Unthinkable

March 26, 2018
Thomson, a writer for New Scientist magazine, spent two years interviewing people with unusual neurological disorders, and here shares nine of the most fascinating stories she heard. The interviewees include a woman from Denver who gets lost in her own house; a man from Bilbao, Spain, whose synesthesia gives him the impression of seeing other people’s “auras”; and a London math teacher prone to musical hallucinations. Rather than focusing on the disorders, Thomson places the people at the forefront, exploring their varying responses to their conditions and intense struggles to live “normal” lives. Lay readers will value her ability to render scientific terms and theories accessible, and her corresponding skill as a storyteller. In one particularly memorable episode, the author travels to the United Arab Emirates to meet with a 40-year-old man suffering from lycanthropy, a rare syndrome involving delusions of transformation—in this case, into a tiger. She also visits a British woman who suffers from depersonalization—the feeling of becoming detached from oneself—and chats with a man who once believed himself to be dead. Throughout, Thomson emphasizes “we are our brains,” convincingly showing that these strange minds belong to people from whom much can be learned, in a book that will please fans of the late Oliver Sacks.

April 15, 2018
A user-friendly tour of the brain and the curious things that go on inside of it, from splendidly practical visions to debilitating hallucinations.The brain is inseparable from the body, even if, writes New Scientist writer and consultant Thomson, "all too often we think about our brains as being somehow separate from ourselves." Of course, the concept of "ourselves" is not uniform: We see broad variations in the capabilities and workings of the brain, from normal to abnormal and all points between. Some of the most extraordinary brains aren't particularly interesting in the thoughts that they generate; one of Thomson's case studies possesses what is called "highly superior autobiographical memory," by which a person can recall just about every detail of every moment he has lived. There's a reason we forget, of course: It's an evolutionary adaptation that enhances survival so that we pay attention to the oncoming lion or truck rather than being constantly enthralled by lingering memories. "The brain doesn't tolerate inactivity," the late Oliver Sacks told Thomson in an interview. Indeed, the brain makes inventive use of its resources; thus it is that some people associate particular colors, musical notes, or even tastes with particular words, which is sometimes a blessing and sometimes a curse. Thomson introduces a lot of good neuroscience lightly, explaining how we perceive reality, such as it is (one of her informants calls reality "a controlled hallucination, reined in by our senses"), and check in with ourselves ("our ability to sense the physical condition of our body is called interoception"). A bonus, along the way, are the author's notes on such things as improving memory skills through the construction of memory palaces and other event-fixing tricks and training the brain how not to get lost, a highly useful skill indeed.Pleasing and accessible and of broader application than the title suggests, inasmuch as "we all have an extraordinary brain."

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May 15, 2018

Scientific revelations often occur when results do not fit within accepted paradigms. This is one reason neuroscientists research outliers; studying people with unusual brains has led to some of their greatest findings. Thomson, an award-winning science journalist, tells the story of nine people with extraordinary brains. But rather than focusing on the science, Thomson travels around the world to tell stories of the consequences of unusual cognition on lives. Her subjects include a man who believes he is a tiger, a man who for years believed he was dead, and a woman completely detached from both her internal and external worlds. The author often includes a tip about how the story, however strange it may seem, relates more generally to either humans or all mammals. While recognizing the challenges that each of the individuals face, this work is ultimately a celebration of variance within human experience. Indeed, the book may change your perception of what it means to be human. VERDICT Thomson has a gift for making the complex and strange understandable and relatable. Oliver Sacks is noted as an inspiration and, indeed, this book will appeal to his many fans.--Beth Dalton, Littleton, CO

Copyright 2018 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

May 1, 2018
As Thomson gazed at a severed human head, her neuroscience professor remarked, If the brain were so simple that we could understand it, we would be so simple that we couldn't. The complexity and marvelousness of our gray matter still consumes Thomson, now a freelance journalist and science writer. With the notion that strange brains are the key to unlocking the secrets of our headspace and with a desire to know the people behind anonymous case studies, Thomson explores exceptional brains. Bob remembers every day of his life in stunning detail, likely due to a rare form of OCD. Matar thinks he can turn into a tiger, a unique manifestation of his schizophrenia. Graham lives a seemingly normal life, but for years he thought he was dead. With a scientist's boundless curiosity and a writer's keen observation, Thomson imparts caring and humanity to each profile of these remarkable people. Unthinkable could easily sensationalize the weird and pervert the odd. Instead, Thomson underscores our commonalities and reminds readers that we all have truly extraordinary brains. Splendid for Mary Roach fans.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2018, American Library Association.)