My Stroke of Insight: A Brain Scientist’s Personal Journey (Paperback)

by Ph.D., Jill Bolte Taylor (Author)

Textbook Details
* Paperback: 224 pages
* Publisher: Plume; 1 edition (May 26, 2009)
* Language: English
* ISBN-10: 0452295548
* ISBN-13: 978-0452295544
* Dimensions: 7.9 x 5.3 x 0.6 inches
* Shipping Weight: 6.4 ounces

Textbook Description
On the morning of December 10, 1996, Jill Bolte Taylor, a thirty-seven-year-old Harvard-trained brain scientist, experienced a massive stroke when a blood vessel exploded in the left side of her brain.

A neuroanatomist by profession, she observed her own mind completely deteriorate to the point that she could not walk, talk, read, write, or recall any of her life, all within the space of four brief hours. As the damaged left side of her brain–the rational, grounded, detail- and time-oriented side–swung in and out of function, Taylor alternated between two distinct and opposite realties: the euphoric nirvana of the intuitive and kinesthetic right brain, in which she felt a sense of complete well-being and peace; and the logical, sequential left brain, which recognized Jill was having a stroke, and enabled her to seek help before she was lost completely.

In My Stroke of Insight, Taylor shares her unique perspective on the brain and its capacity for recovery, and the sense of omniscient understanding she gained from this unusual and inspiring voyage out of the abyss of a wounded brain. It would take eight years for Taylor to heal completely. Because of her knowledge of how the brain works, her respect for the cells composing her human form, and most of all an amazing mother, Taylor completely repaired her mind and recalibrated her understanding of the world according to the insights gained from her right brain that morning of December 10th.

Today Taylor is convinced that the stroke was the best thing that could have happened to her. It has taught her that the feeling of nirvana is never more than a mere thought away. By stepping to the right of our left brains, we can all uncover the feelings of well-being and peace that are so often sidelined by our own brain chatter. A fascinating journey into the mechanics of the human mind, My Stroke of Insight is both a valuable recovery guide for anyone touched by a brain injury, and an emotionally stirring testimony that deep internal peace truly is accessible to anyone, at any time.

My Stroke of Insight: A Brain Scientist’s Personal Journey Review
This book was very good at explaining the authors experience in having and recovering from a stroke. Her insights were useful in helping me understand my own thinking, particularly with respect to spiritual experiences I have had. My childhood friend is currently in the hospital with a stroke, and I think this book may be useful to his daughter as he recovers.

Dr. Taylor has conveyed an interesting and unique view of the brain’s ability to recover from a stroke. Because of her background of studying the brain’s function and her knowledge of the various aspects of her experience as related to her injury, we get a unique view of the healing and how it affected her cognitive ability. As I have had family who suffered from dementia, I was hoping to gain some insight into the mind of an injured brain. Dr. Taylor has written a unique aspect of a stroke victim’s inner world but it really didn’t help me to see a general view of strokes affects as everyone apparently is so different in the areas of damage.

I ordered this book for a family member that has suffered a brain injury. I saw Jill bolte Taylor on the Oprah show and thought that she delivered a strong message, something that all healthcare workers could benefit from, so when this happened to my family member I thought it would be a good comfort to her and her family to read this book.

I read this book in one afternoon and found it to be full of great insights into the brain and how we have the power to direct its impact on the life we want whether we’ve suffered a stroke or not. The final chapters on choosing to live “right brained” are especially enlightening, but if I were looking for a primer on stroke recovery, this is “Stroke Therapy Lite.” Nonetheless, her suggestions on how to be when working with stroke victims are very perceptive and I trust many hospitals/recovery centers will be changing protocols in this area. Jill, in being given a second chance to do life right is indeed “being the change she wishes to see in the world.” (Gandhi) We could all take her insights to heart.

Dr. Taylor’s book gives interesting, though at times annoying and under-informed, insights into the human brain. As I’m currently doing my graduate studies in Psychology, I found the book to be very interesting, though the first person perspective and narrative are a bit jarring (unexpected) at first. There’s interesting discussions about the right side of the brain and it being the gateway to enlightenment. Though I’m not sure one can achieve nirvana by reading the book, it makes for interesting reading on our neurological circuitry and provides interesting, if not controversial, perspectives.

