Author:Simon Baron-Cohen
Simon Baron-Cohen's The Essential Difference: Men, Women and the Extreme Male Brain is an unflinching look at the scientific evidence behind the innate sex differences of the mind.
Men and women have always seemed to think in entirely different ways, from conversation and communication to games and gadgets. But are these differences created by society, or do our minds come ready-wired one way or another, with female brains tending towards interaction and male towards organisation? And could this mean that autism - rather than being a mental anomaly - is in fact simply an extreme male brain?
Why are female brains better at empathasing? How are male brains designed to analyse systems? And what really makes men and women different? Simon Baron-Cohen explores list-making, lying and two decades of research in a ground-breaking examination of how our brains can be male or female but always completely fascinating.
'Compelling ... Inspiring'
Guardian
'This is no Mars/Venus whimsy, but the conclusion from twenty years of experiment'
Evening Standard
'A devastating contribution to the gender debate'
Mail on Sunday
'A fascinating, thought-provoking book'
Observer
Simon Baron-Cohen is Professor at Cambridge University in the fields of psychology and psychiatry. He is also the Director of Cambridge's internationally renowned Autism Research Centre. He has carried out research into social neuroscience over a career spanning twenty years. He is the author of Mindblindness and Zero Degrees of Empathy.
This is no Mars/Venus whimsy, but the conclusion fron twenty years of experiment
—— Evening StandardThis is a fascinating, thought-provoking book. Women will want to talk about it. Men will sit silent and brood over its details
—— ObserverCompelling... the book's final and probably most controversial argument is a treat for those who simply enjoy a good idea
—— GuardianA thought-provoking take on the minds of men and women
—— Evening StandardA devastating new contribution to the gender debate...dynamite
—— Mail on SundayThe minds of men and women are very different - and here at last is the scientific proof... scholarly but never dry, this will definitely provoke lively discussion
—— Daily Mail[An] endearingly geeky world...witty and revelatory...[The] journey certainly demonstrates how much memory matters...Apart from anything else, filling up our mental storehouses in the right way can make life feel longer.
—— Oliver Burkeman , GuardianIn this marvelous book, Joshua Foer invents a new genre of non-fiction. This is a work of science journalism wrapped around an adventure story, a bildungsroman fused to a vivid investigation of human memory. If you want to understand how we remember, and how we can all learn to remember better, then read this book
—— Jonah LehrerOne year, Joshua Foer is covering the US Memory Championships as a freelance journalist, the next he returns as a competitor - and wins it...How he pulled off this extraordinary feat forms the spine of this crisply entertaining book.
—— Matt Rudd , Sunday TimesCombines erudite analysis, historical context, a mind-bending adventure and extremely suggestive sex - some of it involving Foer's grandmother.
—— Tony Allen-Mills , Sunday TimesA labyrinthine personal journey that explains how our author ended up in the finals of the US Memory Championship - a compelling story arc from sceptical journalist to dedicated participant. I can't remember when I last found a science book so intriguing.
—— David Profumo , Literary Review[A] charming book...interwoven with informed exposition about the psychological science of memory.
—— Professor Larry R Squire , NatureA fascinating, engaging and very well-written book.
—— Dallas Campbell , Science FocusAddictive and fascinating...extraordinary. [Foer] attended the US Memory Championship as a journalist and returned the next year as a competitor and won...It is Foer's gifts as a teacher and a storyteller that make this book essential reading.
—— Leo Robson , Scottish Sunday ExpressTake, for example, the emergence of Downing Street as a salon for intellectuals from around the world, and not only economists and political scientists. Under David Cameron-or, more accurately, Steve Hilton, the prime minister's most influential adviser-the thinkers invited to hold court there often have little to say about policy per se. Joshua Foer, a young American who has written an acclaimed book about how memory works, was a recent guest. Mr Hilton's rationale is that governments have more to learn from fields of research that investigate how humans behave, such as neuroscience and social psychology, than from conventional technocrats. There is now a policy team devoted to "behaviourial insight" in the Cabinet Office.
—— Bagehot, The EconomistFoer's book is great fun and hugely readable, not least because the author is a likeable sort of Everyman-science nerd whom we want to become a memory champion. Always fascinating and frequently mind-boggling, Moonwalking with Einstein is a book worth remembering.
—— Mark Turner , The IndependentThe Examined Life is a fascinating and original read. It is inspirational and shows how we can learn more about ourselves by exploring our subconscious thoughts and beliefs
—— Sunday Mail[Illuminates] the dark recesses of human behaviour with clarity and humanity
—— Good Book GuideThoughtful and surprisingly addictive
—— Susie Steiner , MetroFascinating… Sincere
—— Emma Norris , PsychologistFar and away the best non-fiction book this year
—— Hannah Beckerman , Huffington Post UK (Blog)Wonderfully rich and insightful
—— Julian Ovenden , Daily ExpressA brilliant read
—— Nadine O’Regan , Sunday Business PostEssays true to psychoanalytic principles, but free from jargon; they have the quality of the best short stories.
—— Lorna Bradbury , Daily TelegraphGrosz is able to expand out creating universal themes and experiences that makes every chapter personally relevant to the reader. It is a fascinating process that challenges you to reflect honestly about your own experiences… Indeed this is both the perfect book for someone with no psychology background or someone who works in the area… I found this book extremely interesting… I would highly recommend to anyone wanting an interesting and fascinating social science read and it is a book you’ll remember long after reading.
