{"product_id":"unthinkable-9781473611771","title":"Unthinkable","description":"\u003cb\u003eBook Synopsis\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003eHow the mind works -- everything from memory to emotion, navigation to creativity -- explained in nine extraordinary human stories\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eTrade Review\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eThis wonderfully clear, fluent, eye-opening book explores what happens when the mind misbehaves: distance is distorted, memory plays tricks, people hear in colour and see in music. \u003c\/b\u003e\u003cb\u003eHelen Thomson is the science teacher you wish you'd had at school \u003c\/b\u003e. . . The unruliness of the misfiring brain is what makes \u003ci\u003eUnthinkable\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cb\u003e so fascinating\u003c\/b\u003e and so frightening . . . Thomson's book repays careful reading. Don't skip the science to get on to the well-I-never case histories. You need both together. And when the doctors Thomson interviews conclude, at the end of their examinations, that they simply cannot explain the weird workings of the brain, it isn't a \"dunno\" of defeat, but of wonder * THE TIMES *\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eA stirring scientific journey, a celebration of human diversity and a call to rethink the 'unthinkable'\u003c\/b\u003e * NATURE *\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eThe beautifully written story of [those], whose maladies give us an insight into the brain, our most mysterious organ\u003c\/b\u003e * TIMES, Science Book of the Year *\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eImagine turning into a tiger. Or getting permanently lost in your own one bedroom home\u003c\/b\u003e. It sounds like the stuff of nightmares - but \u003cb\u003ethis is the engrossing subject of Thomson's exploration of extraordinary brains\u003c\/b\u003e. \u003cb\u003eWith flair and empathy, the author sees her subjects in the context of their everyday lives, allowing us to marvel at their humanity . . . \u003c\/b\u003e\u003cb\u003eaccessible, well researched, thought-provoking\u003c\/b\u003e. \u003cb\u003eLike \u003ci\u003eThe Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003e Unthinkable\u003c\/i\u003e offers us a wondrous array of rare and weird disorders...This lucid and compelling book not only celebrates the incredible machinery we call the brain, it's also full of insights and invaluable tips\u003c\/b\u003e. Thomson tells us how to forge memories that never disappear; how to grow an alien limb. And don't forget to make an animal noise next time you turn off the gas hob - it'll help you remember you've switched it off later in the day. We are our brains, and they are stranger than we think * TATLER *\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eRefreshingly personal... humane and often humorous \u003c\/b\u003e * EVENING STANDARD *\u003cbr\u003eExceptional... From seeing auras and turning into a tiger, to waking up 'dead' and being able to remember every single day of your life in vivid detail, award-winning science journalist Thomson investigates wondrously rare and strange brain disorders in this \u003cb\u003eterrific\u003c\/b\u003e debut. While acknowledging her debt to the late, great Oliver Sacks, Thomson sets out to do things t differently by meeting her nine subjects not in clinical environments but as they live their daily lives with extraordinary brains. \u003cb\u003eTheirs are mystery stories, spellbinding and true.\"   \u003c\/b\u003e * BOOKSELLER, Science Book of the Month *\u003cbr\u003eBy including both clear explanations of research and interviews with her subjects about their lived experience, Thomson shows how our own brains might try to make sense of the world in the same ways, with fun experiments to trick ourselves into hallucinating or even believing we've an alien limb * Press Association *\u003cbr\u003eFun facts are what make popular science popular. Helen Thomson's first book has a ready supply of them, and she is good at giving them context . . . there is much of interest here * SUNDAY TELEGRAPH *\u003cbr\u003eBy including both clear explanations of recent research and interviews with her subjects about their lived experience, Thomson show how our own brains might try to make sense of the world * SCOTSMAN *\u003cbr\u003eThomson brings intellectual rigour to each subject, discussing history, causes, treatment and more, in what amounts to \u003cb\u003ean utterly fascinating romp around the nether regions of the human mind\u003c\/b\u003e * Big Issue *\u003cbr\u003eBy the end of her journey Helen Thomson had certainly persuaded me to \u003cb\u003esee the world differently\u003c\/b\u003e * Observer *","brand":"John Murray Press","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":48739506094423,"sku":"9781473611771","price":10.44,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0817\/1739\/5799\/files\/9781473611771.jpg?v=1720052429","url":"https:\/\/bookcurl.com\/products\/unthinkable-9781473611771","provider":"Book Curl","version":"1.0","type":"link"}