditions that once threatened our existence, the more we need them. I
see this every weekend at a Spartan Race somewhere in the world. Millions of otherwise sane people line up to suffer and
push themselves to their physical limits, and it feels good. What Doesn't Kill Us is a fascinating investigation into
the innate urge that drives people like these, and reveals how some have managed to use environmental conditioning to
accomplish truly extraordinary things.’
Author: John DeSena Source: founder of Spartan Race
‘As a Navy SEAL, you live by the mantra ‘What doesn’t kill us only makes us stronger.’ We would hear this phrase and
repeat it, but we never had any proof that it was factual. Yet through comprehensive study, Scott Carney has brilliantly
documented how engaging in environmental conditioning, breathing, meditation, and other techniques can actually make us
physically and mentally stronger. What Doesn’t Kill Us is a fascinating book that will captivate all who read it and
that will be of immense value to those in the , those who are active in sports, and those who seek an alternate
means of developing greater mental and physical strength.’
Author: Don D. Mann Source: Don D. Mann, New York Times bestselling author, Inside SEAL Team SIX
‘I always knew that jumping into freezing water makes you feel brilliant afterwards, but now I know why.’
Author: William Leith Source: The Spectator
About the Author
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Scott Carney is an award-winning investigative journalist and anthropologist whose stories blend narrative
nonfiction with ethnography. His reporting has taken him to some of the most dangerous and unlikely corners of the
world. He is a senior fellow at the Schuster Institute for Investigative Journalism and a fellow at the Center for
Environmental Journalism at the University of Colorado Boulder. He is the author of The Red Market and A Death on
Diamond ain, and has been a contributing editor at Wired. Other works of his have appeared in Mother Jones, Foreign
Policy, Playboy, Details, Discover, Outside, and Fast Company, among other publications. He lives in Denver with his
wife, Laura, and their cat, Lambert.