5 comments about Your Inner Fish: A Journey into the 3.5-Billion-Year History of the Human Body.

1. This author is knowledgeable and has a good sense of humor. He has effective ways of explaining things and great examples. The material is most interesting. I recommend it to everyone, especially people interested in biology.



2. I can't add much that hasn't already been said. A 5-star book, easy to read and understand, and still interesting for a trained biologist. I only wish it had been longer! See other reviews for more in-depth coverage, I would only be repeating their statements.



3. My colleague Neil Shubin did a superb job at explaining sophisticated concepts in evolutionary biology while remaining accessible and even entertaining. I had the pleasure of seeing Neil give a talk where I work, at Stony Brook University, and he is as interesting in person as he comes across on the page. This book is a much better introduction to evolution (even though it is not written with that specific goal in mind) than most other stuff that is out there. Shubin weaves his own history as a biologist with the history of how we became we, and the result is a must read for anyone interested in how science works.



4. This author has been involved for many years in key research to discover the genes and processes that shape our bodies and how these have evolved through the history of living things. I was thrilled to see a book written by him, and hoped I would not be disappointed. Instead, I am pleasantly surprised. Far from being the dry work of a research scientist, this is a bright, interesting, almost conversational work that still conveys all the science involved.



5. Overall, I enjoyed this book and learned a lot. It was really fun to see the INCREDIBLE similarities between all living things that explain why we are built the way we are. Shubin did an OUTSTANDING job explaining things in way everybody can understand. The thing I think could have been better -- Shubin tells his own story quite a bit, especially in the first half ("I was a graduate student and I believed..." or "I used to go to attend such and such..."). I totally understand why he did this; sometimes telling the personal journey makes the information more interesting. But to be completely frank, it doesn't work for this book; his story is kinda long and boring, and I just wanted him to get to the real information. The book is short anyways, and I would have much preferred that he shave his personal story to 10% of its present size and instead put more on-topic information into the book. Nevertheless, definitely worth a read.

5 comments about Yoga Anatomy.

1. The illustrations in this book are fantastic! The intricate detail provides a great visual to see what is actually happening in a well executed asana. The text is useful too, but it is written with very technical language and may take a bit of extra effort to absorb. I have found some answers to questions I have had in acheiving certain poses. I would recommend this book to serious Yogis.



2. This book is really good. It has an excellent introduction of breath anatomy and explains exactly what muscles and actions are being used in a posture. I also like how it links postures together. For example when looking at forward fold (Uttanasana) it says, for more in deptch exploration look at the sitting version Paschimottanasana. So it also helps with sequencing and linking ideas together. Chef recommends!



3. I am very curious about which muscles do what in my yoga poses, and why some poses hurt more than others, and what I should be doing with my back muscles in certain poses. I had hoped that this book would provide some answers, but I discovered that the book was written about yoga from an anatomy perspective rather than the other way around. I don't understand 90% of this book, because I don't know which muscles are being referenced and what the motion is that he's talking about. Adducted? Trapezius? I'm totally lost.
   
   If I bought some kind of anatomical dictionary and used it to translate this book, I've no doubt the book would be wonderful. The illustrations are amazing, and I can tell that the text and the breakdown of each pose are thorough and not at all dry. Nevertheless, I'm going to have to ask a friend who's an RN for some help reading it. Yogis, be warned: you'll need some knowledge of anatomical terminology to understand this book.



4. I was first attracted to yoga without knowing anything about it. I found that there is a profound spiritual empowerment in it. Having practiced contemplative meditation I found a great affinity with the yogic arts. I know the title of the book is called Yoga Anatomy but not to mention the spiritual side to yoga is incorrect. To use the analogy of Mr Kaminoff about the car and its engine. It is like having a great engine, steering, transmission and breaks but having no destination, nowhere to go. Remember Mr Kaminoff that we are living in a much too physical era. We have lost the link (yoga) with our own consciousness.



