Ackerman, Jennifer G. 1959-

PERSONAL:

Born 1959; married Karl Ackerman (a novelist); children: two daughters. Education: Yale College, B.A. (cum laude), 1980.

ADDRESSES:

Home—Charlottesville, VA. Agent—Melanie Jackson Agency, 250 W. 57th St., Ste. 119, New York, NY 10107. E-mail—[email protected].

CAREER:

Writer, 1989—. Lecturer at colleges and organizations, including Harvard University, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), and the University of Virginia. Formerly an editorial consultant for the Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Tufts University, and the Nature Conservancy; staff writer and researcher, National Geographic Society, book division, 1982-89; editorial board, University of Virginia Press, 1998-2002.

AWARDS, HONORS:

Established Artist fellowship, Delaware Arts Council; Bunting fellowship, Radcliffe College; grant, Alfred P. Sloan Foundation; fellowship, Brown College of University of Virginia, 2001; National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) Literature Fellowship in nonfiction, 2004.

WRITINGS:

The Curious Naturalist, National Geographic Society (Washington, DC), 1991.

Notes from the Shore, illustrated by Karin Grosz, Viking (New York, NY), 1995.

Chance in the House of Fate: A Natural History of Heredity, Houghton Mifflin (Boston, MA), 2001.

Sex Sleep Eat Drink Dream: A Day in the Life of Your Body, Houghton Mifflin (Boston, MA), 2007.

Contributor to anthologies, including The Nature Reader, edited by Daniel Halpern and Dan Frank, Ecco Press (New York, NY), 1996; Best Nature Writing, 1996; From the Field, edited by Charles McCarry, National Geographic Society (Washington, DC), 1996; and The Beach Book, edited by Aleda Shirley, Sarabande Books, 2000. Contributing writer and editor for the New York Times, National Geographic, and other publications.

SIDELIGHTS:

Jennifer G. Ackerman's book The Curious Naturalist introduces beginners to the study of nature. Included are instructions for building simple equipment and accurate paintings showing the hidden interiors of gardens, ponds, and animal dens.

In 1989, Ackerman moved to the small town of Lewes, Delaware, located on the Delaware Bay. Notes from the Shore is a collection of personal essays about the natural history of her surroundings in Lewes. She writes about the history and characteristics of the marshes, sand dunes, ocean, and animals and plants that live there. Reviewing the book for People, Paula Chin commented: "Interweaving reflections and a bit of personal history, Notes [from the Shore] is a celebration of finding a home, wherever that may be, and savoring the ‘rich broth of life.’"

Ackerman spent three years researching and gathering information from advanced research laboratories for Chance in the House of Fate: A Natural History of Heredity. In the book, Ackerman examines the genetic links between humans and the rest of the natural world. She also discusses her sister's severe mental retardation, a condition that may have been caused by genes or a virus. Library Journal reviewer Leila Fernandez noted: "This is an engrossing book written in delightful prose that will please most readers."

The inspiration for Ackerman's next book, Sex Sleep Eat Drink Dream: A Day in the Life of Your Body, came after Ackerman suffered a bout of flu. In an interview for the Houghton Mifflin Web site, she explained that during her recovery, "I had this epiphany—it kind of struck me with a bang—that my whole existence was going to come and go in this one body. Wouldn't it be a good idea to get to know it a little?" To organize her prodigious research about physiological functioning, Ackerman structured the book as a journey through a typical day. Along the way, she presents fascinating facts about such things as intestinal microbes, multi-tasking, physical attraction between the sexes, and the physical benefits of laughter. She explains recent research about circadian rhythms, noting that human beings are usually either morning types (larks) or night owls. She identifies the best times to eat (morning), exercise (late afternoon), and drink alcohol (early evening), and explains myriad other intriguing information about the human body.

Writing in the New York Times Book Review, Kyla Dunn enjoyed much of Ackerman's material but found her many references to her own family history "painfully out of place." Nevertheless, Dunn praised Sex Sleep Eat Drink Dream as an "illuminating and hospitable book [that] helps ensure that the inner life of our bodies will receive its fair share of wonderment." Also in the New York Times Book Review, Abigail Zuger commended the book as a "readable and remarkably comprehensive" work.

"I'm in awe of my body—of everyone's body," Ackerman said in the Houghton Mifflin interview. "I'm fascinated by its incredible complexity and exquisite efficiency, the way it runs itself without a thought from me."

BIOGRAPHICAL AND CRITICAL SOURCES:

PERIODICALS

American Biology Teacher, April, 2003, Jonathan Morris, review of Chance in the House of Fate: A Natural History of Heredity, p. 307.

