For the most part we take our brain functioning for granted. We learn things, we see things, we feel things, some of it we remember, some of it we forget. So it goes on. We don’t think about thinking.
But what when our brain functioning is different? Not from stroke or injury, nor from mental illness like depression or anxiety, but simply that our sense of normal is different to that of most others? This is a book about brains that work slightly differently. For the most part their owners have adapted to them and a state of acceptance has been reached, but they represent a challenge to our understanding of brains structure and function, and place in some cases a burden on the person concerned.
Amongst others we meet people who think they are dead when they are not; people who never forget anything and have extraordinary detail recall; people who see colours associated with people and objects around them; people with extreme empathy for others feelings and pain. This isn’t a book about neurological freaks – far from it. Its an exploration of these different brains, how people live with them, and what may be going on to cause their differences, and in turn how this helps our understanding of brain health and function.
This is a readable book, with the right mix between interest and detail, certainly not a manual or textbook, more a readable exploration. The book would be suitable for anyone interested in the workings of our brain, whether professionally or from general interest.
