Intriguing, Interesting, but Lacks Citations

books:


	• A User's Guide to the Brain: Perception, Attention, and the Four Theaters of the Brain John J. Ratey Vintage, 2002 - 416 pages average customer review:based on 37 reviews view larger image
	for more information click here

highly recommended

A good guide for the layperson

This text is exactly what it promised--a layman's guide to neuroscience and the brain. Ratey gives a wonderful explanation of everything from how information passes from one part of the brain to the next, to shooting holes in the idea that one brain cell equals one memory, or that the brain can be easily divided up into parts and functions. He delves into thought and memory, explaining their processes and how things can go wrong, resulting in various neurological disorders. And he talks about experimental cures for some of these disorders, giving hope in situations where it may seem there is none.

I think my only complaint is what some others have brought up--that the book is a bit verbose. It's not so much that it's too complex or too dry; the author does his best to take some very advanced and complicated topics and make it accessible to the average reader without losing the knowledge. However, the writing itself could have been tightened up some.

Still, it's a good read for those who are curious about the basics of how the brain works. I got a good bit out of it, and I can say as someone who is more on the humanities end than the hard sciences, he did a good job of explaining things in a way I was able to understand.

for more information click here

Great book

This is a book that is very understandable to read for someone that is not medical. It is an enjoyable book with information anyone can understand. There are only a few illustrations but they are useful.

I recommend this book for anyone pursuing a better understanding in the workings of the human processor "brain".

for more information click here

Best Book On The Brain Yet

This is the best written book on the brain and mind that I have seen yet, and I've seen and read a bunch. Ratey can write so well that it was a pleasure to read. The book is very comprehensive and insightful. I'd give it 10 stars if the rating system could handle it.

for more information click here

An excellent guide to the brain

This is an excellent guide to the brain and how it works. The focus on movement and its role in the brain, as well as neuro-chemistry provides fascinating insights into how the brain works and even how such disorders as ADHD are caused by neurological deficits. The book is written in easy to understand language, but also with an appreciation of the potential reader. I definitely recommend it as a good introduction to neuro-science and the mysteries of the human body.

Intriguing, Interesting, but Lacks Citations

"A User's Guide to the Brain" is an intriguing essay on the mind, as the subtitle implies: Perception, Attention and the Four Theatres of the Brain. Written in 2001, the 401 pages over ten chapters is more of Dr. Ratey's personal memoirs and anecdotes written in the first person than a medically written essay without any interjected opinions or afterthoughts, which is more of what I was hoping to find. Dr. Ratey, however, makes several claims and refers to several papers without the much needed citations that allow the reader to follow in the doctor's footsteps.

For example, on page 109, Dr. Ratey states, "There are countless reports in history about people with an extraordinary ability to know where they are going: pathfinders, guides, mariners, pioneers..." Being more of a general statement, it would not be reasonable for the reader to expect the author to cite the "countless reports," but in the next paragraph, Dr. Ratey states, "Joseph Kirschvink and researchers at the California Institute of Technology have identified the same kind of magnetite particles in human brain tissue." At the end of this statement, a footnote or an endnote should follow immediately, or at least an APA reference that allows the reader to investigate the claim further. It seems that the author's unwillingness to cite his sources means he expects his readers to believe whatever he says, and I understand I make take a few unhelpfuls for that, but when it comes to making a claim about a study, find or statistic, professional writing demands that such claims be backed up with a footnote, endnote or bibliographic reference. For general knowledge, a writer could do it all day long. But with medial science, no way.

Another example of a missing citation: page 263, paragraph 2. "Researchers Jenny Saffran and colleagues at the University of Rochester reveal a study showing that infants' learning ability may greatly exceed previous expectations." Which study? No reference, no citation, no follow-up possible.

On page 373: "One recent advance that seems straight out of science fiction is transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS)...Twelve patients diagnosed with OCD were given the stimulation at several different points on their skulls. The patients found that stimulation to the frontal lobe on the right side of the head resulted in a reduction in compulsions and an improved mood." Right there, at the end of that sentence, there needs to be a citation or link to the aforementioned "transcranial magnetic stimulation."--otherwise, as the author states, it might just _be_ science fiction. It's not? No? Then cite the source. In the very next statement, Dr. Ratey even mentions indirectly that his omissions are intentional: "More research needs to be completed before we truly understand the possibilities of this new technology." Dr. Ratey, it is your job as the writer to do that research. The reader's job is to be excited with your presentation and follow your work, not to do your work for you.

The missing citations are more of the fault of the editors at Pantheon books. I'm surprised the manuscript ever got past the senior editor. Until the myriad of missing citations are put into a revised first edition of "A User's Guide to the Brain," unfortunately, Dr. Ratey's work here cannot be accepted as conclusive. To avoid work, Dr. Ratey included a "suggested reading" list in the back, which conveniently frees him of his responsibility as an author. This type of text would be much improved and vastly more accepted if it were strictly a third person narrative. Otherwise, it's mostly hearsay, although we would like to believe Dr. Ratey has no intention to deceive his audience, credibility demands that no non-general claims are left unsubstantiated.

for more information click here

reviews: page 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8

John Ratey, bestselling author and clinical professor of psychiatry at Harvard Medical School, here lucidly explains the human brain?s workings, and paves the way for a better understanding of how the brain affects who we are. Ratey provides insight into the basic structure and chemistry of the brain, and demonstrates how its systems shape our perceptions, emotions, and behavior. By giving us a greater understanding of how the brain responds to the guidance of its user, he provides us with knowledge that can enable us to improve our lives.

In A User?s Guide to the Brain, Ratey clearly and succinctly surveys what scientists now know about the brain and how we use it. He looks at the brain as a malleable organ capable of improvement and change, like any muscle, and examines the way specific motor functions might be applied to overcome neural disorders ranging from everyday shyness to autism. Drawing on examples from his practice and from everyday life, Ratey illustrates that the most important lesson we can learn about our brains is how to use them to their maximum potential.

for more information click here

hot