Unthinkable
An Extraordinary Journey Through the World's Strangest Brains
1st Edition
Published on 27. February 2024
278 pages
978-0-06-239118-6 (ISBN)
Description
In this Indiebound bestseller, the award-winning science writer unlocks the biggest mysteries of the human brain by examining nine extraordinary cases.
Our brains are far stranger than we think. We take it for granted that we can remember, feel emotion, navigate, empathize and understand the world around us, but how would our lives change if these abilities were dramatically enhanced-or disappeared overnight?
Helen Thomson has spent years travelling the world, tracking down incredibly rare brain disorders. InUnthinkableshe tells the stories of nine extraordinary people she encountered along the way. From the man who thinks he's a tiger to the doctor who feels the pain of others just by looking at them to a woman who hears music that's not there, their experiences illustrate how the brain can shape our lives in unexpected and, in some cases, brilliant and alarming ways.
Story by remarkable story,Unthinkabletakes us on an unforgettable journey through the human brain. Discover how to forge memories that never disappear, how to grow an alien limb and how to make better decisions. Learn how to hallucinate and how to make yourself happier in a split second. Find out how to avoid getting lost, how to see more of your reality, even how exactly you can confirm you are alive. Think the unthinkable.
"Helen Thomson's remarkable book is an astonishing tour of the human brain in all its awesome power and bewildering variation . . . Unthinkablewill enrich your brain, blow your mind, and warm your heart." -Ed Yong, Pulitzer Prize-winning author
Our brains are far stranger than we think. We take it for granted that we can remember, feel emotion, navigate, empathize and understand the world around us, but how would our lives change if these abilities were dramatically enhanced-or disappeared overnight?
Helen Thomson has spent years travelling the world, tracking down incredibly rare brain disorders. InUnthinkableshe tells the stories of nine extraordinary people she encountered along the way. From the man who thinks he's a tiger to the doctor who feels the pain of others just by looking at them to a woman who hears music that's not there, their experiences illustrate how the brain can shape our lives in unexpected and, in some cases, brilliant and alarming ways.
Story by remarkable story,Unthinkabletakes us on an unforgettable journey through the human brain. Discover how to forge memories that never disappear, how to grow an alien limb and how to make better decisions. Learn how to hallucinate and how to make yourself happier in a split second. Find out how to avoid getting lost, how to see more of your reality, even how exactly you can confirm you are alive. Think the unthinkable.
"Helen Thomson's remarkable book is an astonishing tour of the human brain in all its awesome power and bewildering variation . . . Unthinkablewill enrich your brain, blow your mind, and warm your heart." -Ed Yong, Pulitzer Prize-winning author
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06/2019
Collins
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06/2018
Collins
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Person
Helen Thomson is a writer and consultant with New Scientist magazine and was shortlisted as Best Science Journalist in the British Journalism Awards. She has won several other awards, including media fellowships at both Harvard and MIT and the Best Newcomer in the ABSW Science Writers Awards for Britain and Ireland in 2010. She has also written for The Guardian, The Washington Post, The Daily Mailand Nature. She lives in London.
