The Curious Habits of Man

What is the one true secret to weight loss?
What is the correct way to make a grilled
cheese sandwich? Is the designated
hitter rule the salvation of baseball or its
undoing? Is it rational to be an optimist?
And-the question that haunts us all-
should toilet paper unwind over the top
of the roll or from underneath?

In his first collection of essays, author
Brian Kenneth Swain tackles hundreds
of life's questions while exploring a vast
array of subjects-from tubas to two year-olds, from field goals to child labor
laws, and from high school shop class to
the worst round of golf ever played. With
an acerbic wit and an honest approach,
Swain shares his perspective on such
pivotal matters as how to ski without
losing a limb or your self-esteem, how to
correctly prepare and consume lobster
according to Maine standards, and
whether marketing ploys hypnotically
convince consumers to replace perfectly
functioning items without a second
thought. Swain encourages a kind of
tongue-in-cheek thinking that prompts
us to take a second look at the world
around us.

The Curious Habits of Man shares an
amusing glimpse at life as one man
contemplates many of our greatest-and
smallest-questions.