Since the dog days of summer are upon us we thought it a good time to participate in that time-honored ritual of sharing great books for reading during these hopefully more leisurely days.
A topic near and dear to our hearts here at CareMeridian is our brains. Wait! Keep reading! Believe it or not there are some really great, fascinating, summer-reading books about that mysterious organ that is responsible for how we experience the world. These aren’t academic tomes that might belong in neurobiologist’s library – these are fun and fascinating reads that tell us new and exciting things about ourselves, and why we do what we do. I wonder, don’t you?
Check these out for something different!
Brain Rules 
This just hit the bookshelves a couple of months ago and is creating book circle buzz. Everybody who owns a brain ought to read this book! Author Dr. John Medina leads us through what a business or learning environment just might look like if we designed them for the way our brains actually work.
He give us 12 simple things (rules) about our brains that will help us work better, help your kids learn better, or even help you give better presentations.
The book is a breezy read, but it also comes with a DVD. There is a terrific Brain Rules web site (video included) and a fun blog. Even if you don’t buy the book, the web site gives you a peek at the 12 brain rules and is full of resources. You can even listen to excerpts from the audio book for free.
On the blog you can view lots of great videos, such as this talk the author gave at Google headquarters on stress and exercise.
There is a lot of good stuff in here to power your brain.
Welcome to Your Brain: Why You Lose Your Car Keys but Never Forget How to Drive and Other Puzzles of Every Day Life
This book will explain why you are a morning person (or not) or why you can’t tickle yourself.
It is a bit of a romp through brain science, biology, and sociology while giving you lots of trivia with which to pepper your next dinner party conversation. It is as entertaining as it is up-to-date science.
And don’t miss the blog by the same name – it is regularly updated with fun information and really practical examples the authors pull right out of today’s headlines. It also links to all kinds of interviews and articles about the book and while you are there, browse the sidebar for upcoming events with the authors that might be in your area.
The Body Has a Mind of Its Own
The brain and the body are intertwined and interdependent. In fact our brains build body maps totally based on what we do with out bodies. For instance, pianists have larger areas in the brain because of all that finger work; violinists have a larger area just for their left hands. What we do with our bodies, has everything to do with what our individual body maps are.
Our body maps can even “extend” feeling beyond our own bodies - like to tools we use, the horse we might ride, or even lovers may “share” a body map.
Sometimes our body maps can be dysfunctional too, such as in the anorexic who feels fat, or giving us that creepy “out of body” experience.
The mother and son authors, Sandra and Matthew Blakeslee, do an excellent job of helping us understand the plasticity of our brains, showing us through examples, how our brains change with and respond to the environments we operate in, constantly adapting to and with our bodies.
The book is slated or release in paperback in September. Check out the book web site for more information about The Body Has a Mind of Its Own.
Back of the Napkin
Even if you have two left brains, you can express complex information with drawings. In fact, because our brains love visual information, you might even do it better than ever.
It all starts with a drawing on the back of a napkin. Dan Roam tells us about his ah-ha moment about the power simple stick-figure drawings can hold. He was asked to be a last-second fill-in as a presenter to top government officials. Without the weapons of PowerPoint and computer, he was left with describing what he would talk about on the back of a napkin. The simplicity and power of the drawing immediately captivated the organizer – and then the audience.
This book tells us how we can do the same.
Although the message of the book is simplicity, the author sometimes over complicates things with an extended case study, but you won’t miss it if you skip over it. A great book to help you “re-think” the way we solve problems in business and in life by visualizing them in way more simple ways.
Our brains like pictures and they don’t have to be fancy! Check out the web site here.
Read and enjoy your brain!
