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storiwa's review
4.0
I know about all the controversy over this book. Was still very thought provoking to read.
brigidc's review against another edition
informative
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
4.25
Such an interesting read!
apatrick's review
3.0
Discusses various artists throughout history and links later scientific developments to their earlier works. Some arguments are compelling. Before you read this, you should read Gertrude Stein and listen to Stravinsky, along with the obvious Proust.
shantastic's review
2.0
When I first indicated that I was going to read this book, a wise woman who I will call Mama Shazz because that's her name, told me I should start with something else by Lehrer because she hadn't liked this one. I didn't listen, because the title intrigued me so much. I don't regret having read the book, but she was definitely right about it.
The book discusses eight different artists of the late 19th and early 20th centuries, and how they came to discover things that would later be proven true by scientists. Some of the connections Lehrer makes are interesting. I especially enjoyed the chapters on Escofier, a prominent French chef who discovered the concept of umami, or deliciousness, which is a taste associated with glutamates and is found in a lot of food we eat. I also thought the chapter on Stravinsky was fun, but the rest? Well, it turned out that the book was good for my bedtime reading for a reason. Zzzzz.
I love Lehrer's work on Radio Lab, a podcast I regularly listen to, and I'm told his other books are better, but this one was just way too boring for me. Maybe if I cared about any of the other figures mentioned I'd have liked it more, but all I know after reading this book is that I am not inclined to read Virginia Wolf anytime soon… not that I was all that inclined to in the first place.
The book discusses eight different artists of the late 19th and early 20th centuries, and how they came to discover things that would later be proven true by scientists. Some of the connections Lehrer makes are interesting. I especially enjoyed the chapters on Escofier, a prominent French chef who discovered the concept of umami, or deliciousness, which is a taste associated with glutamates and is found in a lot of food we eat. I also thought the chapter on Stravinsky was fun, but the rest? Well, it turned out that the book was good for my bedtime reading for a reason. Zzzzz.
I love Lehrer's work on Radio Lab, a podcast I regularly listen to, and I'm told his other books are better, but this one was just way too boring for me. Maybe if I cared about any of the other figures mentioned I'd have liked it more, but all I know after reading this book is that I am not inclined to read Virginia Wolf anytime soon… not that I was all that inclined to in the first place.
callumbooth's review
2.0
An absolute dire dirge. Lehrer finds tenuous links between science and the arts and then flails around helplessly trying to prove the legitimacy of their connection.
Each separate part is interesting (the scientist or artist), but combined it's a goddamn mess.
I would avoid.
Each separate part is interesting (the scientist or artist), but combined it's a goddamn mess.
I would avoid.
swhuber's review
4.0
Proust was a Neuroscientist is a wonderful first glance at the scientific world of art. However, it is nothing more than a first glance. It is perfect for those interested in the artistic aspect (not the scientific aspect). If you'e never read Marcel Proust, Stein or Whitman, much will be lost on you. If you don't each mushrooms or have never listened to Stravinsky beyond the dinosaur segment of Fantasia, then this is not the book for you.
Essentially, this is still a book for the artists of the world, not the scientists. It provides a surface though not a probing look at the different subjects of neuroscience. Too much attention is paid to certain subjects (Gertrude Stein) and too little is paid to others (Escoffier and Stravinsky) but the overall treatment of the subjects was thoughtful and interesting.
If nothing else, it made me want to reread Leaves of Grass, listen to Rites of Spring and eat a lot of umami rich foods.
Essentially, this is still a book for the artists of the world, not the scientists. It provides a surface though not a probing look at the different subjects of neuroscience. Too much attention is paid to certain subjects (Gertrude Stein) and too little is paid to others (Escoffier and Stravinsky) but the overall treatment of the subjects was thoughtful and interesting.
If nothing else, it made me want to reread Leaves of Grass, listen to Rites of Spring and eat a lot of umami rich foods.
dirtmidas's review
medium-paced
I can't really respect this author anymore considering he fabricated stories and quotes to push his narrative in Imagine and plagiarized other parts of the book. He's discredited himself as an author and shown himself to be untrustworthy. He seemingly had no qualms about this until confronted about it via Twitter. I would rather not waste my time reading any more of his material.
lalalena's review
3.0
I started this book in the spring and I found myself tearing through sections and then struggling through others.
And then the Jonah Lehrer borrowing/plagiarism/inaccurate sourcing scandal started, when I only had one chapter left to read(the one on Virginia Woolf) and the epilogue (titled Coda). This whole ordeal has marred my experience with this chapter that I was looking so forward to--I mean, I love Virginia Woolf! Mrs. Dalloway was one of the formative literary works in my life! What a bummer.
Divorced from the (it appears accurate) accusations hurled at Lehrer, the book is a good one. Some chapters are fantastic--namely the Walt Whitman, Marcel Proust, Igor Stravinsky--and the rest are mostly OK. The notable exception here being the Paul Cezanne chapter which was tedious and boring because for some reason, the argument simply doesn't translate without photos. This is odd, of course, because I couldn't taste any of the food Lehrer describe in the August Escoffier chapter but somehow this is simply the case.
Anyway, I am definitely interested in the intersection of the humanities and the sciences. I just wish the author were more...trustworthy.
And then the Jonah Lehrer borrowing/plagiarism/inaccurate sourcing scandal started, when I only had one chapter left to read(the one on Virginia Woolf) and the epilogue (titled Coda). This whole ordeal has marred my experience with this chapter that I was looking so forward to--I mean, I love Virginia Woolf! Mrs. Dalloway was one of the formative literary works in my life! What a bummer.
Divorced from the (it appears accurate) accusations hurled at Lehrer, the book is a good one. Some chapters are fantastic--namely the Walt Whitman, Marcel Proust, Igor Stravinsky--and the rest are mostly OK. The notable exception here being the Paul Cezanne chapter which was tedious and boring because for some reason, the argument simply doesn't translate without photos. This is odd, of course, because I couldn't taste any of the food Lehrer describe in the August Escoffier chapter but somehow this is simply the case.
Anyway, I am definitely interested in the intersection of the humanities and the sciences. I just wish the author were more...trustworthy.
atschakfoert's review
4.0
The moral of the story: the brain is complex and we'll never know everything. Oh, also, scientists and artists should learn to appreciate each other.