Touch is Really Strange is the latest title in a series of small graphic guides to different processes, such as pain, trauma and anxiety. Pain is Really Strange radically altered my understanding of my chronic pain and so I was excited to pick this volume up. I have a sometimes fraught relationship with touch myself due to allodynia (pain at normal touch) and trauma.

The first thing that struck me about the book is how gorgeous it is. The illustrations are soft and tender, with skin tones being used for images of positive touch and grey scale for dissociation and negative touch. This choice was inspired, and really conveys the sense of connection to self that touch can bring.

The text is written in accessibly, with references given at the bottom of each page. I appreciate this decision, it makes learning the basics feel doable while giving more information for those who would like to learn more.

Much is covered in the slim volume, from the importance of touch to child development and in care homes to trauma, micro aggressions, pain and massage.

I learnt lots from Touch is Really Strange and would widely recommend it, especially to people reckoning with trauma and those in caring professions.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This is a surprisingly neat little comic. Maybe because I wasn't familiar with bodywork and touching as healing beforehand, but I really feel like I've learned something new and opened up a whole new interest for myself. This little comic is a really good introduction for anyone curious about the often overlooked sense of touch. Parts of this comic are scientific, explaining what touch is and how we feel it, and also how we can use touch to heal. There are some really cool little exercises in the end that help you practice this idea and really begin to understand it. The illustration style of the comic is a lovely touch (ha, no pun intended). Simple, calm, with a theme of light and dark that feels healing all on its own.

I expected the graphic novel to be a bit longer. The illustrations are great, but I really disliked the writing, and even skimmed through it at the end. Would not recommend.

This is quite a short graphic novel, and I was expecting something a bite longer, with maybe a bit more history as well, but it was really interresting, and I did learn a lot of thing about touch and why it's important (which I guess we all came to realise over the past year and the Pandemic). I particularely appreciate the small exercices offred by the book.
I like the texture and the color of the art, it's really soft and felt like a hug.

The latest in the 'really strange' series and this time the focus is touch. Some useful information here, about how touch works and how it might not be what we expect. I would have liked more referencing to the Trauma is really strange book and how touch can be problematic which was glossed over here a little I felt. There are some useful exercises included which again could have been highlighted better, as in they could be used by individuals or couples trying to discover what kind of touch they enjoy. I would say a good beginning that could have made more of the knowledge of the subject the author clearly has.

With thanks to the publisher and Net Galley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for providing an eARC for me to review.

Touch is Really Strange is a short comic book. Its topic - the importance of safe consensual touch - is approached by using scientific facts and providing information on safe touching. At the end it also features touch exercises that put the ideas of the book to practice. I'd say this book is most suited for an educational resource. It's a perfect book to have in a classroom or a school library, since it gives information on consent and ways to practice physical contact safely and respectfully.

My main critique was the poor layout of the text - at least my digital copy was hard to follow, especially reading the red text that was used in the book was kind of tricky. My copy also didn't have any bibliography, even though it featured cited works, which is sad because that way I can't check the sources for myself.

Huge thanks to netgalley for providing me with this book.

I really expected to learn a lot of cool trippy facts about touch but it felt more like structure-less babbling at times. The point of the novel shifted to random topics and the exercises at the end would have benefitted from being replaced by cool facts about touch also the red text at the bottom of each page was unnecessary and was very distracting as i was reading there were some facts that were interesting but the author assumed that the reader knew the definition of complex words only to explain it late in the novel i think the author tried too hard to make sure to make some sort of commentary when it would have benefitted more from being light and fascinating

Timely, aesthetic, descriptive. Touch is Really Strange shines a light on one of the most primitive and meaningful aspects of humankind. Haines addresses the many facets of touch, which are backed by current evidence from leading science, medicine and psychology scholars. Non-fiction has the potential to be dry, lifeless and dull, but the information is packaged together with delightful illustrations that are pleasing to the eye. The pairing of the two delivers a warm and optimistic outlook into the future of healing techniques, readily accessible and comprehensible to the layman. Tucked in at the end is a few short exercises anyone can do to become more attuned to their bodies.

It would be foolish to expect anything more than a brief foray into the current science surrounding touch in such a short book. Recommended for the curious, so that they may be inspired to delve deeper.

Thanks NetGalley for an eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review. As someone just dipping their toes in graphic novels, this was so well done. I truly love the art, and how it adds dimensions to the narrative. Reading this felt like something headspace would create 20 years hence. The fact that there's citations for EVERY major theory on touch the book explores is so helpful and satisfying. Reading the footnotes made me feel so smart???
The exercises for reconnecting with touch and the whole inward touch principle will stick with me good. The book meanders and I'd have found it more helpful were there chapters or context on what to take away from the book/who exactly is the target audience. As a casual fan of science writing, I'd read it regardless but I do believe everyone can take away something if not entirely rethink their first principles re: touch from Touch is Really Strange.

