For at least 20,000 years, masking has been a mark of cultural evolution and an indication of magical-religious sophistication in society. This book provides a comprehensive understanding of the mask as a powerful cultural phenomenon--a means by which human groupings attempted to communicate their dignity and sense of purpose, as well as establish a continuum between the natural and supernatural worlds. It addresses the distinctive environments within which masks flourished, and analyzes the mask as a manifestation of art, ethnology and anthropology.

The science behind wearing a mask to stop the spread of Coronavirus, from a top expert in the field. In America, the debate over whether or not masks should be worn to prevent the spread of COVID-19 has become enmeshed with political affiliation, views on religious and personal freedoms, and conflicting media reports on the benefits and dangers of facial coverings. But now, several months into this pandemic, what does science say? What have we learned from international case studies? Dr. Hashimoto, the chief medical officer who oversees the Workplace Health and Wellness division at Mass General Brigham, a Harvard Medical School affiliated healthcare system, presents the current research, making the case that wearing masks in public is a key part of saving lives and bringing this pandemic to a halt. Citing specific examples of situations where infected individuals wore masks versus ones who didn't and how that changed the outcome, as well as population-based studies in individual states and by country, and the undeniable effect that universal masking had on Mass Brigham Hospital's staff of 75,000, Dr. Hashimoto offers a clear and compelling argument for the benefits of masking. In addition, he explains the complementary roles of social distancing, washing hands, coronavirus testing, and face shields, and a thorough exploration of what kinds of masks are most effective at stopping the spread of viruses and how they should be fitted and worn. He addresses safety concerns and medical misconceptions about mask wearing, why the CDC didn't recommend universal mask wearing at the beginning of the pandemic, and how employers can promote mask wearing in their workplaces. Don't wear a mask just because someone told you to. Find out the real reasons for masking and understand the science for yourself.

Prepare your little readers for the new normal with this interactive lift-the-flap book that reveals the familiar and friendly faces behind personal protection masks. In the morning I pick out a mask to wear. Today is a perfect day to be a dragon. What sound do dragons make under their masks? Roar! This lift-the-flap book combines imaginative play and health safety, and leads you and your child through a busy day wearing masks. Follow the life of a mask from when you pick out a mask in the morning; to school where your teacher wears a mask; and to the end of the day when you wash your mask clean. Each page features colorful and exciting masks that you can lift to discover a familiar face! Who's behind that unicorn mask? Your best friend! And who's behind the mask with teddy bears on it? Your doctor, of course! This interactive book, paired with illustrator Junissa Bianda's bright, comforting art, will alleviate little ones' anxieties and fears of masks. Help kids get used to masks at their own pace, and in the safety of their own space.

Masks have been a ubiquitous and oft-politicized aspect of the COVID-19 pandemic. Years of painstakingly organized pre-pandemic planning documents led public health experts to initially discourage the use of masks, or even insinuate that they could lead to increased rates of spread. Yet seemingly in a matter of days in spring 2020, leading infectious disease scientists and organizations reversed their previous positions and recommended masking as the key tool to slow the spread of COVID and dramatically reduce infections. Unmasked tells the story of how effective or ineffective masks and mask mandate policies were in impacting the trajectory of the pandemic throughout the world. Author Ian Miller covers the earliest days of the pandemic, from experts such as Dr. Anthony Fauci contradicting their previous statements and recommending masks as the most important policy intervention against the spread of COVID, to the months afterward as many locations around the globe mandated masks in nearly all public settings. With easy-to-understand charts and visual aids, along with detailed, clear explanations of the dramatic shift in policy and expectations, Unmasked makes the data-driven case that masks might not have achieved the goals that Fauci and other public health experts created.

2020 IBPA Awards Winner! Mask presents a striking collection of rare masks steeped in ancient tradition, captured through the lens of one of the world’s most celebrated documentary photographers. Celebrated photographer Chris Rainier has documented indigenous and endangered cultures worldwide. What began as a focus on the masks of New Guinea—where modernity threatened to erase ancient rituals and cultures—became an expansive journey to find and photograph traditional masks that has taken Rainier across six continents over the past thirty years. The result is this mesmerizing photographic collection of masks—some of them ancient, some newer, many hidden at the edges of the known world and rarely revealed to outsiders. Traditional masks are so often seen behind the glass of museum cabinets, divorced from their spiritual significance. But the masks in this collection are still being danced today, in countless cultures all over the world. Rainier conveys them pulsing with the rhythms of life, full of power and spiritual relevance. Through his stunning photography—at once mysterious and unguarded—Rainier takes us on a pilgrimage to experience masks and mask rituals: from those found at initiation rituals in Burkina Faso to Bön Buddhist masks long hidden in a Nepalese monastery in the high Himalayas, the raven and bear regalia of North American First Nation potlatches, and the terrifying, child-chasing Krampus masks of the Austrian Alps. Accompanying these striking images are a foreword by renowned essayist Pico Iyer, ethnographic notes from anthropologist Robert L. Welsch, and fascinating stories recounting Rainier’s journeys to distant lands to preserve and celebrate these objects of beauty and power and the cultures that produce them.

Drawing on broad research, this study explores the different social and theatrical masking activities in England during the Middle Ages and the early 16th century. The authors present a coherent explanation of the many functions of masking, emphasizing the important links among festive practice, specialized ceremonial, and drama. They elucidate the intellectual, moral and social contexts for masking, and they examine the purposes and rewards for participants in the activity. The authors' insight into the masking games and performances of England's medieval and early Tudor periods illuminates many aspects of the thinking and culture of the times: issues of identity and community; performance and role-play; conceptions of the psyche and of the individual's position in social and spiritual structures. Masks and Masking in Medieval and Early Tudor England presents a broad overview of masking practices, demonstrating how active and prominent an element of medieval and pre-modern culture masking was. It has obvious interest for drama and literature critics of the medieval and early modern periods; but is also useful for historians of culture, theatre and anthropology. Through its analysis of masked play this study engages both with the history of theatre and performance, and with broader cultural and historical questions of social organization, identity and the self, the performance of power, and shifting spiritual understanding.

Do we really need to wear masks? From the New York Times Bestselling authors of Plague of Corruption comes the must-read guide on masks and re-opening following the COVID-19 pandemic. THE CASE AGAINST MASKS is the book all America needs to be reading as we emerge from the COVID-19 pandemic. Written by New York Times bestselling authors Dr. Judy Mikovits and Kent Heckenlively, this book reviews the evidence for and against widespread public masking as provided by the Centers for Disease Control and the Mayo Clinic, as well as top scientific publications such as the New England Journal of Medicine and The Lancet. This debate needs to take place without fear and paranoia. Important questions raised in this book are the affect of masks on oxygen and carbon dioxide levels, how SARS-CoV-2 spreads, the effectiveness of various types of masks, those who are most vulnerable to COVID-19, and whether our children should go back to school in the fall, and if so, what measures they should take. The authors' previous book, PLAGUE OF CORRUPTION, was the runaway science bestseller of 2020, and the authors bring that same passion and attention to detail to the mask question. As politicians and bureaucrats of all stripes are weighing in on this question, with some placing their cities and states under mandatory masking provisions, we need to understand the science behind their decisions. Are such measures a reasonable response to current circumstances, or is it a dramatic overreach, which in many cases might make the situation even worse? America desperately needs this public conversation to take place with the best science we have available. As Americans have always done during difficult times, we must summon the courage to have these challenging conversations.