5. This is an excellent resource for building a thoughtful yoga class or practice. Many students have issues with specific muscles and this book helps you respond with good and in-depth understanding of which poses are a good choice for them.

5 comments about Bonk: The Curious Coupling of Science and Sex.

1. Having loved Mary Roach's earlier books, I bought three copies of this - one for me and two for gifts. I forced my way through the first half of the book before I threw in the towel and gave away my copy as well. Just the theme of Bonk promises fascinating analysis, an interesting review of the history of sexuality, and wonderful stories from differences and similiarities through the ages and around the globe. Unfortunately, you'll find none of this in this book. Instead it reads like a poorly written college term paper that focuses way too long on academia and archaic, and boring, studies. Sorry, Mary, but this book just doesn't cut it as an interesting read.



2. this book had a slow start but it was a really interesting read. it had a lot of her cleverness and whit inside also. i liked her other books more, but this one gave me lots of entertainment and extra knowledge. mary roach is the queen of obscure research.



3. A good breakdown of studies of sexual issues that is bound to enlighten the creatures in their pursuits of fulfilling sexual unions.



4. Read just one of Mary Roach's book and one can tell she's happiest when she's learning something new (and twisted). Bonk is a perfect example of this.
   
   First-hand interviews, experiences and even experiments on herself pepper this book with just enough squeamish-ness to keep the book fun as it is informative. And before I note any quibbles, please note that I thought this was a fantastic book and am eagerly waiting whatever pops into Mary's mind next.
   
   The small cons I have to this book are these:
   -Her slight discomfort with the topic off sex comes through in the text in some parts. Her humor seems a little more forced than in her previous books, so that's open to interpretation, of course. Maybe she's more comfortable with ghosts and cadavers than sex research? -Really, a negligible issue
   
   -Mary Roach's signature of injecting herself into the story might have gone a little too far. I shudder when personal pronouns are in non-fiction, but, again, not a major problem.
   
   All-in-all, another book that drips (ew) with Mary Roach's humor and attention to details. A great read that should sate her fans and those interested in a book on sex research that sifts through social norms in a way that equips the reader to make their own decisions.
   
   Read it!



5. Very entertaining; I laughed out loud several times. Mary Roach's personal experiences combined with her witty reporting make for an entertaining and humorous read, especially at the beach (where I read it).

5 comments about Welcome to Your Brain: Why You Lose Your Car Keys but Never Forget How to Drive and Other Puzzles of Everyday Life.

1. I must confess that I worked with one of the authors (S. Wang) several years ago. This book is a great resource to get a big picture view of the brain. As a grad student, the book has expanded my knowledge outside of my field of interest. It's an appealing and useful book to anyone curious about neuroscience.



2. This book is truly a gem. It is all too rare in science writing to find authors who can make complicated topics accessible and also change the way that you look at the everyday world. Sam Wang and Sandra Aamodt are among the precious few who can do just that. Their recent New York Times editorials on the brain have generated a tremendous amount of conversation on line, at the dinner table, and at the water cooler. Anyone who is interested in the workings of the brain or just how we do the amazing things that we do in the course of a day would do well to give this book a try.
   
   The authors' website[..]is also a source of interesting information, and their talk at Google [..]is available online as well.
   
   Enjoy!



3. Who would have guessed that two neuroscientists could write such an entertaining book about brain function? I knew I was going to enjoy this book when I got to page 10 and, in a discussion of which movies portray brain disorders accurately and which don't, I read: "Another offender is the movie 50 First Dates (2004), which portrays a pattern of memory loss that never occurs in any known neurological condition. Drew Barrymore plays a character who collects new memories each day and then discards them all overnight, clearing the way for a brand-new beginning the next day. In this way she is able to tolerate more than one date with Adam Sandler."
   
