Review of How My Brain Works
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Katherine Powell-Polkey
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Review of How My Brain Works
[Following is a volunteer review of "How My Brain Works" by Dr. Barbara Koltuska-Haskin.]
Unique and informative are the two best words I can use to describe How My Brain Works: A Guide to Understanding It Better and Keeping It Healthy by Dr. Barbara Koltuska-Haskin. It gives an overview of how to work on many different cognitive difficulties. Dr. Koltuska-Haskin includes examples and stories from patients throughout her career of over three decades. In the second half of the book, the author includes recommendations and recipes suitable for the general population.
I really enjoyed how the author explained who a neuropsychological evaluation can help in different aspects of someone’s life. There are different sections for the reader, family/friends, and several types of medical care providers that discuss how the results of such an evaluation can be used to assist in treatment, care, and improving cognitive function. Another thing I liked was that the author offered alternative suggestions to medications. This book contains a good deal of information that is well referenced.
There are several negative aspects of this book. The author’s style and tone being the two biggest issues. Her use of “more (or most) important” when “more (or most) importantly” would have worked better is very common throughout the book. As is her refusal to add the word “a” before “neuropsychological evaluation” in all but one instance. Both of these style choices made my eye twitch every time I read either one of them. I am not a fan of the tone the author used, especially in the second half of the book. Her tone comes across as haughty throughout most of the book, and only rarely diminishes. When discussing recipes and gardening in the second half of this work, the author’s tone is overtly snobbish.
Overall, I would have to rate this book one out of four stars. My main reason for such a low rating is the tone and style of the author. It seems less about actually helping people and more about tooting her own horn. Another reason for the low score is that the title is a bit misleading. Maybe it is because I am very interested in the subject matter but I do not think the author went into enough detail about how the human brain actually works. Many of the suggestions in the second portion of the book seem geared towards people with neurotypical brains. It does not seem very inclusive or helpful for many of the people who are considered neurodivergent.
With all of that in mind, I would not recommend How My Brain Works: A Guide to Understanding It and Keeping It Healthy to anyone. Although this book does have some useful information, a quick web search can give you the same answers and more. I simply cannot recommend anyone pay for that information when another reputable source has it for free.
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How My Brain Works
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
Unique and informative are the two best words I can use to describe How My Brain Works: A Guide to Understanding It Better and Keeping It Healthy by Dr. Barbara Koltuska-Haskin. It gives an overview of how to work on many different cognitive difficulties. Dr. Koltuska-Haskin includes examples and stories from patients throughout her career of over three decades. In the second half of the book, the author includes recommendations and recipes suitable for the general population.
I really enjoyed how the author explained who a neuropsychological evaluation can help in different aspects of someone’s life. There are different sections for the reader, family/friends, and several types of medical care providers that discuss how the results of such an evaluation can be used to assist in treatment, care, and improving cognitive function. Another thing I liked was that the author offered alternative suggestions to medications. This book contains a good deal of information that is well referenced.
There are several negative aspects of this book. The author’s style and tone being the two biggest issues. Her use of “more (or most) important” when “more (or most) importantly” would have worked better is very common throughout the book. As is her refusal to add the word “a” before “neuropsychological evaluation” in all but one instance. Both of these style choices made my eye twitch every time I read either one of them. I am not a fan of the tone the author used, especially in the second half of the book. Her tone comes across as haughty throughout most of the book, and only rarely diminishes. When discussing recipes and gardening in the second half of this work, the author’s tone is overtly snobbish.
Overall, I would have to rate this book one out of four stars. My main reason for such a low rating is the tone and style of the author. It seems less about actually helping people and more about tooting her own horn. Another reason for the low score is that the title is a bit misleading. Maybe it is because I am very interested in the subject matter but I do not think the author went into enough detail about how the human brain actually works. Many of the suggestions in the second portion of the book seem geared towards people with neurotypical brains. It does not seem very inclusive or helpful for many of the people who are considered neurodivergent.
With all of that in mind, I would not recommend How My Brain Works: A Guide to Understanding It and Keeping It Healthy to anyone. Although this book does have some useful information, a quick web search can give you the same answers and more. I simply cannot recommend anyone pay for that information when another reputable source has it for free.
******
How My Brain Works
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
Latest Review: A Spiritual Dog: "Bear" by J. Wesley Porter