Buy Kindle Edition
My Stroke of Insight (Kindle Edition)

Frequently Bought Together
The Brain That Changes Itself: Stories of Personal Triumph from the Frontiers of Brain Science (James H. Silberman Books) (Paperback)
+
Stillness Speaks (Hardcover)

The Genie in Your Genes: Epigenetic Medicine and the New Biology of Intention (Paperback)

by Dawson Church (Author)

Textbook Details
* Paperback: 395 pages
* Publisher: Elite Books; 2nd edition (April 15, 2009)
* Language: English
* ISBN-10: 1604150114
* ISBN-13: 978-1604150117
* Dimensions: 8.9 x 5.9 x 1.1 inches
* Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds
* Rating:

Textbook Description
Your genes don’t control your health or happiness outcomes; in fact many of the choices you make turn genes on or off. Author Dawson Church applies the insights of the new field of Epigenetics (epi=above, i.e. control above the level of the gene) to healing.

Citing 417 scientific studies, he shows how consciousness – in the form of beliefs, altruism, optimism, meditation, emotions, and energy psychology methods like EFT – can trigger the expression of DNA strands. He focuses on a class of genes called Immediate Early Genes or IEGs. These genes turn on within a few seconds of a stimulus. They can be triggered by thoughts or emotions (“I loved that unexpected gift of roses Bill gave me” or “I’m so mad about what Uncle John said at the Christmas party”) as well as spiritual experiences, and acts of kindness. Many IEGs are regulatory genes turn on other genes that affect specific aspects of our immune system, such as the production of white blood cells that destroy attacking bacteria and viruses. Epigenetics thus influences our health every day.

He coins the new term “Epigenetic Medicine” to describe healing techniques with epigenetic effects. He also summarizes the science behind the infant fields of Energy Psychology and Energy Medicine, both of which offer promising epigenetic medical therapies, and describes examples of the powerful personal breakthroughs being achieved by therapists, doctors, athletes, and entrepreneurs practicing these techniques. The Genie in Your Genes shows that there is a sound theoretical framework, based on credible experiments, for understanding these astonishing results, and predicts that the insights of Epigenetic Medicine will dramatically advance the fields of both medicine and psychology in the coming decade.

Best of all, The Genie in Your Genes demonstrates that, by taking control of our consciousness and using it to influence our genetic expression, we can sometimes bypass years of therapy, as well as harmful drugs and invasive surgeries, to, in effect, do continuous genetic engineering on our own bodies. This can produce both immediate relief from long-standing anxieties and neuroses, as well as “miraculous” healing of pain, autoimmune diseases, and other symptoms.

The Genie in Your Genes Review
Dawson Church’s new book, “The Genie in Your Genes,” is going to be a huge best-seller, changing for the better tens of thousands of lives. It’s all in the book! It reads well. It’s logical, intuitive and overwhelming. It is a triumph of deduction and reasoning, linking together science, genetics, behavior, moods, electromagnetic physiology, belief, consciousness, and how to use this knowledge to achieve peace, happiness and success.

Dawson’s logic and scientific command are relentless. And they beautifully extrapolate into an explanation of the effects of thought, attitude, emotions and their outcome. His book is a clear map to understanding a path to well-being. We may have genetically inescapable blue eyes, but we can voluntarily decide whether we are going to smile or frown with those eyes, and the consequences of that behavior will affect us and effect change. As an orthopedic surgeon schooled in anatomy and surgical approach and reconstruction, I cannot explain, for example, the 1000 year ancient “science” of accupuncture and the stimulation of healing energies. But I have seen its physical manifestations. My patients will occasionally ask if I will pray with them before an operation, and I readily do. And I also ask them to imagine themselves later, healed and happy, walking and doing what they would love to do. With success! Now Dawson Church has found a way to explain and quantify this experience.

Once in a great while, an expansive book traces the connections between seemingly disconnected fields of science to produce a brilliant new synthesis. This work, linking genetics, electromagnetism, medicine and social change, is a monumental feat of scholarship and imagination, and provides a fascinating glimpse of the exciting possibilities that lie ahead. It points the way to a radical leap in our understanding of healing–and indeed the nature of human beings.

I am an EFT practitioner and have people travel from around the world to our retreat in Sedona. Most have never heard of EFT but after being introduced find answers they have searched years to find within themselves. Genie in your genes does an awesome job of explaining how EFT and other energy healing techniques work. Just as hard as explaining how the electricity travels to your outlets in your house, how energy travels through our body is a mystery to most. I have been teaching Reiki and energy healing for over twenty years, and this is one of the best books for explaining energy and quantum healing avaialble. Read it with an open mind and find the mystery to heal your life.