—— Topic UKGrosz’s vignettes are so brilliantly put together that they read like pieces of bare, illuminating fiction. . . utterly captivating
—— Robert Collins , Sunday TimesMarvellous… After reading [Grosz’s] absorbing accounts of his patients’ journeys you might feel that The Examined Life ought to be given out free at birth
—— Melissa Katsoulis , The TimesCrystal-clear and completely magical…The Examined Life is a book full of troubles, but also of wonders
—— Craig Brown , Mail on SundayEngaging, frank, and with many penetrating insights. His short, succinct chapters have both the tension and the satisfaction of miniature detective or mystery stories
—— Michael Holroyd , The SpectatorBy turns edifying and moving…Grosz offers astute insights into the perplexities of everyday life
—— Trisha Andres , Financial Times[Grosz's accounts] are shaped like short stories, but true and moving in ways that fiction cannot be […] distilled through long examination into finely crafted literary form…
—— Alexander Linklater , ObserverGrosz’s message is always affirming…it is possible to change
—— Mark Crockett , The ScotsmanExcellent… Every one of these case histories bears repeating. All offer worthwhile insights
—— Susanna Rustin , GuardianIntelligent, human and deeply moving
—— Jane Clinton , Sunday Express'Grosz] writes lucidly and with sensitivity… sprinkled with wise reflections… A gem… highly recommended
—— Leyla Sanai , The Independent[A] fine and moving book… It is a true literary work and a very modern one…
—— Anthony Rudolf , Jewish ChronicleThat rarest of pleasures: a book I loved, and could recommend to almost anyone
—— John Self , Asylum blogEnlightening…full of wisdom and insight
—— Sophie Hannah , MetroBeautifully unadorned writing... He paints a vivid portrait of his patients
—— Sunday Business PostA rare insight into the life of the psychoanalyst… succeeds in making complex behavioural issues accessible for any reader
—— Kathryn Gaw , Irish TimesExquisitely written casebook
—— Vantage NW MagazineThe suspense in each chapter is so expert that I had to double check that this wasn’t a work of fiction. Best of all, Grosz manages to give a jargon-free account of how psychoanalysis works
—— The WeekBy turns edifying and moving… Grosz offers astute insights into the perplexities of everyday life
—— Trisha Andres , Financial TimesGrosz's vignettes are so brilliantly put together that they read like pieces of bare illuminating fiction... It is this combination of tenacious detective work, remarkable compassion and sheer, unending curiosity for the oddities of the human heart that makes these stories utterly captivating.
—— Sunday TimesBrilliant…. Grosz is a superb writer, yes, but it is the stories his patients tell him that really make you marvel. An elegant, jargon-free expedition into the secret business of our minds written with such wisdom and kindness… After reading [Grosz’s] absorbing accounts of his patients’ journeys you might feel that The Examined Life out to be given out free at birth
—— Melissa Katsoulis , The TimesA fine and moving book... The tact, patience and understatement, which are particular components of Grosz’s wisdom, remind the reader that this writer’s insights and empathy result from thousand of hours with patients. This book is not polemical literature… nor is it an academic work or a popular self-help book. It is a true literary work and a very modern one.
—— Jewish ChronicleCrystal-clear and completely magical...The Examined Life is a book full of troubles, but also of wonders: it shows people trapped by their own mysterious impulses, searching for an escape hatch, and often finding it
—— Craig Brown , Daily MailFive star review - an intelligent, human and deeply moving book… Grosz is listening for the unspoken and the gaps in between. His book celebrates change and the triumphs and tragedies of humanity
—— Jane Clinton , Sunday ExpressExcellent… this book arrives like a box of chocolates. Thirty-one elegantly presented chapters which, when you bite into them, each reveals something sweet, rich or crunchy. Every one of these case histories bears repeating. All offer worthwhile insights.
—— Susanna Rustin , The GuardianEngaging, frank, and with many penetrating insights. His short, succinct chapters have both the tension and the satisfaction of miniature detective or mystery stories… A stimulating book.
—— The SpectatorGrosz writes lucidly and with sensitivity, treating his patients with respect. The cases are sprinkled with wise reflections... highly recommended
—— IndependentThere are many sage lessons here, backed up by research where necessary…fascinating… Grosz writes lucidly and with sensitivity, treating his patients with respect. The cases are sprinkled with wise reflections…highly recommended
—— Leylai Sinai , IndependentIntensely readable… As a reminder of the strangeness of human existence, the myriad ways we find of making ourselves unhappy and the perplexing resourcefulness of the unconscious mind, Grosz’s book is a worthwhile addition to the literature of the examined life.
—— New StatesmanWritten with real elegance and a strong sense of structure… several chapters read like powerful short stories
—— Readers DigestElegantly structured and written… Grosz’s book is intensely readable
—— Jane Shilling , New StatesmenShaped like short stories, but true and moving in ways that fiction cannot be... Gradually accumulating through his book, Grosz provides, not a definition, but an enactment of the purpose of psychoanalysis, which is both modest and profound.
—— Alexander Linklater , ObserverGrosz is an able writer, engaging, frank and with many penetrating insights. His short, succinct chapters have both the tension and the satisfaction of miniature detective or mystery stories… a stimulating book
—— Michael Holroyd , Spectator[These] interpretations make fascinating reading, leave you marvelling at the ingenuity of the human subconscious. Grosz’s message is always affirming: if a person can work out what it is that’s driving them, it is possible to change
—— Mary Crockett , The ScotsmanGrosz’s narrative is by turns edifying and moving...tempered by his engaging prose and moments of humour
—— Trisha Andres , The Financial TimesI couldn't put this down—I read about other people, but learned about myself at the same time. Real stories can be so much more fascinating than fictional ones, especially with Stephen Grosz. No preaching, no clichés—just wisdom.
—— Victoria HislopModest and profound
—— Alexander Linklater , Observer