Booklist, May 1, 1995, Janet St. John, review of Notes from the Shore, p. 1540; June 1, 2001, Donna Seaman, review of Chance in the House of Fate, p. 1808; September 1, 2007, Donna Seaman, review of Sex Sleep Eat Drink Dream: A Day in the Life of Your Body, p. 34.

BookPage, June, 2001, review of Chance in the House of Fate, p. 19.

Common Ground, November, 2007, Paul Constant, review of Sex Sleep Eat Drink Dream.

Globe and Mail (Toronto, Canada), July 21, 2001, review of Chance in the House of Fate, p. D8; January 5, 2008, Alison Motluk, review of Sex Sleep Eat Drink Dream, p. D2.

Kirkus Reviews, March 1, 1995, review of Notes from the Shore, p. 277; April 1, 2001, review of Chance in the House of Fate, p. 471; August 1, 2007, review of Sex Sleep Eat Drink Dream.

Library Journal, April 15, 1995, Randy Dykhuis, review of Notes from the Shore, p. 109; April 15, 2001, Leila Fernandez, review of Chance in the House of Fate, p. 127; July 1, 2007, James Swanton, review of Sex Sleep Eat Drink Dream, p. 111.

Los Angeles Times Book Review, April 16, 1995, review of Notes from the Shore, p. 8.

Maclean's, November 19, 2007, Brian Bethune, "Tuning in to Your Body's Rhythms: From Shaving to Sex to Setting an Athletic Record, There's an Optimum Time Each Day," p. 168.

Natural History, July, 1995, review of Notes from the Shore, p. 68.

New Scientist, September 29, 2007, Claire Ainsworth, review of Sex Sleep Eat Drink Dream, p. 52.

New York Times Book Review, September 16, 2001, Christine Kenneally, review of Chance in the House of Fate, p. 28; June 9, 2002, Scott Veale, review of Chance in the House of Fate, p. 32; October 30, 2007, Abigail Zuger, "Sickness and Health, on Scales Large and Small, review of Sex Sleep Eat Drink Dream; December 16, 2007, Kyla Dunn, "Owner's Manual," review of Sex Sleep Eat Drink Dream, p. 13.

People, September 4, 1995, Paula Chin, review of Notes from the Shore, p. 31.

Psychology Today, September 1, 2007, Hadara Graubart, review of Sex Sleep Eat Drink Dream.

Publishers Weekly, April 3, 1995, review of Notes from the Shore, p. 54; April 23, 2001, review of Chance in the House of Fate, p. 57; July 16, 2007, review of Sex Sleep Eat Drink Dream, p. 153.

School Library Journal, June, 1992, Mary T. Gerrity, review of The Curious Naturalist, p. 150.

Science, August 3, 2001, Andrew Berry, review of Chance in the House of Fate, p. 810.

Science & Spirit, September-October, 2007, Margaret Putney, review of Sex Sleep Eat Drink Dream, p. 58.

Science Books & Films, September, 2001, review of Chance in the House of Fate, p. 204.

Science News, November 17, 2007, review of Sex Sleep Eat Drink Dream, p. 319.

Smithsonian, March, 1996, Paul Trachtman, review of Notes from the Shore, p. 128.

Southern Living, July, 1996, review of Notes from the Shore, p. 80.

Washington Post Book World, February 25, 2001, review of Chance in the House of Fate, p. 6; November, 25, 2007, Amanda Schaffer, review of Sex Sleep Eat Drink Dream, p. 14.

Whole Life Times, November, 2007, Paul Constant, review of Sex Sleep Eat Drink Dream, p. 38.

Wilson Quarterly, January 1, 2008, Sharman Apt Russell, "Time Beings," p. 108.

ONLINE

BookPage,http://www.bookpage.com/ (June 20, 2008), Eliza McGraw, review of Sex Sleep Eat Drink Dream.

Charlottesville Words,http://cvillewords.com/ (June 20, 2008), interview with Ackerman.

Entertainment Weekly Online,http://www.we.com/ (June 20, 2008), review of Sex Sleep Eat Drink Dream.

Houghton Mifflin Web site,http://www.houghtonmifflin.com/ (June 20, 2008), author biography and interview.

Jennifer Ackerman Home Page,http://www.jenniferackerman.net (June 20, 2008).

New York Times Online,http://www.newyorktimes.com/ (November 23, 2001), review of Chance in the House of Fate.

Seacoast Online,http://www.seacoastonline.com/ (June 20, 2008), Lynn Harnett, review of Sex Sleep Eat Drink Dream.

Spirituality & Practice,http://www.spiritualityandpractice.com/ (June 20, 2008), Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat, review of Sex Sleep Eat Drink Dream.

Writers Reading Web log,http://whatarewritersreading.blogspot.com/ (June 20, 2008), Marshal Zeringue, interview with author.