   Written with humor and chock-full of real and practical information about your brain, this book is a worthwhile read for anyone. Interspersed with the chapers are "snippet boxes" of "Did you know?" "Myth" and "Practical tip" sections where you will learn things like: why we sometimes sneeze when we look into a bright light, why we yawn, why we can't tickle ourselves, that listening to Mozart WON'T make your child smarter, but learning to play an instrument will, how to overcome jet lag, how to hear better on your cell phone in noisy situations. You'll find sections on how your senses work, how your brain changes as you age, how your brain affects your emotions - even a chapter on how drugs affect your brain. Very interesting reading, from start to finish



4. You must read this book if you want to know more about your brain. It really gives you information about your everyday life.



5. This book is FANTASTIC! A great read! Stimulating! If you use your brain on a daily basis, buy this book!

5 comments about The Brain That Changes Itself: Stories of Personal Triumph from the Frontiers of Brain Science (James H. Silberman Books).

1. This book begins as promised, delivering a few stories of the 'recovering against all odds' variety, while explaining in not overly technical terms the neuroscience - or in some cases the likely neuroscience - behind these recoveries. In fact the first hundred pages or so I feared I'd stumbled upon an Oprah Winfrey style, inspirational love-in. The author will begin 'Jimmy had [inserting debilitating condition here] and was hopeless and suicidal until he stumbled upon [insert one of Doidge's hero doctors], who began working with Jimmy on [insert program plug here].' Then Jimmy's symptoms miraculously begin to recede and everyone weeps for joy. But whenever the reader is beginning to feel they're reading an infomercial cleverly disguised as a book, the author, to his credit, will delve back into some of the fascinating experiments relating to brain plasticity, or some of the historical science which informed the general consensus in the field of neuroscience.
   
   The book then veers off alarmingly into the demented world of sadomasochists (to the mortification of thousands of Oprahmatons, I like to imagine), where the author somewhat dubiously attempts to tie brain plasticity together with nauseating sexual fetishes, which he unfortunately decides to ennumerate in detail. Luckily this section is not too long.
   
   His fawning descriptions of the men at the frontiers of neuroscience read almost like an escort agency for science geeks' advertisment, bordering on obsequiousness, which contributes to the lingering suspicion that you are reading some of subtle tract of propaganda. And while the author's unbridled optimism appears a little too abundant to be considered scientific, the brain is still mysterious enough that some of the more incredible claims are believable, and the book as a whole is well worth reading, if only to discover the neurological justification for the incredible power of the human brain.



2. On the first audio disk of this series (I bought the audiobook)
   there is a story about a woman whose vestibular apparatus in her
   inner ear was destroyed by a destructive antibiotic. The woman
   could not even stand up she was so affected by not having any
   sense of balance. With a very simple (conceptually anyway)
   electronic device that fed back accelerometer signals to an
   area on her tongue she was able, not only to link her brain
   into this machine outside her body speaking in mechanical
   codes to her own brain, but eventually the feedback allowed
   her inner neurons to silence the noise she was hearing inside
   and cure herself altogether. She no longer needs the external
   device.
   
   This is just one of the many different examples in different
   dimensions that illuminates many newly discovered aspects of the
   human brain. This book is full of them. Not only that but reading
   between the lines gives one many ideas of how this kind of information
   will change the world and an idea of the magnitude of the tragedy
   that has been caused by human ignorance and dogma about the brain.
   
   This story is one of many that completely turns around the ideas
   most of the world has had for centuries about the nature of the
   human being. In my mind that makes this book one of the most
   important and most eye opening books I have ever or will ever
   read.
   
   This book ought to be required reading for every human being,
   because it is only in redefining what we are for ourselves
   that the human mental world will change for the better to enable
   us to meet the challenges of the future for all life on planet
   Earth.
   
   Bravo ... 5/5 stars!!!



3. If you have a choice of book or audio, book might hold your attention, although it was a bit too anecdotal for me. Heavy on the personal histories, light on the science behind the miracles.
   PN



4. I ordered this book on recommendation from a friend because I suffer from brain damage due to a stroke. Not only has the information made me hopeful about a possible resolution for my problems, it would be fascinating for anyone who has an interest in science and anatomy. The medical world is still in its infancy as far as understanding the way the brain works. This author uses anecdotes to convey complex concepts which makes the information accessible to the layman.



