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IN YOUR FACE:
The FACTS about Your Features
(Viking - October 2004)
Our faces are our social signatures -- key to our identity and how most others recognize us. With six billion people in this world, no two look exactly alike.
Just as fascinating are some of the complex messages our faces
communicate. While crocodiles form only four facial expressions, our face muscles allow for as many as 10,000. And express we do – whether or not we’re aware of it. Disenchanted with that sweater a
friend gave to you for your birthday? Be careful. While you’re smiling politely and thanking her, your face may reveal your true feelings with a
“micro expression.” Micro expressions are involuntary “slips of the face” that disclose our real emotions – good if you’re trying to spot a liar, not so good if you’re trying to spare someone’s feelings!
Writing a book about the many facets of the human face – from its origin and evolution to its social and psychological significance – was a wonderful way to feed my lifelong interest in psychology and research some
intriguing questions. Why do we have a face – with eyes, nose, mouth and ears? How does it define us? What makes a face memorable? What makes it beautiful?
Alternatively, what happens when things go wrong? What if you’re born without the ability to smile or if you
suffer from “face blindness” and are unable to recognize your own mother a few feet away? What if your face is disfigured?
Among the interesting people I met while writing this book was Barbara Spohn-Lillo, who grew up “with fake body parts all over the house.” The daughter of a Stanford University anaplastologist -- a specialist who blends
art, anatomy and science to create custom prosthetic treatments for people with facial disfigurements -- Barbara
now carries on her father’s legacy. Each day in her lab, she creates eyes, ears and noses for those who have lost
theirs to accidents or disease. She also travels to Vietnam every year with a group called “Face the Challenge” to help repair the faces of children with severe deformities so they won’t be ostracized by their peers.
Barbara understands the social and emotional consequences of having a face that looks “different.”
“My job is to create an illusion . . . so people can feel good about themselves and blend in during social
situations,” she says. “Ultimately, the goal is for people to listen to what my clients say and not be distracted by how they look.”
Reviews
 “With its well-captioned and colorful photos, logical organization, interesting topics and profusion of ideas
and information, this thin volume offers an unusual array of scientific and cultural concepts. . . . This book is an asset for any collection.”
-- Lynda Ritterman, School Library Journal (starred review)
“Jackson presents a good deal of information in a lively, effective manner . . . An eye-opening book on an unusual topic.”
-- Carolyn Phelan, Booklist, American Library Association
“Jackson offers an illuminating “Tour De Face” . . . and leaves young readers with both leads to further information and a keener appreciation for that amazing set of organs they see in the mirror every morning.”
-- Kirkus Reviews
“Jackson ably leads young readers to consider their faces and expressions, both as personal identifiers and as
markers for socialization. . . . (her) easy journalistic style and her engaging subject may well move children to extend an initial browsing to more substantial reading.”
-- Betty Carter, The Horn Book Magazine
Related links
Washington Post Review, January 9, 2005
A Junior Library Guild Selection
A Children’s Book of the Month Club Holiday Catalog Main Selection (ages 9-12)
Order IN YOUR FACE from Amazon.com
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