Entanglement: The Secret Lives of Hair

While very quirky, this book was absolutely fascinating.It took me to places and corners of the world that I had never thought of before. It was very informative, yet written with humor and care. I love book about singular topics that others find odd and this book did not disappoint. It was quirky, but not so much so that people would get bored by reading so much about a singular topic. At first I was a bit disjointed that she did not go into the fetish element of hair, but that would have taken over her research about topics that were far more interesting in ways that I had not imagined. Very good pick for anyone who loves books where you learn really interesting things that you can then bring up to friends who in turn find you more odd than they originally thought you were. The writing style was clear, refreshing, educated, and light. Best read of my year so far.

Almost more information than I needed, but in all, a very interesting book about the amazing major business of acquiring, cleaning, untangling, sorting, disinfecting, weaving (both cloth and hairpieces), promoting, shipping, and using discarded hair. . Who knew it was a huge, international business? Plenty of surprises. Straightforward journalistic writing. And as usual, women donating most of the hair (and using it) and the thousands of poor women who handle, clean, and process it.

So informative especially for someone in the hair Extension Business!

VERY ENLIGHTENING READING REGARDING DIFFERENT TEXTURES OF HAIR THE NATIONALITIES.

Entanglement: the secret lives of hair by Emma Tarlo is an excellent book. It is easy to read and packed full of interesting information. The book appeals to readers with specialist interests and wider curiosities in hair to read whole and dip in and out of. It is a personal, but not personalised, journey into and around the world of hair. At one level, it is a travelogue recounting places visited, sights seen and people met. At another, it unpicks convoluted dealings in hair, and picks away at a muddle people have with hair.The book is organised into 12 chapters that are each focused on an aspect of hair, real and synthetic, such as on Tonsure, Wig Rush, Crime, and Loss. Collectively, these chapters tell of from whom and how hair is sourced, by whom and how it is processed and traded, and for whom how it is used. Interwoven throughout the chapters is a biology of hair, technical information on processes for treating hair, manufacture of hair and items made from hair, economies and trade of hair, and cultural, social and personal histories with hair. Information is sourced directly from people providing, trading, treating and crafting hair, and using products made from hair, alongside published and archived sources.The author, while an academic, does not write academically. She is very present in the gathering and presenting of information, but quite absent from making judgement on what is found. Her presence lends an immediacy to the information on hair through her accounts of where she is, how she got there, and of her experience being there. Through her writing, Emma Tarlo creates space for the reader to make judgement, and to respond to what is written with what each brings to reading.All in all, Emma Tarlo's book is an accessible and erudite essay into the world of hair. It lays bald a lot that is unknown or unthought-about to provide a valuable source on hair to inform and weave into discussions.

Very good book for learning how important hair is!!

Entanglement takes the reader on a highly entertaining tour through the historical and present-day trade systems that revolve around hair. Tarlo leads us around the far-flung collection points and destinations of this variously repulsive and much desired body part, in prose that is both highly accessible, but also clearly that of someone committed to fact over fiction. She is also unafraid to call out hypocrisy when she comes across it in her travels.I have to admit that I rarely read non-fiction books, finding them far too much of a demand after a busy day at work. However this book, even though categorised within the non-fiction bracket, has a lightness of touch that makes it a wonderful place to escape of an evening, following Tarlo, as she leads you off into yet another hidden sphere of hairy activity.

Normally I don't read much non-fiction but this book was so fascinating and so well-written that I couldn't put it down and felt sad when it was over. I have started looking at hair in a totally different way since reading this book. Highly recommend.

Fascinating and brilliantly researched.

A must for anyone interested in hair

Very well written and most interesting and unusual subject. Quite fascinating! It shows that everything has a value and some use, and you would never expect hair to have such a huge business..