5. This book gives new hope to many people who would be left to face a very limited life. Well written and accessible to non-professionals.

5 comments about Be the Pack Leader: Use Cesar's Way to Transform Your Dog . . . and Your Life.

1. Have been watching Cesar's show on N. Geographic for 2 years now and after buying this book have truly realized the dedication and discipline necessary one needs to having the dogs live a more comfortable and purposeful life. Not only do my 2 Rottweilers listen to me more as a pack leader, my wife actually says I have changed as a person especially in temperament! Thanks to Cesar, its never too late to change one's old ways. I highly recommend this book to those who want to improve their relationship approach with their canines.



2. This book thus far has been helpful with understanding how to treat my dogs more like a dog rather than babies. It is hard to realize that mabye your dog is not the one who wants the babying, but you need to do it. I have definetely become a better leader for them and they are a happier for it. I will definetely start paying attention to other peoples dogs, because they really tell on you, the real you.



3. Wether you own a dog or just want to brush up on your skills as a leader in society, this book offers inspiration and great tools.



4. After reading "Cesar's Way" it looks like I'm in for more of the same thing. I haven't quite finished the book, but I'm afraid I'm going to get tired of reading the same thing over and over. I learn more from the videos and the show so I've decided to just order those. However, I firmly believe Cesar is right and you have to 'train' the people, not the dog. If the owner is a true pack leader, the dog will naturally follow along!



5. Millan's methods are both outdated and dangerous, the alpha roll being one of the better known and more dangerous of them. The term was first coined by the Monks of New Skete, who (as well as Millan) base the technique on wolf research. However that research has since been disproved, and even the Monks of New Skete have retracted this method and discourage people from doing it. Yet Millan continues, in spite of current research on behavior and learning processes in animals. An alpha roll is a very good method for getting your face bit off by a dog. That and scaring a dog.
   
   His dominance centered methods sound great, but fall far short of reality. Dogs do not live in rigid structures, but rather dominance is fluid and highly situational. Again, current wolf research from the last several years supports this and debunks previous beliefs of how wolf society works. In addition, its problematic when you attempt to take wolf society and apply it to a human-dog pack - its not a cookie cutter mold that can be applied everywhere.
   
   Millan does get some things right, because he is accurate that you do need to be a leader to your dog. Its his methods that are dangerous and harmful. You need not dominate your dog in order to lead. For more information on methods that work better and without the pitfalls of dominance and punishment based training, refer to trainers and actual PhD behaviorists such as Patricia McConnell, Pat Miller, Ian Dunbar, Karen Pryor, Victoria Stilwell (who has a show on Animal Planet,) Nicholas Dodman, and so many more who advance both science based training, and methods that foster cooperation and respect as well as joy between your dog and you.

5 comments about Cesar's Way: The Natural, Everyday Guide to Understanding and Correcting Common Dog Problems.

1. This is an excellent book, it all makes sense. Yep, I was one of those people who spoiled the dog and didn't get all the responses I expected - although never a red-zone dog lucky me! My new pup is happier then ever. It's an eye opener. I'm sure some people have a problem with the fact that they may be creating the issues their dogs have (and that they could be wrong in the "training" they're doing), most do not want to take responsibility for their own faults/health etc. so to take responsibility for their animals....this would be tough. Great reading for all dog owners.



2. I enjoyed reading this book. Although I didn't always agree with everything, there is much merit in what Cesar teaches. I do notice the difference that exercise makes in my dog's disposition. I don't have time to do as much of the exercise as he suggests, but I now make it an important part of my day to make sure we get our walk done!
   
   Whether you use this as a dog training guide, or get some tips from it, it is easy to read and very engaging!



3. Having seen Cesar on TV, I was a bit disappointed in this book after reading a few chapters. It seems to go on and on and on and on about the same thing - being the leader and giving off calm-assertive energy. OK! OK! We get the point!! However, I LOVE to watch Cesar and he is right on the money about dogs. I just wish it was more info on working with my dog than his philosophy (even though he is 100% right).



