ajaggers324's review against another edition
4.0
Some parts were a little disjointed. Some of the material did not go as in-depth as I was expecting. Overall I really liked this book. It offers a great overview of the brain. There were a couple of chapters that were a little more personal for the author. In my opinion, those were the best chapters. It was fascinating to look through another person's perspective while talking about scientific matters. I would definitely recommend this book to people who want a springboard into the subject.
cindypager's review against another edition
5.0
Once again, Ackerman's broad research and delightful use of language creates an extremely readable journey through the mind. She knows, as we do, that there are still more questions than answers, but still deftly explores the science and research that provides a peek into the mysterious marvels of our human brain and mind.
audaciaray's review against another edition
2.0
This book is a prose poem ode to the brain. Thesis: the human brain is pretty awesome. And that's pretty much it. The writing is beautiful in fragments, with lovely turns of phrase and construction of imagery that will impress any writer attempting to elucidate minute beautiful details of the natural world. But these moments don't hold together in a bigger way.
I remember being a kid coming into consciousness of thought and getting all philosophical about things - like, whoa, I'm using my *brain* to think about my *brain*!!!!111 Deep! This book is pretty much like that. Well, more eloquent for sure. I was hoping for more science stuff and less of the author's ruminations about getting distracted while writing the book. I don't feel like I learned anything new, and I definitely don't know that much about the brain and science.
I remember being a kid coming into consciousness of thought and getting all philosophical about things - like, whoa, I'm using my *brain* to think about my *brain*!!!!111 Deep! This book is pretty much like that. Well, more eloquent for sure. I was hoping for more science stuff and less of the author's ruminations about getting distracted while writing the book. I don't feel like I learned anything new, and I definitely don't know that much about the brain and science.
alexisrose's review against another edition
challenging
informative
reflective
slow-paced
5.0
one of my new favorite books tbh
becklabeck's review against another edition
4.0
I love Diane Ackerman but this book was my least favorite of the 4 I've read from her so far. I feel her prose really sparkles when she's writing about direct observations and nature, and while the subject matter was definitely interesting, I didn't feel the tug of magic like I have in her other books. It might be because there was not much new information to me in this book. It was a pretty introductory overview of the human brain and how we behave because of the way it works. I did learn a handful of new things, was struck by several stunning insights, and I really enjoyed the chapter on language. But overall the book felt mostly redundant and I was glad to be done with it. I still think it was interesting and well-written, just didn't do as much for me personally as I had hoped.
neuroteri's review against another edition
4.0
Prose on neuroscience. Very different than anything else on the subject I've read.
cspiwak's review
3.0
enjoyable. For some reason I found the author's commentary on her own health more intrusive in this book then I have in some of her others
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