My latest foray into learning how brains work (and thereby being able to converse intelligently with the legion of neurologists who are part of our lives) is Dean Burnett's Idiot Brain, an entertaining look at the brain's various functions, from regulating hunger (Burnett clearly explains the process by which one always has room for a cookie) to fight or flight, language processing, and managing anger (the brain often prefers to be angry - go figure). Much of this he does with an eye toward evolution and, specifically, how our brains have not quite caught up with our non-hunter-gatherer, non-neanderthal ways.
Burnett taught me quite a bit, both about the brain in general, as well as regarding some specific - and relevant - conditions (hello, aphasia!). Honestly, it probably isn't a book that everyone needs to read, although it's never a bad thing to learn more about how a major, or in this case, the major organ works. The first half was a bit drier than the second half, but I appreciated Burnett's humor throughout.
Since most people are unlikely to read more than one brain book for fun, I also feel obliged to add a quick note of comparison to James Fallon's The Psychopath Inside. These books are very different books. Fallon is focused on psychopathic brains, but particularly the influence of genes on brain structure and function. Burnett is much more straightforward in terms of explaining how the brain works, how disorders (depression, schizophrenia, etc.) occur, and typical activity, while acknowledging individual difference. In that sense, Burnett's book is broader and, perhaps, more useful as a brain primer.
Four stars.
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