An Alchemy of Mind: The Marvel and Mystery of the Brain

by Diane Ackerman

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▾LibraryThing recommendations

Synaptic Self: How Our Brains Become Who We Are by Joseph LeDoux (2002)
Mind Wide Open: Your Brain and the Neuroscience of Everyday Life by Steven Johnson (2004)
A Natural History of the Senses by Diane Ackerman (1990)
Deep Play by Diane Ackerman (1999)
A Natural History Of Love by Diane Ackerman (1994)

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Wonderful read! Poetic and informative as Ackerman's writing generally is.

DK_Atkinson | Mar 31, 2013 |

Diane Ackerman has a poet's soul and a scientist's mind.

gilbertine | Oct 28, 2008 |

I really like this book. It's one of those books you read for the share beauty of the language, for the resonance of the author's thoughts with your own, only phrased with infinitely more grace, intelligence and wisdom. If I could write one book I'd wish it to be this one. Ackerman takes the study of the brain from the technical description of a textbook, past the informal treatise of popularised science to the realm of poetry, where subtle and profound ideas about what it means to be human, the agony and joy of possessing minds as encompassing and creative as our own, and the miracle of having the world created before our very eyes. Please read this book if you have even the vaguest interest in the intricacies of your brain. (

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grero | Apr 27, 2008 |

Is this a work of science or poetry? For the purpose of this review, let's just assume that Ackerman is a scholar-artist. She somehow distills the hard, objective truths of science in order to yield vivid explanations about a range of existential questions regarding consciousness, human thought, memory, and the nature of identity. (

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misslaralee | Jan 9, 2008 |

Just not my style of a book. I was expecting it to be more scientific, but it was about new-age aspects of the mind. (

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brendak | Sep 5, 2005 |

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Amazon.com Product Description (ISBN 0743246748, Paperback)

Does the mind reflect or dictate what the body sees and feels? What is the language of emotion? Is memory a function of our imaginations? Are we all just out of our minds?

In this ambitious and enlightening work, Diane Ackerman combines an artist's eye with a scientist's erudition to illuminate the magic and mysteries of the human brain. With An Alchemy of Mind, she offers an unprecedented exploration of the mental fantasia in which we spend our days. In addition to explaining memory, thought, emotion, dreams, and language acquisition, Ackerman reports on the latest discoveries in neuroscience and addresses such controversial subjects as the effects of trauma, nature versus nurture, and male versus female brains. In prose that is not simply accessible but also beautiful and electric, Ackerman distills the hard, objective truths of science in order to yield vivid, anecdotal explanations about a range of existential questions regarding consciousness and the nature of identity.

(retrieved from Amazon Thu, 14 Feb 2013 13:30:15 -0500)

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"Diane Ackerman discusses the science of the brain as only she can. In addition to explaining memory, thought, emotion, dreams, and language acquisition, she reports on the latest discoveries in neuroscience and addresses controversial subjects like the effects of trauma and male versus female brains. Ackerman distills the hard, objective truths of science in order to yield vivid, heavily anecdotal explanations about a range of existential questions regarding consciousness, human thought, memory, and the nature of identify."--BOOK JACKET.… (more)