Scan barcode
wanderlustsleeping's review
4.0
Very interesting, informative, and easy to follow along, even with all the medical jargon!
I will say though the last chapter didn't seem to flow as easy in this regard as the rest of the book did, but I won't hold it against the author haha.
I would definitely recommend this book to those interested in the topic!
I will say though the last chapter didn't seem to flow as easy in this regard as the rest of the book did, but I won't hold it against the author haha.
I would definitely recommend this book to those interested in the topic!
kikoleon's review against another edition
4.0
Un neurólogo abordando la mente desde ángulos novedosos con experimentos sobre la percepción háptica, por ejemplo, y planteando hipótesis estimulantes que aplica en la clínica con resultados sorprendentes. El caso, por ejemplo, de los miembros fantasma aberrantes o que causan dolor es sumamente interesante.
Si te gusta Oliver Sacks es muy probable que este libro te encante.
Si te gusta Oliver Sacks es muy probable que este libro te encante.
haifay's review against another edition
4.0
A book full of quirky case studies about the brain? I am sold! Usually, I tend to fixate on every single concept I cannot grasp and often end up losing the big picture. But this was a smooth read and very entertaining! V.S.R takes you through a process of discovery as he studies the brains of people with bizarre neurological disorders. I loved how he daringly venture into terrains of philosophy offering his hypothesis on consciousness, nature of self, the whole sense-making of human existence.
I must say this really got me questioning the richness of our intimate mental life, I mean when a brilliant neuroscientist teases you about how your grasp of reality, your freewill and awareness is simply the activity of these little specks of jelly in your head, you are in for some existential crisis, but on second thought, you could also free yourself from one!
If you are still not convinced about picking up the book, read it for the fun cases, a man who mistook his wife for a hat, another dude who mistook his foot for penis (yeah, you read that right and he claims to have had tremendous orgasms too!), about the 'God helmet', and several more. There is also a series on VSR on YouTube where he recreates many of the tests with patients, definitely check it out.
I must say this really got me questioning the richness of our intimate mental life, I mean when a brilliant neuroscientist teases you about how your grasp of reality, your freewill and awareness is simply the activity of these little specks of jelly in your head, you are in for some existential crisis, but on second thought, you could also free yourself from one!
If you are still not convinced about picking up the book, read it for the fun cases, a man who mistook his wife for a hat, another dude who mistook his foot for penis (yeah, you read that right and he claims to have had tremendous orgasms too!), about the 'God helmet', and several more. There is also a series on VSR on YouTube where he recreates many of the tests with patients, definitely check it out.
moriartyandherbooks's review
4.0
Very interesting, informative, and easy to follow along, even with all the medical jargon!
I will say though the last chapter didn't seem to flow as easy in this regard as the rest of the book did, but I won't hold it against the author haha.
I would definitely recommend this book to those interested in the topic!
I will say though the last chapter didn't seem to flow as easy in this regard as the rest of the book did, but I won't hold it against the author haha.
I would definitely recommend this book to those interested in the topic!
lafrazier's review against another edition
4.0
Makes it clear that the brain is even more complex and mysterious than you think.
lmcox's review
4.0
This took me MONTHS to finish; it was fascinating reading, but I wanted to read it well and it could get technical, especially when flipping back and forth to the footnotes. Ramachandran is a neuroscientist famous for his work on phantom limbs, and he takes pride in his research in anomalous phenomena in neuroscience. The first several chapters focus on phantom limbs - their causes, their effects, and the unconventional approach to "curing" them and thinking about the brain in general that Ramachandran successfully explored. The end of the book diverges and discusses other phenomena related to the same mechanisms, which was just as interesting (though harder to get through, since it wasn't as directly connected). He writes well on some complex topics, illuminating them enough for enterprising non-neuroscientists to understand.
pahhs's review against another edition
3.0
Great introduction to the subject, but frustrating to read: Ramanchandran glosses over many topics without getting to the core of anything. He also tends to draw conclusion a bit rapidly for my taste.