I’ve only read the first few chapters so far but I’m hooked. I am a firm believer that you can’t attach either total or the majority of “the blame” on any one factor when it comes to the human body and mind. The fact that so many doctors of high caliber endorsed this book was my incentive to purchase it, rather than borrow it from the library. Not an easy read but not difficult either – I really enjoy books that open my mind to new concepts!

Buy Kindle Edition
The Genie in Your Genes: Epigenetic Medicine and the New Biology of Intention (Kindle Edition)

Frequently Bought Together
Soul Medicine: Awakening Your Inner Blueprint for Abundant Health and Energy (Paperback)
+
The Biology of Belief: Unleashing the Power of Consciousness, Matter, & Miracles (Hardcover)

Physics of the Impossible: A Scientific Exploration into the World of Phasers, Force Fields, Teleportation, and Time Travel (Paperback)

by Michio Kaku (Author)

Textbook Details
* Paperback: 352 pages
* Publisher: Anchor; Reprint edition (April 7, 2009)
* Language: English
* ISBN-10: 0307278824
* ISBN-13: 978-0307278821
* Dimensions: 8 x 5.1 x 0.8 inches
* Shipping Weight: 8.5 ounces
* Rating:

Textbook Description
Teleportation, time machines, force fields, and interstellar space ships—the stuff of science fiction or potentially attainable future technologies? Inspired by the fantastic worlds of Star Trek, Star Wars, and Back to the Future, renowned theoretical physicist and bestselling author Michio Kaku takes an informed, serious, and often surprising look at what our current understanding of the universe’s physical laws may permit in the near and distant future.

Entertaining, informative, and imaginative, Physics of the Impossible probes the very limits of human ingenuity and scientific possibility.

Physics of the Impossible Review
Kaku presents the daunting advanced concepts of physics to readers in an enjoyable journey through the possibilities of force fields, ray guns, Star Wars force abilities (through psychokinesis), time travel, and much more. The greatest strength of this book is the presentation of recent breakthroughs such as the seemingly invisible “metamaterials” that disappear under a specific frequency of light, or the series of breakthroughs that can be achieved with the possible discovery of room-temperature superconductors. Kaku is an appealing master storyteller (as seen in his appearances on The Universe series on the History Channel) and Physics of the Impossible is a wonderful book offering much food for thought.

I found this book highly entertaining and thought-provoking. Extrapolating from current knowledge is, as Kaku admits, a tricky proposition. Yet he does a creditable job, succeeding largely through his approach: selecting venerable science fiction technologies – invisibility, force fields, ray guns, etc. – as end points to work towards by surveying appropriate cutting edge scientific disciplines. Through this literary device Kaku is able to offer the general reader a very good snapshot of scientific research circa 2008. Science fiction fans will be edified by the very real possibilities produced from this imaginative genre, a genre that has inspired many a scientist over the years. Kaku is one of the most effective popularizers of science around, and if this take on scientific research attracts new interest to the field, just maybe the war against science will not be so easily won after all.

This is probably Dr. Kaku’s best popular work since Hyperspace or Visions. Here is a wide range of scientific possibilities to be explored. Dr. Kaku’s gift is to make modern physics comprehensible to those of us without a mathematical background. In this book he uses his gift to explain how the standard model and string field theory (which he is coauthor of) can be applied to contemplation of some of our most wildest scifi dreams. The chapters are short and easily read in short sittings, which lends well to a book that stretches the imagination so dramaticaly. Dr. Kaku is also careful to remain objective in discussing different theoretical approaches which is an admirable feat given some of the topics ventured into in this book. If you enjoy cutting edge science, it doesn’t get more cutting edge then this. Thank you Dr. Kaku for yet another wonderful journey.

I first saw an interview with Michio Kaku on the Science Channel and was immediately interested in him and his ideas. When the cover caught my eye in the bookstore I just had to read it. Michio clearly and simply lays out a number of theories or inventions that have been deemed impossible and breaks them down into their physical laws and then categorizes them on their actually possibility. A must read for anyone interested in theoretical physics.

Buy Kindle Edition
Physics of the Impossible: A Scientific Exploration into the World of Phasers, Force Fields, Teleportation, and Time Travel (Kindle Edition)

Frequently Bought Together
Parallel Worlds: A Journey Through Creation, Higher Dimensions, and the Future of the Cosmos (Paperback)
+
Hyperspace: A Scientific Odyssey Through Parallel Universes, Time Warps, and the 10th Dimens ion (Paperback)

The Age of Entanglement: When Quantum Physics Was Reborn (Hardcover)

by Louisa Gilder (Author)

Textbook Details
* Paperback: 464 pages
* Publisher: Knopf; 1 edition (November 11, 2008)
* Language: English
* ISBN-10: 1400044170
* ISBN-13: 978-1400044177
* Dimensions: 9.4 x 6.5 x 1.7 inches
* Shipping Weight: 1.7 pounds
* Rating:

Textbook Description
A brilliantly original and richly illuminating exploration of entanglement, the seemingly telepathic communication between two separated particles—one of the fundamental concepts of quantum physics.

