About this title: Jill Taylor was a 37-year-old Harvard-trained brain scientist when a blood vessel exploded in her brain. Through the eyes of a curious scientist, she watched her mind deteriorate whereby she could not walk, talk, read, write, or recall any of her life. Because of her understanding of the brain, her respect for the cells in her body, and an amazing ...
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Binding: Hardcover
Publisher: Viking Adult
Date Published: 2008-05-14
ISBN-13:9780670020744ISBN:0670020745
Description: Very Good. *Text is clean, bright and unmarked. Binding is tight and square. DJ is VG (but has price mark on the inside) P/O name is on FFEP. Careful packaging and fast shipping. We recommend EXPEDITED MAIL for even faster delivery! read more
Description: Very Good. 0452295548 Paperback, Condition: Very Good; this book is in very good condition with light curve to the spine / light reading creases to the covers. read more
Binding: Paperback
Publisher: Plume
Date Published: 2009-05-26
ISBN-13:9780452295544ISBN:0452295548
Description: New. New paperback book with publisher's inventory mark. SATISFACTION GUARANTEED! We ship 6 days a week, generally within 24 hours; single CDs and DVDs upgraded to 1st class! read more
Binding: Paperback
Publisher: Plume
Date Published: 2009-05-26
ISBN-13:9780452295544ISBN:0452295548
Description: New. New paperback book with publisher's inventory mark. SATISFACTION GUARANTEED! We ship 6 days a week, generally within 24 hours; single CDs and DVDs upgraded to 1st class! read more
Binding: Hardcover
Publisher: Viking Books
Date Published: 2008
ISBN-13:9780670020744ISBN:0670020745
Description: New in new dust jacket. NEW. All items ships within 24 hours. Free USPS Delivery Confirmation and Tracking Number. [No remainder mark]. Thanks for your purchase! Sewn binding. Cloth over boards. With dust jacket. 192 p. Contains: Illustrations. Audience: General/trade. read more
Edition: First edition.
Binding: Hardcover
Publisher: Viking Books
Date Published: 2008
ISBN-13:9780670020744ISBN:0670020745
Description: Very good in very good dust jacket. Sewn binding. Cloth over boards. With dust jacket. 192 p. Contains: Illustrations. Audience: General/trade. read more
"A phenomenal reading experience... at once spiritual as well as informative for the reader, experiential and contemplative from the author's perspective;. A brain scientist contemplating the effects of her own stroke which gravely disabled the left hemisphere of her brain, initially permitting only the right hemisphere to function.She discovered parts of her consciousness and capabilities that had been dormant prior to her stroke, her "right brain" creativity, and an appreciation of being conscious purely in the present. One considers the parallels of her right hemisphere experience to the practice of meditation. She recovered left brain functioning over a ten year period. Reading her account was an unforgettble experience."
"While the concept of this book ? a Harvard neuroscientist, struck at a young age by a stroke, describing her struggle firsthand ? instantly drew me in, I have a number of criticisms of this slim volume:
1) For the first few chapters, Taylor gives us a basic rundown of how the brain works in order to better understand what occurred to her during her stroke and recovery. In the course of my graduate studies in psychology, I have been exposed to many explanations of brain functioning and Taylor?s is by far the most poorly written, confusing, and inaccessible I have ever encountered.
2) Not to downplay Taylor?s harrowing experience by any means, but when she tells us that she was giving speeches at psychology conferences a mere month after her stroke with little noticeable impairment, it kind of minimizes what she went through.
3) The handful of chapters where she describes what the stroke felt like and what was going through her mind at the time was really the only part I found worthwhile in this book. The remaining 2/3 of the book consisted of Taylor?s opinions on how we should treat stroke survivors, which is fine, but it really only consists of 2 or 3 key points that she repeats over and over and over, sometimes just rewording the same sentences ad nauseam.
4) I was appalled that she, a scientist, gives credence to the idea that we have a masculine part to our brains responsible for the analytical and logical parts of our personality and a feminine part of the brain that is responsible for emotions and creativity. To apply gender labels to such basic personality traits that are inherent in everyone is unfounded and just plain silly."
"This book is an autobiography and gives a detailed 1st hand account of the author's experiences while suffering a debilitating stroke. It is amazing how she is able to recall the clear details about what was happening before, during and after her stroke. The story is even more interesting because the author herself is a brain scientist and has extensive knowledge about how the brain works. It is truly fascinating to hear her thoughts about the stroke while it is happening, as she struggles to maintain a scientific outlook on it, while also realizing that she is in grave danger. The author also does a great job giving a brief overview of the brain in layman's terms which proves helpful as she discusses functions of the left and right sides of the brain in terms of the thoughts and feelings she was having during the stroke. The only thing I did not like about the book was the last couple of chapters where she spoke about how the stroke was a spiritual event for her. I do understand where she was coming from, but it just got a bit too new age for me. This is a good read for anyone who may know someone who had a debilitating stroke. The turnaround and progress the author made after the stroke was very inspiring, and definitely instilled hope in me for the continued recovery of my loved one."
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