Book Review on Gestures, Race and CultureGestures are unique forms of nonverbal communication, which have been studied, both outside context and within culture and race. In 1942, Dr. David Efron wrote the book Gesture and Environment, which was a summary of Efron's research into Nazi scientists' claims that "differences in gestures were due solely to racial heritage" (Ekman, 7). He compared groups of Southern Italian immigrants and Eastern Jews living in New York, using direct observation and recording the outward gestures of this set of people. These observations were then evaluated and studied to determine if there were differences between the groups. Efron went even further by investigating whether there were differences between traditional Eastern Jews and "Americanized" Jews of the same origin; and between traditional Southern Italians and “Americanized” Southern Italians. He even went so far as to include sketches of the gesture patterns of these groups and other appropriate illustrations, drawn by Stuyvesant Van Veen, a New York artist. Efron's research was so unique and diverse that his book was republished in 1972 under the title Gesture, Race and Culture. The first part of David Efron's book includes summaries of theories of gesticulation that had been explored at that time. These theories formed the basis on which Efron built his research. Summaries of some of these assertions are included in the following paragraphs. The most categorical theory was written by Hans Gunther, who was one of the most important figures in the Third Reich. Gunther claimed that humanity "is composed of four distinct 'races' (Nordic, Western, Eastern, and Dinaric), each having... middle of article... later, more discussions on the “roots” of the gestures we use daily. In the text Nonverbal Communication in Human Interaction, Knapp and Hall define gestures as “any movement made by the body or part of it.” Both readings contain excellent information about gestures as well as other factors that play a role in nonverbal communication. Gesture, Race and Culture, was a pretty straightforward read. It contained a lot of interesting and valuable information that I could relate to the situations I interact with in my life and am more aware of certain gestures people make. I agree with Efron that a person's culture and background have an effect on their actions. I also agree that if a person moves and moves, over time their gestures will also change slightly. A person's environment has a big influence on how they communicate and make nonverbal gestures..