Reviews

Unlike the Heart: A Memoir of Brain and Mind by Nicola Redhouse

amrap's review against another edition

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5.0

A memoir that explores the relationship between the understanding of the brain and post-natal depression inspired by the author's experience as a sufferer. As the child of an analyst Redhouse provides an insight into analytic theory and the understanding of brain by neuroscience.

wtb_michael's review against another edition

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4.0

I struggled a bit with the start of this - I'm deeply skeptical of Freud and psychoanalytic theory in general, so Redhouse's embrace of it to explain her post-natal depression (and her entire personality) grated on me a bit. But gradually the book opens out into a reflective and critical look at how and why psychoanalysis has helped her and the broader evidence and arguments about it in general. Redhouse integrates incredible volumes of research into what is ostensibly a memoir, taking you through the arguments and overlaps between neuroscience and Freudian theory in a clear and engaging way.

I came away still pretty unconvinced that things that happened to me as a toddler reverberate through my life now, but there's lots to think about here and it's definitely worth your energy.
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