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ashbethindia's review
1.0
As the author has confessed to plagiarism and downright making things up, I cannot give this book anything but one star, unfortunately.
dianaj23's review
5.0
This book is the 2018's revelation. In "Proust Was a Neuroscientist" Jonah Lehrerdescribes how artists have managed to discover realities about human brain long before science has even begun to grasp them. This book's "characters" are Walt Whitman, George Elliot, Auguste Escoffier, Marcel Proust, Paul Cezanne, Igor Stravinsky, Gertrude Stein and Virginia Woolf. Their art anticipated revelations about how we really see, feel, speak. Ahead of their times, in the light of science their mastery becomes even more clear.
And what Jonah Lehrer tries to do in this marvelous volume is to reconcile art and science. Their relationship has gain a bad reputation throughout time, but Lehrer points out, in clear language and with obvious passion, that they enhance, rather than cancelling each other.
That one without the other is not possible. Not if we want to understand the world we live in completely.
And what Jonah Lehrer tries to do in this marvelous volume is to reconcile art and science. Their relationship has gain a bad reputation throughout time, but Lehrer points out, in clear language and with obvious passion, that they enhance, rather than cancelling each other.
That one without the other is not possible. Not if we want to understand the world we live in completely.
sieramae's review against another edition
5.0
This brought me right back to my uni classes, such a fun read. I think it’s a great companion, but would also hold up if you haven’t read In Search of Lost Time.
rlse's review against another edition
5.0
What was great about this was how it sent me on tangent to explore the various artists I had not previously encountered. The artists I was already familiar with I enjoyed seeing in a new light. Highly recommended! Very accessible—need not be a neuroscientist, author, poet, composer, chef, or painter to make sense of this book. Three cheers for the human experience!
cultivatestrength's review against another edition
funny
informative
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
relaxing
fast-paced
5.0
This is a book about art for left-brained people and it is wonderful.
dominiquejl's review
4.0
So so so good. I will say the more interesting chapters were at the beginning and middle, but it was CAPTIVATING overall...I was so sad when it was over.
iffer's review
3.0
I liked this book, but I can't say that it was riveting non-fiction. I enjoyed this novel if only because it was invigorating/enlightening/empowering/encouraging to be reminded that it is possible to arrive at Truth, and achieve meaning in life and work regardless of the avenue taken.
The scientist in me wished that more was presented about recent neuroscience research and that the science was more clearly intertwined/related to the information about the various artists' lives. Much of the time I felt like I was reading discrete blocks of information: a quickie bio of a person followed by a block about the time period in which they lived for context finally followed by a smaller block about "recent discoveries."
The scientist in me wished that more was presented about recent neuroscience research and that the science was more clearly intertwined/related to the information about the various artists' lives. Much of the time I felt like I was reading discrete blocks of information: a quickie bio of a person followed by a block about the time period in which they lived for context finally followed by a smaller block about "recent discoveries."
epersonae's review
3.0
An intriguing collection of essays on 19th & 20th century artists & writers and their connections to (or foreshadowing of) psychology and neuroscience. Fascinating both for the personal histories and for the science. What's stuck with me is both the weirdness of perception and the malleability of the brain. FWIW, that second bit actually brings me a lot of hope and comfort.
Even as a writer, I got annoyed after a while with the touches of "oh some things can never be explained" (I'm paraphrasing badly) bits. Felt a bit hand-wavey.
Still, quite interesting.
Even as a writer, I got annoyed after a while with the touches of "oh some things can never be explained" (I'm paraphrasing badly) bits. Felt a bit hand-wavey.
Still, quite interesting.