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highly recommended |
Brain Owner's Manual 
Everyone who owns a brain needs to read this book! If public school teachers would read this, I think it would give them a great advantage over their peers when teaching students. Great job Dr. Doidge on a wonderful book!!!
My number one book!
This is one of my two favorite books. I am a vocational rehabilitation counselor and feel that the book has taught me things I didn't know about what is possible for my consumers with a head injury or stroke. Also, I think it is a good book for teachers or parents, as it explains why learning, practicing, imagining etc. are good for children. All the research that has been done is very interesting to read about. The main lesson is the development of neurons by thinking, whether the thinking is positive or negative. So thinking actually creates more neurons in that area of the brain. I'm actually reading it the second time.
Get ready to see brain potential like you've never seen it before
The brain, source of our perceptions and evaluations and actions, is central to our understanding of our individual and collective selves. And it changes all the time! And we can cause changes intentionally! Think about that. A quick and easy read but do just one chapter at a time. There's so much to absorb.
Empowering Revelations
This book is an excellent balance to the current ideas that your brain is hardwired to do this or that, that your life has been determined by your childhood or class or race or gender. It is a beacon of hope for many with handicaps, brains that tend to be obsessive or depressed or aging. The caveat is that there is a lot of work involved. While the brain can change, it does have established pathways that can be quite strong. So, the good news is that we are not victims of circumstances or fate; the bad news is that it takes a huge effort and lots of support. A couple of things bothered a bit: 1. While I don't endorse animal extremists like PETA, some of the animal experiments made me wince. 2. The chapter on psychoanalysis over several years may be an example of how the brain can be changed with the help of others, but the cost would be out of reach for all but the wealthy.
Things I Liked, Things I Didn't Like 
*Disclaimer: I only made it to page 164 of this book.
Things I Liked:
-A two page diatribe against PETA that, at first, I didn't like, but then realized I liked a lot.
Things I Didn't Like:
-Seemed repetitive, i.e. 'yeah, the brain is plastic, I get it...' was something I thought a lot during the 164 pages that I read
reviews: page 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10
An astonishing new science called neuroplasticity is overthrowing the centuries-old notion that the human brain is immutable. In this revolutionary look at the brain, psychiatrist and psychoanalyst Norman Doidge, M.D., provides an introduction to both the brilliant scientists championing neuroplasticity and the people whose lives they-ve transformed. From stroke patients learning to speak again to the remarkable case of a woman born with half a brain that rewired itself to work as a whole, The Brain That Changes Itself will permanently alter the way we look at our brains, human nature, and human potential.
Brainstorming
brain that, changes, frontiers, itself, personal, science, stories, triumph
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based on 193 reviews