This book is a poignant reminder of the cost of a pandemic. This book highlights the importance of touch and even the nuances on how touch can both be utilized as a tool for healing and harming. The art is gorgeous and the dialogue is almost poetic. However I felt there was a disconnect between the footnotes and the tiles. The footnotes felt very scientific jargon-y. They did help explain but at the same time they didn't explain enough. This book skims the top of the healing power of touch and left me wanting to learn more. The exercises included at the end of the book were a great idea and done very well.

A beautiful graphic novel!

With recent events, and such isolation being felt by so many people, a story like this can help give us perspective on how we as humans function in a world where one of our most basic needs is now seen as an evil.

hmmm, I don't know how to feel about this one... illustrations were very well executed but the scientific information left me scratching my head a few times. I liked the breathing and touching exercises towards the end but I don't think I will be recommended this one to anyone.

I want to first thank the author and publisher for the opportunity to read Touch is Really Strange by Steve Haines and Illustrated by Sophie Standing before its publication. Even though I am thankful for their kindness, I did not let it influence my evaluation of this book.

I want to start with what I think are the positives of this project.

1) I think they do a good job of trying to discuss the importance of touch in only 32 pages.
2) I really like the art. I found the illustrator's work different. I loved the color palette she used. Very modern.

Sadly, now I have to discuss the negatives of this project.

1) There is little content in this book. Now, it's possible that this series is designed this way, but a chapter in an intro to communication or an intro to psych book will give the reader more information on the subject than this book does.
2) There are some in-text citations, but the references were not included in the version I read. As such, I'm not completely sure how up-to-date or scientific these sources were. Some of the ones I could make out easily were references to non-scientific articles. As nonverbal communication and behavior are huge academic disciplines, this lack of content was a bit saddening.

As a whole, I was just left kind of like "meh" when I finished reading the 32 pages. I think this could be a good introduction to the subject for someone with zero knowledge. But, based on what I read here, I'm not completely sure who the target market for this book actually is. One's thing for sure though, as an academic with 20+ years of looking at nonverbal communication research, I was not the target market.

I found the artwork to be gorgeous in this nonfiction graphic selection but the information to be a little repetitive and simple.

The book is an infographic collection on the importance and scientific facts about our fifth sense - Touch. This could not have been published in a better time with social distancing impacting our lives, and how much touch has been debated in various forms that we see today. Author Steve Haines presents the medical as well as the physical, emotional and mental effects of touch on a human being. The author also goes on to distinguish the trauma of bad touch and the healing power of good touch. It is a beautiful book - the illustrations are modern and geometric with minimal colors and painting like. In fact, the pictures are so beautiful, each page feels like an art in itself that can be framed. It is good book to read if you are interested to know more about Touch or have a knack of curiosity for how this sense works with many fun facts.

Thanks to Jessica Kingsley Publishers and #NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Touch Is Really Strange is a book that will resonate differently with every reader.

The book focuses on the different types of touch we encounter as humans and both the negative and positive effects touch can have on our day to day lives. There was a lot of educational information in Touch Is Really Strange. The book also included a few exercises at the end that would be really fun to try out. On top of all of the great info, the book was illustrated beautifully and was an extremely interesting read.

Something really felt off about this book so I researched the author and it was a clear "no thank you". I don't need bogus evangelical Christian science.

I'm not sure quite who the audience for this book is. It is a very interesting comic, unlike any I've read before. It is written in language for adults but at 32 pages doesn't get as in depth on the topics as it could. It honestly feels a bit like an illustrated handout sheet for a college class on the topic. There is so much text on each page that it can get overwhelming at times plus the added footnotes.

I came into this not really knowing what to expect, beyond an exploration of the concept of touch. However, I was really impressed by the ways this short (32 page) graphic novel touched (pun intended) on consent and boundaries, trauma awareness, and therapeutic methods. Additionally, the artwork is beautiful, making this a very pleasant read and there were a few exercises that made the book feel more interactive. I would really highly recommend this to people working with middle and lower-high school students (6-10th grade) who want a way to explain consent and touch boundaries interpersonally and medically.

Thank you to Singing Dragon and NetGalley for the digital ARC!

This little book talks about the importance of touch in our society, and how to be more mindful of our physical selves. Especially during our current pandemic, it is important to talk about the related health benefits and science around touch.

The illustrations were beautiful, and it was fun to learn a number of new facts. The exercises at the end were interesting. I think this would be a great introduction to a more full-length discussion about this topic.