4. Cesar's Way: The Natural, Everyday Guide to Understanding and Correcting Common Dog Problems
   
   I've been reading his books slowly. I have so many books to read so I'm savoring him. I've enjoyed learning about his background growing up in Mexico and coming to this country to persue his dream and his consequent success. What I've learned I've shared with the rest of the family who find him interesting. Why no one else ever considered the psychology of dogs but Cesar Milan is remarkable. It took a young man growing up on a farm with working dogs to bring his experience and observations to dog training. I'm not even a dog person; I have always lived with cats. Recently I moved in with my daughter and granddaughters. They have a beagle who has a few bad habits that I'm trying to deal with so I began watching Cesar's show. And that's when I discovered this body of little known knowledge and found it fascinating. And then I learned that there were books. I haven't read enough about correcting the problems and I don't know if I will have any support from the rest of the family but I have found discovered a new interest-dog psychology. Thank you Cesar Milan.



5. Cesar's book is a fantastic read! You can apply his logic to not only dogs but family, friends and work. It's all about attitude and how the world around you relates to your energy. Your dog will love for it and you will feel empowered in all aspects of your life.
   
   Easy read, a must!!!

5 comments about The Drunkard's Walk: How Randomness Rules Our Lives.

1. If you're not versed in probability this is an excellent book to introduce you to the history and importance of probability in daily life. Its an easy and interesting read. Much of the book however is dedicated to explaining mathematical basics & history. If you already know what a normal distribution is, this book falls a little short in really linking randomness and how we perceive success. Only one or two chapters at the end are devoted to this.



2. 'The Drunkard's Walk' includes a history of probability and statistics and relates the subject to modern-day life. In some respects, it is disappointing not to see any equations for combinations or probabilities, even in an appendix [...]. What is included is an excellent background in the logic behind setting up probabilities such as Bayes' theorem applied to medical statistics, when the likelihood of a disease is small.
   Mlodinow's writing is entertaining and well suited for readers with a formal background in statistics and probability.



3. The Drunkards walk is a great book that explains most things about statistics that most people never learned or ignore .It gets a little technical sometimes but overall has lots of insightful information .Decisions makers just need to pay more attention .



4. A famous French mathematician of the eighteenth century, Jean Le Rond d'Alembert, wrote several books on probability. In one, he analyzed what happens if you toss two coins. You can either get zero heads, or one, or two, he reasoned, so the chance of any of these three possibilities happening was one in three. He can easily be shown to be wrong, but he wasn't the first or last mathematician to be flummoxed by probability, so what hope do the rest of us have? The problem is even more daunting - probability, chance, chaos, or randomness has extraordinary power within many human endeavors, and none of us has intuitive capacity to calculate all odds correctly. In _The Drunkard's Walk: How Randomness Rules Our Lives_ (Pantheon), Leonard Mlodinow reviews the history of how mathematicians came to an understanding of calculating probability, but he also shows how little any of us know about the actual odds. Wine ratings, CEO performance evaluations, movie studio grosses, home runs, and more are all under the encompassing sway of randomness, and while we are eager to attribute success (or failure) to the actions of humans in their endeavors, results are often not a good measurement for judging the competence of human effort.
   
