syd_s_r's review against another edition
4.0
I haven't been this interested in a nonfiction book in a while.
vincent_schil's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
informative
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
5.0
rebeccazh's review against another edition
3.0
A book of mixed quality. What is good about this book is that it explains ideas and research in a way that's very easy to understand. The writing is clear and readable and her examples with her patients are interesting. I definitely picked up some interesting tidbits of information about how the brain works when it comes to dopamine and pain.
What is less good is that she seems to try to push some of her opinions as fact, or opinions that everyone should have. Her arguments are also made without nuance and, in general, a lot of her stances on issues lack critical thinking. I also felt that she was not very sensitive to the needs and realities of marginalized groups.
What is less good is that she seems to try to push some of her opinions as fact, or opinions that everyone should have. Her arguments are also made without nuance and, in general, a lot of her stances on issues lack critical thinking. I also felt that she was not very sensitive to the needs and realities of marginalized groups.
lreg's review against another edition
5.0
This is a fantastic book! We are living in a time of over-indulgence and lost the capacity to withstand even the simplest pain. But why is that? Lembke points out how the indulgence hurts us and turns us into whiney, anxious creatures. This books has given me valuable inside into the human mind on dopamine.
Wort reading to anyone struggling with any form of addiction
Wort reading to anyone struggling with any form of addiction
magnetgrrl's review against another edition
3.0
This was pretty interesting. I was surprised at how much the author disclosed about her own life (and her opinions on people she treated) - sometimes it seemed too informal. The first half of the book seems more backed by science than the second half, which is a laundry list of a bunch of hypotheses slightly fleshed out. If you're turned off by books about scientific subjects that rely on a lot of anecdotes, this may irk you, but there are some facts presented as well, it's just mostly anecdotal. Also, don't be completely turned off by the first title chapter and the subject matter of the first anecdote. I think the book probably could have reached a wider audience if Jacob wasn't the patient she starts talking about and spends the most time on... but, whatever.
There were some pretty "whoa" insights near the end, as well, even though there wasn't a ton in the way of super actionable stuff.
If you happen to pick this up in a store just to skim it and see what you think - page 234 of the hardcover (or whatever the LAST page is in the edition you're looking at) has a handy TL;DR summary of all her main points.
Like, seriously, just take a pic of that and peruse it later, from time to time. :)
There were some pretty "whoa" insights near the end, as well, even though there wasn't a ton in the way of super actionable stuff.
If you happen to pick this up in a store just to skim it and see what you think - page 234 of the hardcover (or whatever the LAST page is in the edition you're looking at) has a handy TL;DR summary of all her main points.
Like, seriously, just take a pic of that and peruse it later, from time to time. :)
dimitri_hashemivoch's review against another edition
hopeful
informative
reflective
medium-paced
4.0