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 enlarge | Author: Jill Bolte Taylor
Publisher: Viking Adult
Category: Book
List Price: $24.95
Buy New: $13.79
You Save: $11.16 (45%)
New (60) Used (23) from $11.99
Rating:  176 reviews
Sales Rank: 150
Media: Hardcover
Edition: 1
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 192
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.8
Dimensions (in): 9.1 x 6.2 x 0.9
ISBN: 0670020745
Dewey Decimal Number: 362.196810092
EAN: 9780670020744
ASIN: 0670020745
Publication Date: May 14, 2008
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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| Customer Reviews:
 Self Help Book for the Masses? July 21, 2008
44 out of 70 found this review helpful
I have an AVM just like the author and I was really interested in reading about her experiences. I enjoyed the book, but it could have been about 40 pages shorter.
Like most books for a large audience, the technical details about the brain were lacking. In fact, Chapter 2 is called "Simple Science" and anyone with a middle school education could understand it. I really wish authors would treat science as if I actually made it past 10th grade. Also, I was quite surprised that the author, a neuroanatomist, couldn't find better drawings of the brain.
The author recalled her experience via psychotherapy years after her stroke. I was a bit surprised that the author treated her recall of the day of her stroke as if her memories were fixed, as if they were just sitting in a file cabinet and the Gestalt therapy opened the drawers. The author is ecstatic about the plasticity of the brain yet she never acknowledges that memories are much more "plastic" than the brain.
By the end of the book, the author is writing in broad, flowery language:
"If I want to retain my inner peace, I must be willing to consistently and persistently tend the garden of my mind moment by moment." (Uh oh. I think the author is starting to spread the fertilizer.)
"The focused human mind is the most powerful instrument in the universe." (Huh? Really? Has the author ever considered that there might be other extraterrestrials with minds that are more powerful than ours?)
"Paying attention to how you burn energy and how foods make you feel inside your skin should be a top priority." "Let [scents] move you into the here and know." (Ohhh....aromatherapy! Is there a chapter on feng shui?)
This is all fine and dandy but I was expecting something more scientific and analytical from a neuroscientist.
For example, the author argues that everyone has complete control over how they react and behave. Unless, of course, they are are "truly" mentally ill (her word, not mine, see page 157). I disagree with the author on this point--mental illness is not like a switch. There are shades of mental illness, from a bit of depression to manic/depressive.
This book will be quite inspirational for both stroke victims and their caretakers. The author recovered so well because of the intense, loving efforts of her mother. And she recovered completely. Quite amazing.
 Stroke of Insight July 20, 2008
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
I loved it, BUT it may not be so enjoyable to a non-medical person. I was a little disappointed because the reviews said it would teach me how to better use my "right brain." This it didn't do well. A good read, neverless!
 Invaluable, captivating, belongs in every home July 17, 2008
6 out of 7 found this review helpful
I've told all my relatives about this book and Dr. Taylor's unique and amazing experience. The book should be required reading in medical school (even though it is written for the general public) or else its groundbreaking findings should be included in medical textbooks. The manner in which her mother GG re-raised the late-thirties author from infancy again is most inspiring and educational.
I do have a few complaints, but these didn't stop me from giving it 5 stars. There is a lot of repetition of certain themes and vocabulary; I would have preferred more anecdotes about Dr. Taylor's recovery and less emphasis on nirvana (important, but the reader gets the point early on).
I consider this a must-read and hope a second and more detailed book will be available someday.
A compelling read by a courageous woman July 17, 2008
2 out of 2 found this review helpful
My Stroke of Insight is a must read for all of us with a brain! I found Jill Bolte's personal journey of recovery deeply moving and truly fascinating. After having brain surgery myself, I too became fascinated with the human brain, never knowing what may present itself next. My Stroke of Insight has answered many questions for me. As everyones experiences with brain surgery differs, in many ways our challenges are the same.
Wonderful book, congratulations, Stuart McCallum
Beyond my Control: One Man's Struggle with Epilepsy, Seizure Surgery & Beyond
Spirituality and Our Brains July 15, 2008
4 out of 6 found this review helpful
In addition to all the implications for science and patient care that other reviewers have mentioned, this book has fascinating implications for spirituality as well. The author's experiences during and after her stroke, when she loses much of her 'logical' left-brain functions, and is plunged into her 'intuitive' right-brain perceptions, are downright mystical. She describes being outside of time and space, feeling herself connected to everyone and everything around her as a field of energy, and engulfed in an incredible bliss. Her experience seems to indicate that meditation and other contemplative practices are actually tools for quieting our left-brain activity and fully experiencing our right brain aspects. While this is hardly a new concept, this book explores it from a more personal perspective than has been done before. If you want to read my full review go to [...] . Otherwise, just check out this book.
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