A review by audaciaray
An Alchemy of Mind: The Marvel and Mystery of the Brain by Diane Ackerman
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.