Overview

Full Product Details

9780062391162

Table of Contents

Reviews

From seeing auras ... to waking up 'dead' and being able to remember every single day of your life in vivid detail, award-winning science journalist Thomson investigates wondrously rare and strange brain disorders in this terrific debut . . . Theirs are mystery stories, spellbinding and true. --The Bookseller, Editor's Choice

This wonderfully clear, fluent, eye-opening book explores what happens when the mind misbehaves: distance is distorted, memory plays tricks, people hear in colour and see in music. Helen Thomson is the science teacher you wish you'd had at school . . . Unthinkable [is] fascinating. --The Times (London) Splendid for Mary Roach fans. --Booklist A user-friendly tour of the brain and the curious things that go on inside of it. --Kirkus May change your perception of what it means to be human. --Library Journal (starred review) Thomson has a gift for making the complex and strange understandable and relatable. Oliver Sacks is noted as an inspiration and, indeed, this book will appeal to his many fans. --Library Journal (starred review) From seeing auras ... to waking up 'dead' and being able to remember every single day of your life in vivid detail, award-winning science journalist Thomson investigates wondrously rare and strange brain disorders in this terrific debut . . . Theirs are mystery stories, spellbinding and true. --The Bookseller, Editor's Choice With flair and empathy, the author sees her subjects in the context of their everyday lives, allowing us to marvel at their humanity . . . This is neuroscience for the general reader: accessible, well researched, thought-provoking. --Tatler 'A stirring scientific journey, a celebration of human diversity and a call to rethink the unthinkable. '--Nature A book that will please fans of the late Oliver Sacks. --Publishers Weekly We are the sum of our brains--nothing more or less. Helen Thomson ably guides us through the fascinating world of what are indeed some of the strangest brains on earth, showing us what we can learn about ourselves. Scientifically accurate and wholly accessible, this is an irresistible book. --Robert Sapolsky, author of Behave: The Biology of Humans at Our Best and Worst Remarkable--an astonishing tour of the human brain in all its awesome power and bewildering variation. In beautiful prose, Thompson seamlessly dances between conversations with nine extraordinary people, and beautiful explanations of how the brain works. Unthinkable will enrich your brain, blow your mind, and warm your heart. --Ed Yong, author of I Contain Multitudes

Splendid for Mary Roach fans. --Booklist This wonderfully clear, fluent, eye-opening book explores what happens when the mind misbehaves: distance is distorted, memory plays tricks, people hear in colour and see in music. Helen Thomson is the science teacher you wish you'd had at school . . . Unthinkable [is] fascinating. --The Times (London) A user-friendly tour of the brain and the curious things that go on inside of it. --Kirkus May change your perception of what it means to be human. --Library Journal (starred review) Thomson has a gift for making the complex and strange understandable and relatable. Oliver Sacks is noted as an inspiration and, indeed, this book will appeal to his many fans. --Library Journal (starred review) From seeing auras ... to waking up 'dead' and being able to remember every single day of your life in vivid detail, award-winning science journalist Thomson investigates wondrously rare and strange brain disorders in this terrific debut . . . Theirs are mystery stories, spellbinding and true. --The Bookseller, Editor's Choice With flair and empathy, the author sees her subjects in the context of their everyday lives, allowing us to marvel at their humanity . . . This is neuroscience for the general reader: accessible, well researched, thought-provoking. --Tatler 'A stirring scientific journey, a celebration of human diversity and a call to rethink the unthinkable. '--Nature A book that will please fans of the late Oliver Sacks. --Publishers Weekly Remarkable--an astonishing tour of the human brain in all its awesome power and bewildering variation. In beautiful prose, Thompson seamlessly dances between conversations with nine extraordinary people, and beautiful explanations of how the brain works. Unthinkable will enrich your brain, blow your mind, and warm your heart. --Ed Yong, author of I Contain Multitudes We are the sum of our brains--nothing more or less. Helen Thomson ably guides us through the fascinating world of what are indeed some of the strangest brains on earth, showing us what we can learn about ourselves. Scientifically accurate and wholly accessible, this is an irresistible book. --Robert Sapolsky, author of Behave: The Biology of Humans at Our Best and Worst

'A stirring scientific journey, a celebration of human diversity and a call to rethink the unthinkable. '--Nature From seeing auras ... to waking up 'dead' and being able to remember every single day of your life in vivid detail, award-winning science journalist Thomson investigates wondrously rare and strange brain disorders in this terrific debut . . . Theirs are mystery stories, spellbinding and true. --The Bookseller, Editor's Choice

Thomson has a gift for making the complex and strange understandable and relatable. Oliver Sacks is noted as an inspiration and, indeed, this book will appeal to his many fans. --Library Journal (starred review) From seeing auras ... to waking up 'dead' and being able to remember every single day of your life in vivid detail, award-winning science journalist Thomson investigates wondrously rare and strange brain disorders in this terrific debut . . . Theirs are mystery stories, spellbinding and true. --The Bookseller, Editor's Choice With flair and empathy, the author sees her subjects in the context of their everyday lives, allowing us to marvel at their humanity . . . This is neuroscience for the general reader: accessible, well researched, thought-provoking. --Tatler 'A stirring scientific journey, a celebration of human diversity and a call to rethink the unthinkable. '--Nature A book that will please fans of the late Oliver Sacks. --Publishers Weekly We are the sum of our brains--nothing more or less. Helen Thomson ably guides us through the fascinating world of what are indeed some of the strangest brains on earth, showing us what we can learn about ourselves. Scientifically accurate and wholly accessible, this is an irresistible book. --Robert Sapolsky, author of Behave: The Biology of Humans at Our Best and Worst Remarkable--an astonishing tour of the human brain in all its awesome power and bewildering variation. In beautiful prose, Thompson seamlessly dances between conversations with nine extraordinary people, and beautiful explanations of how the brain works. Unthinkable will enrich your brain, blow your mind, and warm your heart. --Ed Yong, author of I Contain Multitudes

Author Information

Helen Thomson is a writer and consultant with New Scientist magazine and was shortlisted as Best Science Journalist in the British Journalism Awards. She has won several other awards, including media fellowships at both Harvard and MIT and the Best Newcomer in the ABSW Science Writers Awards for Britain and Ireland in 2010. She has also written for The Guardian, The Washington Post, The Daily Mail and Nature. She lives in London.

Tab Content 6

Customer Reviews

Recent Reviews

Countries Available