In 1935, in what would become the most cited of all of his papers, Albert Einstein showed that quantum mechanics predicted such a correlation, which he dubbed “spooky action at a distance.” In that same year, Erwin Schrödinger christened this spooky correlation “entanglement.” Yet its existence wasn’t firmly established until 1964, in a groundbreaking paper by the Irish physicist John Bell. What happened during those years and what has happened since to refine the understanding of this phenomenon is the fascinating story told here.

We move from a coffee shop in Zurich, where Einstein and Max von Laue discuss the madness of quantum theory, to a bar in Brazil, as David Bohm and Richard Feynman chat over cervejas. We travel to the campuses of American universities—from J. Robert Oppenheimer’s Berkeley to the Princeton of Einstein and Bohm to Bell’s Stanford sabbatical—and we visit centers of European physics: Copenhagen, home to Bohr’s famous institute, and Munich, where Werner Heisenberg and Wolfgang Pauli picnic on cheese and heady discussions of electron orbits.

Drawing on the papers, letters, and memoirs of the twentieth century’s greatest physicists, Louisa Gilder both humanizes and dramatizes the story by employing their own words in imagined face-to-face dialogues. Here are Bohr and Einstein clashing, and Heisenberg and Pauli deciding which mysteries to pursue. We see Schrödinger and Louis de Broglie pave the way for Bell, whose work is here given a long-overdue revisiting. And with his characteristic matter-of-fact eloquence, Richard Feynman challenges his contemporaries to make something of this entanglement.

The Age of Entanglement Review
I thoughly enjoyed reading the carefully referenced “dialogs/conversations” Miss Gilder weaved together to create a novel like experience. I hope that people are not turned off by the “quantum physics” in the title. Miss Gilder does a wonderful job of following the ideas of quantum physics from it’s beginnings with it’s many false starts, to current understanding (or puzzled understanding- can this really be?)
I felt as though I was a fly on the wall, as the well-known, and not so well known, scientists had discussions, reasoned out ideas, lost some, regained others, and puzzled thier way though the seemingly impossible complex possiblities. She caught “science” as it realy happens. False leads, promising ideas that could not be tested, experiments with unexpected results, and personality conflicts between scientists. All the human elements that are lost in many nonfiction accounts of modern science. People tend to think of “science” as being a series of linear discoveries, when in reality the “connect the dots” is sometimes quite random, and connections come from unexpectted places/people.

Kudos to Louisa Gilder for tackling an important topic in such a creative and wonderful manner. The author has done what very few seem capable of doing – making quantum physics understandable and enjoyable for the non-scientist and layperson. There are quite a few books that attempt to tackle the subject of entanglement, but Gilder’s book stands above the pack. It’s a tour de force. She does a terrific job of presenting the dynamics of scientific discovery with extraordinary flair. It is as if the reader is a fly on the wall during the many important discoveries and debates that have fueled the accumulation of scientific knowledge. Many of the great minds that have contributed to the advance of quantum physics over the past century come to life in Gilder’s book. We see the humanness that exists along side the genius. There is a wonderful complexity to scientific discovery that is not well appreciated by the masses. Gilder’s book illuminates that complexity in splendid fashion. This book is a treasure. I congratulate the author on her fine accomplishment, and enthusiastically encourage readers to purchase a copy of The Age of Entanglement. It’s the kind of book that is difficult to put down and you don’t want to end. Five stars for the book and one more star for the incredible effort that it took to produce it.

My first post on a book (I don’t know and am unrelated to the author)… This is an attempt to do something quite remarkable– the reconstruction from reputable primary and secondary sources of could-well-have-happened-this-way conversations among renowned physicists during a fascinating and astonishing period of scientific discovery. But what I found uncommon, and perhaps unique, is Ms. Guilder’s amazing coupling of lucid scientific explanations with a literary flair that is quite poetic. The post-WWII part of the book is more fragmented and less novelistic, perhaps due to the historical material (and the fact that Guilder was 6-8 years into the project), but if you are a scientific romantic interested in immersing yourself in the socially messy, ‘entangled’ world of brilliant people uncovering mind-boggling physicial truths, this is your book. Though stretched thin toward the end, five stars for the brilliant language, startling material and amazingly ambitious and satisfying approach to a fascinating topic. I borrowed, and now will buy.

