Rebuilt - by Michael Chorost (Paperback)

About the Book

Chorost chronicles his journey from deafness to hearing, from human to cyborg, and how it transformed him. Written with self-deprecating, dry wit this volume explores hearing, sound, and software that can now mend the senses.

Book Synopsis

After Michael Chorost suddenly lost what was left of his hearing, he took the radical step of having a cochlear implant -- a tiny computer -- installed in his head. A technological marvel, the device not only restored to him the world of sound but also could be routinely upgraded with new software. Despite his intitial fear of the technology's potentially dehumanizing effects, Chorost's implant allowed him to connect with others in surprising ways: as a cyborg, he learned about love, joined a writing group, and formed deeper friendships. More profoundly, his perception of the world around him was dramatically altered.

Brimming with insight and written with charm and self-deprecating humor, Rebuilt unveils, in personal terms, the astounding possibilities of a new technological age.

Review Quotes

"Deeply enjoyable...Chorost is at the vanguard of where most baby-boomers will end up--part human and part machine." --Rodney Brooks, director of the MIT Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Lab and author of Flesh and Machines

"Chorost takes us on an amazing intellectual journey...[and he] has a fine ear for language...A lovely book." --Robin Marantz Henig, author of Pandora's Baby and The Monk in the Garden

"Chorost is a quite amazing new writer whose prose spirits the reader across the sound barrier..." --Sol Stein, author of Stein on Writing and (with James Baldwin) Native Sons

"Chorost has written a wonderfully fascinating account of banishing total deafness...Beethoven would be encouraged." --Manfred Clynes, coiner of the term "cyborg" and Professor of Biophysics at Georgetown University

"This is a terrific book--an eyewitness bulletin from the borderlands where technology and bodies clash and meld. I read it through in one huge chomp, shouting and chortling at this adventure or that. Chorost pulls off the high-wire stunt of conveying scientific accuracy about a complex biomedical topic while writing with the cliffhanger excitement of an action adventure videogame." --Allucquére Rosanne Stone, author of The War of Desire and Technology at the Close of the Mechanical Age

"An exemplary first-person account of becoming a cyborg. Rebuilt combines technical and philosophical erudition with fine writing." --Chris Hables Gray, author of Cyborg Citizen: Politics in the Posthuman Age and editor of The Cyborg Handbook

"Rebuilt is a heartfelt exploration of technologically mediated perception...Chorost's journey is that of humanity itself." -- Andy Clark, author of Natural-Born Cyborgs

"Readers will find much food for thought . . . in this beautifully written debut." Publishers Weekly

"A real marvel is Michael Chorost...he brings to his fascinating subject great intellectual clarity...compelling." --Jenny Davidson The Village Voice

"By far the most original, honest, and authoritative book I've read on human-machine interfaces." --John Horgan, The Chronicle of Higher Education

"An artfully frank account, Chorost's story will vitally engage people interested in the increasingly prevalent surgical procedure." --Gilbert Taylor Booklist, ALA

"Moving...The most hopeful thing I've read in quite a while." --Annalee Newitz, San Francisco Bay Guardian

"Graceful, poetic . . . this is a book that will make you think and, ultimately, make you smile." Library Journal Starred

"Funny and thoughtful...[Chorost's] awareness of life's fragility...strikes me as the perfect answer to opponents of implants...invaluable." --Alex Soojung-Kim Pang The Los Angeles Times