Ever scribble down a title to a book based on an interview and forget all about it?
It happens to me all the time.
Recently I remembered just such a book, Jill Bolte Taylor’s memoir, My Stroke of Insight: A Brain Scientist’s Personal Journey, which I had heard about in an Oprah interview. I also watched her TED talk, but never got around to reading her book. Taylor is a brain anatomist who suffer a stroke at 37 and eventually recovered. What is fascinating is that although her ability to communicate was impaired, she never lost consciousness and was able to comprehend what was happening as both a scientist and a patient.
This book is such an enjoyable read!
It canvases two of my main areas of interest in nonfiction: neuroscience and spirituality. If you are intrigued by why we think the way we do, and how to use that information to live a better life, this book is truly enlightening. My children often chide me for reading about neuroscience. Look, Mom is reading another brain book! Because I am reading this science at a pedestrian level, much of it is already familiar to me. It was a delightful surprise to find Taylor’s unique perspective as well as critical information I’ve never heard before.
This book is a breezy 177 pages, chock full of pithy insights. Taylor’s voice is authentic, friendly, and inspiring. It’s an absolute must read for caregivers of people with traumatic brain injuries.
I don’t like to give away much plot or insight, but I’ll leave you with one life-altering quote. Then, go buy the book.
Although there are certain limbic (emotional) programs that can be triggered automatically, it takes less than 90 seconds for one of these programs to be triggered, surge through our body, and be completely flushed out of our bloodstream….If I remain angry after those 90 seconds have passed, then it is because I have chosen to let that circuit continue to run.
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