Object Lessons is a series of short, beautifully designed books about the hidden lives of ordinary things.

When you are born, the first thing you do is scream. The scream is an instinctive and reflexive action that carries a bold emotional core. The metal vocalist cupping the microphone blares out a deafeningly harsh scream; the drill instructor screams out commands to their soldiers. And then there's the blood-curdling scream of characters in the latest horror film as they are chased by a knife-wielding killer. Be it fear, anger, sadness, or happiness, the scream is a declaration of being alive. Investigating popular and alternative cultures, art and science, Michael J. Seidlinger tracks the resonance of the scream across the complex and varied corners of the globe.

Object Lessons is published in partnership with an essay series in The Atlantic.