|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
List Price: $16.00Amazon.com's Price: $10.88 You Save: $5.12 (32%)as of 03/18/2010 14:57 EDT
Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours
This item ships for FREE with Super Saver Shipping.
Binding: Paperback
Dewey Decimal Number: 612.8
EAN: 9780345479891
ISBN: 0345479890
Label: Ballantine Books
Manufacturer: Ballantine Books
Number Of Items: 1
Number Of Pages: 304
Publication Date: November 20, 2007
Publisher: Ballantine Books
Release Date: November 20, 2007
Studio: Ballantine Books
Features:- ISBN13: 9780345479891
- Condition: NEW
- Notes: Brand New from Publisher. No Remainder Mark.
Related Items:
Alternate Versions: Click to Display
Browse for similar items by category: Click to Display
Editorial Review:
Product Description:
In this fascinating and far-reaching book, Newsweek science writer Sharon Begley reports on how cutting-edge science and the ancient wisdom of Buddhism have come together to reveal that, contrary to popular belief, we have the power to literally change our brains by changing our minds. Recent pioneering experiments in neuroplasticity–the ability of the brain to change in response to experience–reveal that the brain is capable of altering its structure and function, and even of generating new neurons, a power we retain well into old age. The brain can adapt, heal, renew itself after trauma, compensate for disabilities, rewire itself to overcome dyslexia, and break cycles of depression and OCD. And as scientists are learning from studies performed on Buddhist monks, it is not only the outside world that can change the brain, so can the mind and, in particular, focused attention through the classic Buddhist practice of mindfulness.
With her gift for making science accessible, meaningful, and compelling, Sharon Begley illuminates a profound shift in our understanding of how the brain and the mind interact and takes us to the leading edge of a revolution in what it means to be human.
“There are two great things about this book. One is that it shows us how nothing about our brains is set in stone. The other is that it is written by Sharon Begley, one of the best science writers around. Begley is superb at framing the latest facts within the larger context of the field. . . . This is a terrific book.”
–Robert M. Sapolsky, author of Why Zebras Don’t Get Ulcers
“Excellent . . . elegant and lucid prose . . . an open mind here will be rewarded.”
–Discover magazine
“A strong dose of hope along with a strong does of science and Buddhist thought.”
–The San Diego Union-Tribune
Average Rating: 
Rating:  -
I know how petty this is, but it was an absolute deal-breaker for me. The woman who read the audio version of the book is so overly dramatic and annoying that I finally had to give up on it completely. I am sure it contains a lot of good information, but her theatrics overwhelmed the writing. If you're interested in what it has to say, get the written version.
Also, if you're sensitive to endless descriptions of pretty horrific experiments on animals, you may want to skip this one altogether. ... Read More
Rating:  -
THIS BOOK HAS VERY SMALL PRINT, HARD TO READ. AND, THE INK IS TOO PALE. WHAT A DISAPPOINTMENT. I WILL RETURN IT.
Rating:  -
...but I just couldn't get past the fact that Buddhist monks would/could justify the maiming of animals to prove something to...who? WHY does "science" have to "prove" what practitioners in other disciplines of endeavor have known for millennia? And why would anybody who would be drawn to this book need proof of what they know from people who maim animals? I'm not even a bleeding heart anti-vivisectionist, but something about this assumption, that science has to prove everything, was made disturbingly clear ... Read More
Rating: -
I was disappointed in that the content seemed to pretty much an attempt to convince the reader of the potential for plasticity of the brain, and not so much on method. Personally I felt that relatively little information was inflated with fluff. It is not on the recommendation list for my "students".
Rating: -
As a physical therapist I am well aware of the neuroplasticity research coming out over the past decade, and had high hopes for this book. I was disappointed there was so much implication that all this research was simply confirming what the Tibetan Buddhists and the Dalai Lama already knew, and the overuse of the term "dogma" in describing neuroscience. In the past twenty years I never got that impression from the research I'd read, but I'm not in academia. I was also disappointed in the mind-brain discussion; ... Read More
|
|
|
|
