Books for Prep | |
 - worth reading, with caveatsI have a general professional interest in psychology and brain science, which often leads me to be frustrated by the tendency towards reductionism and exaggeration. This book looked promising to me because the author is advertised as a psychoanalyst--something that usually does not mesh well with neuroscience. I was intrigued to see how Freud might think about modern psychology's biological determinism. On that score, I found The Brain That Changes Itself reasonably satisfying; the chapter on how neural plasticity can help us understand the impact of psychotherapy was among the best in the book. I very much appreciate the emphasis on how experience (including talk therapy) and culture, not just genes and drugs, shape the brain. That is something that is easy to miss in viewing the pretty brain scans of contemporary popular science. I also found the appendix on how culture works through neural plasticity interesting, although I don't find it helpful to define culture as Doidge seems to--something akin to cultivation and taste (a definition that leads to a problematic hierarchy of cultures based on somewhat arbitrary criteria). It is, however, important to recognize that culture and the brain have a reciprocal relationship. My main concern with the book is that much of the argument seems to imply that the brain is infinitely malleable with the right exercises and effort. Though Doidge does note at points that plasticity is not infinite, he also seems to endorse the very American cultural script that individuals have total control over everything that happens to them. If babies are properly stimulated they will all be geniuses! If ADHD children go through the proper attentional exercises they will suddenly excel! If the elderly go to brain gyms they will never lose their memory! These, unfortunately, are primarily openings for marketers rather than scientific realities. Of course we have some control, and the key findings of neural plasticity research have been helpful in supporting that, but there are some things that are not just about effort--but also about care and community. Overall, I did find this book interesting and worth reading, but also found myself worried about what seemed to me strategic exaggeration. Rating:  - A fascinating bookThis book gives new hope to many people who would be left to face a very limited life. Well written and accessible to non-professionals. Rating:  - Perfect for the laymanI ordered this book on recommendation from a friend because I suffer from brain damage due to a stroke. Not only has the information made me hopeful about a possible resolution for my problems, it would be fascinating for anyone who has an interest in science and anatomy. The medical world is still in its infancy as far as understanding the way the brain works. This author uses anecdotes to convey complex concepts which makes the information accessible to the layman. Rating:  - Disappointed with the audioIf you have a choice of book or audio, book might hold your attention, although it was a bit too anecdotal for me. Heavy on the personal histories, light on the science behind the miracles. PN Rating: - One of the best books I have ever read.On the first audio disk of this series (I bought the audiobook) there is a story about a woman whose vestibular apparatus in her inner ear was destroyed by a destructive antibiotic. The woman could not even stand up she was so affected by not having any sense of balance. With a very simple (conceptually anyway) electronic device that fed back accelerometer signals to an area on her tongue she was able, not only to link her brain into this machine outside her body speaking in mechanical codes to her own brain, but eventually the feedback allowed her inner neurons to silence the noise she was hearing inside and cure herself altogether. She no longer needs the external device. This is just one of the many different examples in different dimensions that illuminates many newly discovered aspects of the human brain. This book is full of them. Not only that but reading between the lines gives one many ideas of how this kind of information will change the world and an idea of the magnitude of the tragedy that has been caused by human ignorance and dogma about the brain. This story is one of many that completely turns around the ideas most of the world has had for centuries about the nature of the human being. In my mind that makes this book one of the most important and most eye opening books I have ever or will ever read. This book ought to be required reading for every human being, because it is only in redefining what we are for ourselves that the human mental world will change for the better to enable us to meet the challenges of the future for all life on planet Earth. Bravo ... 5/5 stars!!! In association with Amazon.com | |