Paperback & Kindle Edition
The Age of Entanglement: When Quantum Physics Was Reborn (Vintage) (Paperback)

The Age of Entanglement (Kindle Edition)

Remarkable Creatures: Epic Adventures in the Search for the Origin of Species (Hardcover)

by Sean B. Carroll (Author)

Textbook Details
* Hardcover: 352 pages
* Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt (February 10, 2009)
* Language: English
* ISBN-10: 015101485X
* ISBN-13: 78-0151014859
* Dimensions: 9.2 x 6.1 x 1.1 inches
* Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds
* Rating:

Textbook Description
An award-winning biologist takes us on the dramatic expeditions that unearthed the history of life on our planet.

Just 150 years ago, most of our world was an unexplored wilderness. Our sense of how old it was? Vague and vastly off the mark. And our sense of our own species’ history? A set of fantastic myths and fairy tales. Fossils had been known for millennia, but they were seen as the bones of dragons and other imagined creatures.

In the tradition of The Microbe Hunters and Gods, Graves, and Scholars, Sean Carroll’s Remarkable Creatures celebrates the pioneers who replaced our fancies with the even more amazing true story of how our world evolved.

Carroll recounts the most important discoveries in two centuries of national history — from Darwin’s trip around the world to CharlesWalcott’s discovery of pre-Cambrian life in the Grand Canyon; from Louis and Mary Leakey’s investigation of our deepest past in East Africa to the trailblazers in modern laboratories who have located a time clock in our DNA. Join him in a rousing voyage of discovery, from the epic journeys of pioneering naturalists to the breakthroughs making headlines today.

Remarkable Creatures Review
The most remarkable thing about Remarkable Creatures is that Carroll’s book is so easy and enjoyable to read. To a scientist there are no new facts or theories to learn here, just stuff we’ve already learned–now learned better as really good yarns well selected, well told, and woven together around the compelling theme and endless plot known as life. Sean Carroll’s perspective and his smooth prose style make this popularization an easy yet rewarding book. Additionally, the aphorisms and epigrams are sharply chosen, and the illustrations are tightly illustrative of the text. The “Sources and Further Reading” are a bonus, particularly the Websites and Sources of Quotes, softening the regret at having reached “the last of these stories” after so few enjoyable days. I found no Typos and no reason to challenge the fact-checkers at the new HMH. This book hits its target, and in Dr. Carroll’s case it seems Mr. Hughes’ tax shelter dollars also found a worthy target. If the next few Darwin bicentennial offerings are even close to this standard, there’ll be good reading ahead. Make reading Remarkable Creatures part of your search for the origins of species. You will enjoy it.

This book chronicles the adventures of some of the great paleontologists, evolutionists, and molecular biologists in search for the origin of species. The book is described in three major parts; the first part focuses on the origin of species in general; the second part on particular kinds of animals; and finally the origins of human beings. In part one, the epic voyage of Charles Darwin, Alfred Wallace, and Henry Bates who laid foundations for the theory of natural selection and origin of species is vividly explained with the drama, tragedy and adventurism encountered during their long voyages into the far corners of planet. The second part describes the major expeditions for hunting fossils, and spectacular finds in paleontology that sheds light on the evolution of animal species. The last part dealing with natural history of human beings, track discoveries from the archeological, paleontological, and genetic studies that shed much light on the evolution of man. For a general reader this part is perhaps most interesting and especially chapter 13 entitled “Neander Valley” which examines if Neanderthals and humans have any biological connection; the discussion analyses very latest results from archeological, genetic and fossil studies. It is an exciting chapter to read.

Carroll has written another splendid book. This one details the stories behind the evolutionary biologists responsible for the current state of the science. Written in a simpler style than his previous books, it contains just enough information to make it worthwhile reading for those who want to learn more about the historical development of evolutionary biology. Without the density of scientific language of his previous books readers will find it easier to understand, less work to plow through and because it is substantially shorter than his earlier books, easier to retain what has been read. Carroll brilliantly elucidates the emerging field of Evo-Devo never sacrificing scientific detail for the sake of clarity. He has written another splendid book that is strongly recommended to those for whom science never loses either its fascination or its relevance.

Frequently Bought Together
Evolution: The First Four Billion Years (Hardcover) & Why Evolution Is True (Hardcover)