Every redhead should read this book.

“In virtually every culture throughout history,” says Al Sacharov, author of a new manifesto for the scarlet-tressed, “redheads have been recognized as special people.”

“Red hair was associated with adventuresomeness and aggressiveness as far back as 100 B.C. Current studies have linked red hair with everything from hyperactivity and creative genius to alcoholism and depression. As long as there has been human wonder, there has been the suspicion that red hair might be part of the bridge to the supernatural and divine.”

“The soul of redheadedness,” says Sacharov, “is energy. Consider the adjectives commonly linked with hair colors — benevolent gray, tawny brown, sexy blonde. The one word always associated with red is flaming. Nine times out of 10 there’s going to be an electricity and dynamism associated with a mane of blazing red hair.”

“The connection between red hair and a fiery temperament may be more than just an old wives’ tale. An Israeli psychiatrist reported that redheaded children are three to four times more likely than others to develop hyperactivity. He theorized that the assumed national characteristics of certain ethnic groups, like the adventurous Vikings or temperamental Irish, are connected to the high frequency of redheads among them.

“A Portland, Ore., pediatrician, Lendon Smith, is advancing the theory that one cause for hyperactive, high-strung behavior relates to tyrosine–a genetically regulated amino acid that controls pigmentation. In 20 years of practice, Dr. Smith has noticed that nearly 75 percent of the nearly 8,000 children referred to him for hyperactive behavior were fair-complected, with either blond or red hair.”

Source: Washington Post interview with Al Sacharov in the 1980’s