The Brain That Changes Itself | 
 enlarge | Manufacturer: Viking
Category: EBooks
List Price: $16.00
Buy New: $9.99
You Save: $6.01 (38%)
Avg. Customer Rating:  84 reviews
Sales Rank: 153
Format: Kindle Book
Media: Kindle Edition
Edition: 1
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 448
Dewey Decimal Number: 612.8
ASIN: B000QCTNIW
Publication Date: March 15, 2007
Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours
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Product Description
"An astonishing new science called neuroplasticity is overthrowing the centuries-old notion that the human brain is immutable. Psychiatrist and psychoanalyst, Norman Doidge, M.D., traveled the country to meet both the brilliant scientists championing neuroplasticity and the people whose lives they've transformed-people whose mental limitations or brain damage were seen as unalterable. We see a woman born with half a brain that rewired itself to work as a whole, blind people who learn to see, learning disorders cured, IQs raised, aging brains rejuvenated, stroke patients learning to speak, children with cerebral palsy learning to move with more grace, depression and anxiety disorders successfully treated, and lifelong character traits changed. Using these marvelous stories to probe mysteries of the body, emotion, love, sex, culture, and education, Dr. Doidge has written an immensely moving, inspiring book that will permanently alter the way we look at our brains, human nature, and human potential."
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| Customer Reviews: Read 79 more reviews...
 The Brain that Changes Itself August 18, 2008
This is a fantastic book - well written and easy to read and understand; great case studies;a must for anyone with any interest in the brain; anyone who has aged parents or friends and is looking for some help in understanding how to keep the brain alert or even how to reconfigure it!
 Important about the brain August 10, 2008
Very interesting and instructing about the wonderful brain we've got.
A must for all therapists around the world.
 Fascinating topic, dull book August 8, 2008
2 out of 3 found this review helpful
I'm a big fan of Oliver Sacks, and a fellow Sacks fan recommended this book. But in my humble opinion, Doidge makes his fascinating subject amazingly dull. I agree with another reviewer who said this book reads like a sales pitch. The personal stories are rambling, repetitive, and unscientific. I left my half-read copy on an airplane to lighten my carry-on luggage.
appears to be a sales pitch August 7, 2008
3 out of 5 found this review helpful
I am, and always have been, fascinated by the brain, and the plasticity of the brain is nothing new. This idea has come up in many books about the brain over the past several years, and is pretty much common knowledge. I find the author contradicts himself in several places, making the point of the plasticity of the brain in one part, then stating the old behaviorists' mantra, basically, you are the product of your upbringing (I think this is contradictory because people are flexible enough to become the person they choose to become, not that they are destined to become something because they had a bad childhood). I'm halfway through the book, and it seems to me the author has the goal of pushing Fast ForWord and the products from Posit Science. With a little research, one can find both companies were founded by Dr. Merzenich, and they are very costly. The Fast ForWord program is only available to schools for a hefty sum, and the brain exercises by Posit Science cost $400 for one user (that was the least expensive version). If people suffering from autism, Asberger's, and other spectrum disorders, could be helped by these kinds of programs, don't you think they would be made more affordable in order to help as many families as possible? I think the book, The Mind and the Brain: Neuroplasticity and the Power of Mental Force, sums it up (although unintentionally)on page 234: "...the month after the Science publication (in 1996), Merzenich (et al)...raised enough private financing to form Scientific Learning Corp., the first company dedicated to making money from neuroplasticity." Merzenich-and his research and products- is nearly the main focus of the book. That is why I think this book is just another sales pitch for a high-priced program. Apparently only the wealthy should be helped, perhaps? Or maybe this is another way to prey on the fears of the elderly, those who fear dementia.
Amazing Brain August 2, 2008
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
As a special education teacher this book has been an amazing eye-opener to helping anyone learn new skills, especially adults. But teaching learning disabled students and otherwise impaired children brings a lot of insight into what this book is all about. I loved it and plan to reread it, taking notes as I go. There is a lot that can be done, clearly, and we can never think that someone is limited in what he can learn.
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