Our adaptable brain
Book club selection focuses on fascinating tales from the neurological frontier
The December Harvard book club selection is “The Brain That Changes Itself ”
by Norman Doidge.
Doidge, a psychiatrist and psychoanalyst, reports on a new science called "neuroplasticity," which examines the adaptability of the brain. Doidge provides an introduction to both the scientists exploring this field and the people whose lives have been affected. The book gives reports ranging from stroke patients learning to speak again to the case of a woman born with half a brain that rewired itself to work as a whole.
A reviewer in the The New York Times said: “The power of positive thinking finally gains credibility. Mind-bending, miracle-making, reality-busting stuff ... with implications for all human beings, not to mention human culture, human learning and human history.”
Dr. Oliver Sacks called the book “a remarkable and hopeful portrait of the endless adaptability of the human brain.”
This book is available at the Sacramento County Library as well as at Amazon.com.
Laura Vinson will host the Dec. 11 meeting, which will include a potluck dinner. It starts at 6:30 p.m. To RSVP or get directions, contact Laura at laurvin@aol.com.