   It was really in the sixteenth century that probability got mathematized, and of course it was by a mathematician who liked to gamble. Gerolamo Cardano wrote the _Book on Games of Chance_ which showed how one could rationally analyze all the ways the dice could fall (people were using cube dice by then, not bones) and thus what numbers were more likely. Cardano would have shown d'Alembert where his error lay. Tossing two coins gives a "sample space" of head-head, head-tail, tail-head, and tail-tail, so there are four equally probable outcomes, not three. It's the same sort of calculation for figuring odds on girls and boys. There are subtleties, however, depending on how you define your sample space. If a woman has two children, and one is a girl, the odds that the other child is a girl are not fifty-fifty. The sample space you are dealing with is girl-girl, girl-boy, and boy-girl; by specifying one is a girl, you eliminate the possibility of boy-boy. Each of the remaining three possibilities have equal likelihoods, and only one has a girl as that second child, so the odds in this case are one out of three. There are not only puzzles here, but real-world examples like the O.J. Simpson trial. When lawyer Alan Dershowitz was faced with the prosecution's depiction of Simpson as a wife abuser, he countered with statistics that showed that in America, although millions of wives are battered every year, only 1 of 2,500 is murdered. Something swayed that jury, and perhaps this was part of it. What Dershowitz didn't give is the more relevant percentage odds: 90% of battered women who are murdered are killed by their abusers. There are fascinating ideas here about variations in normal populations and variations in measurement. Mlodinow shows that we often overestimate how much control people have. He draws many examples from sports, winetasting, or the business world, and demonstrates conclusively that success or failure depends heavily on pure chance, even though we like to give credit or blame to people who are only nominally in charge.
   
   Mlodinow keeps things light. He is careful with how much mathematics he inflicts upon the reader. In discussing the famous Monty Hall problem, he advises that it requires no mathematical training, but "... it does require some careful logical thought, so if you are reading this while watching _Simpsons_ reruns, you might want to postpone one activity or the other. The good news is it goes on for only a few pages." In one lesson after another, he shows that pure random variation, our ability to see patterns when there is only chaos, and our eagerness to attribute outcomes to action rather than to chance cause us to think we have much more control than we really do. This might be a pessimistic message; as Mlodinow shows in many examples, circumstances beyond our control are what are really in control. This ought, however, to help us be gentler with ourselves and with our neighbors. It also shows, as he points out, that with chance playing such a large role, we have to seize every opportunity we can, and he quotes IBM pioneer Thomas Watson: "If you want to succeed, double your failure rate."



5. I love books, all books, but I especially love science books. This book was more than a science book though. It was inspirational. If you read through all the way to the end, then you cannot help but be inspired. Unless of course, you are a control freak. If you are one of those types of people, then you may be a bit discouraged to learn that your controlling ways are all in vain. But, if you are a optimist or an optimist in the making, then this is the book for you.

5 comments about The Omnivore's Dilemma: A Natural History of Four Meals.

1. Omnivore's Dilemma traces our food back to its sources - and in many cases finds corn of all things! The author discusses industrial food production and the primary food chains from their sources to our kitchens. He covers processed foods, mainstream industrial farming, and organic foods. He also addresses how animals are treated - pretty scary. The information in the book is important and eye opening. The poignant take home message for me is that what we eat is so fundamental to life yet we leave it in the hands of others to grow, produce, and deliver to us. This book encourages a consciousness of where food comes from and persuades the reader to look for local organically grown foods or grow some themselves. I recommend this book along with another life-changing book, THE 3:00 PM SECRET: Live Slim and Strong, Live Your Dreams



2. When I opened this book, I expected something along the lines of the social history of food...but what I got was something much better!
   
   Pollan's writing, always self-effacing, humorous and insightful, became the perfect and certainly never preachy vehicle for a painless exploration of exactly what's on my plate and how it got there. Politics, animal rights, organic foods, economics and even mushroom-hunting all make an appearance amid farm machinery and well-cooked, tasty meals. Marvelous!
   
   His always-witty first-hand observations of the increasingly tragic state of affairs in American (and perhaps World) farming were not only informative but thought provoking. Visits to the grocery story will never be the same.
   
   I strongly recommend this book to anybody who has never set foot on a farm, to those who (like me) grew up surrounded by cows and corn, and to those who simply like to cook and eat...and would like to keep eating.
   
   We owe it to ourselves and our world to understand that our foodchains do not begin with the supermarket.



3. I could barely put this book down! The writing style is casual and gets a bit wordy and technical sometimes, but it's so worth it! All the information is really necessary to open our eyes about factory farms, our food supply and who's in charge of it!(I'm still shocked about all the conflicts of interest! YIKES!) I've seriously changed my eating habits! Read this book, I highly recommend it!



