my take: i’m a bit of a brain nerd. i’m (maybe overly) interested in self-improvement, and very hopeful that the old (forty-something) brain can learn new tricks … or even hold on to the old ones. with the rise of autism, ADD, and Alzheimer’s, i’m eager to learn if we’ve learned what’s causing these diseases, and if we’ve (someone, somewhere) learned to retrain our brains around them.

this is a compilation of the best/current brain research and techniques … and a history of brain research. i found it readable … lots of anecdotal stories, case studies, and each researcher’s personal motivation/journey make the density of the subject matter (!) easier to read than some science stuff. i marked up my copy. i learned a lot. i’m definitely gonna learn a new language.

recommend: fellow brain geeks, those interested in keeping their memories strong

source: my sister Carey, who loves all things brainy

rating: great brain read

genre: nonfiction, medical