4. I have to admit that I did not finish this book. I got to the part where the author talks about really feeling his he-man roots and enjoys killing an animal. From a person who grew up inside a hunting culture, I can only say that from my perspective, he gets it all wrong. His conclusions are based upon an educated adult outside the hunting community and he assumes that hunting is "naturally" enjoyable. I can only say that my upbringing shows me that it is a terrible and terrifying experience to boys and that it is only peer pressure that causes them to start to like it in order to be part of the "adult" group. And then, they perpetrate this horror on their own children, and the whole sadistic cycle begins again. Please don't bother with his over educated conclusions, I think he just wants people to think he is "manly".



5. Simply put, if I could force one book upon every living soul, this would be the one. I don't see how anyone couldn't learn something at the very least, and more than likely it will change your way of thinking to some degree. It would bring the industrialized food market to its knees if even a percentage of people took this book to heart as much as I have.

5 comments about My Stroke of Insight: A Brain Scientist's Personal Journey.

1. Jill Bolte Taylor has given us both an intriguing and helpful look inside the brain. As Jill explains her stroke, the reader gains a more complete knowledge of hemisphericity juxtaposed with the need for the whole brain all the time. She explains why the brain is "hard-wired for spirituality" and gives hope for those with brain injury. Well done!



2. "My Stroke of Insight" is one of those books that floods you with insights into not only the human mind but the human spirit.
   
   Jill Bolte Taylor, trained as a rational scientist, recounts her journey from studying the human brain spurred on by her brother's schizophrenia to someone whose own mind is changed after a stroke.
   
   Her left hemisphere became nonfunctional after the stroke. The left side controls reason, linear thinking, math and functional use of language. Meanwhile, something strange happened with her right hemisphere....
   
   She was no longer inhibited by the left brain and flowed into a dreamy state of mind, disconnected from reality. Her awareness shifted to a present moment consciousness in which she experienced great joy. As a scientist who studied abnormal functioning of the brain, Taylor experienced first-hand what experiencing life as an "abnormal" person feels like.
   
   Her journey teaches that values of "normal" and "abnormal" are value judgements. While they have practical meaning in terms of mapping an individual's mind for study, those labels do not take away from a person's dignity as a human being, their quality of life and their courage.
   
   She learned the importance of the human spirit's capacity to overcome against all odds. Hers is a remarkable journey and one that reads well with "Nexus: A Neo Novel" by Deborah Morrison and Arvind Singh - an inspiring story of people overcoming pain and learning the importance of love and compassion.
   
   "My Stoke of Insight" is best read with "Nexus: A Neo Novel"



3. Although I did not have a stroke, I found this book extremely helpful. I have had Parkinson's Disease for 10 years (diagnosed in 2000 at age 39) and Dr Taylor's account and description of reality and cognitive aspects of the human brain that is compromised for any reason, disease or injury, are right on the mark. She is able to articulate and express what goes on inside the person who is affected by a compromised neurological system. I would highly recommend this as a must read for anyone who is experiencing any problems with either the brain or central nervous system, as well as any caregivers and any family members.



4. This is one of the most important eye-opening books I've read in a very long time. It truly takes you through what it feels like to have a stroke (since the author had a major one), offers numerous methods to help your own or a loved one's rehabilitation afterwards, and insights into how the two sections of the brain work together (or apart if affected by a stroke) to shape our personalities and view of the world. I highly recommended it for anyone who knows someone who has had a stroke, is concerned that they may have one themselves and wants to know what will happen, or wants to learn more about the fascinating workings of the brain.



5. The Illustrations are very, very,disappointing. The thesis of the book is excellent - that it is possible (though not common) after a stroke to experience a persistent state of wonder, bliss, transcendence and epiphany akin to the religious 'grace' or 'nirvana.' It follows that such religious states are entirely brain-based in origin. The neurobiology explanations will be tedious to anyone with even a modicum of neuro education. Hopefully this book will further contribute to taking the mystery out of mysticism.