Author:Barbara Arrowsmith-Young
Barbara Arrowsmith-Young was born with severe learning disabilities that caused teachers to label her as slow, stubborn - or worse. As a child, she read and wrote everything backwards, was physically uncoordinated and she continually got lost. But by relying on her formidable memory and iron will, she made her way to graduate school, where she chanced upon research that inspired her to invent cognitive exercises to 'fix' her own brain, which we now now as neuroplasticity.
The Woman Who Changed Her Brain interweaves Barbara's personal story with riveting case histories from over thirty years of working with both children and adults at what became the Arrowsmith School in Toronto. This remarkable book by a brilliant pioneer deepens our understanding of how the brain works. Our brains may shape us, but this book offers clear and hopeful evidence of the corollary: that we can shape our brains.
Foreword by Norman Doidge, M. D., author of The Brain that Changes Itself
In this brave, fascinating book, Barbara Arrowsmith-Young describes how she rebuilt her own damaged brain and transcended the doomful prognosis she received in childhood. This is a riveting study of both neuroscience and human determination
—— Andrew Solomon, author of THE NOONDAY DEMON and FAR FROM THE TREEGroundbreaking and enthralling
—— GuardianA pioneer in the treatment of learning disabilities... An inspiring, instructive life story
—— KirkusArrowsmith-Young's poignant and uplifting book about her transformation from a child born with severe learning disabilities to a dynamic pioneer in cognitive education offers hope to anyone who has ever struggled with a learning disorder, brain trauma, ADD, or stroke. By her own fierce determination and passionate desire to learn, this remarkable woman changed her own brain and has since helped countless others to change theirs. This is an important book.
—— Mira Bartók, New York Times bestselling author of The Memory PalaceThis is a poignant book about two people who connected across continents and generations-a Canadian woman with an unusual cognitive makeup, and the great Russian neuropsychologist Alexander Luria whose writings gave Barbara Arrowsmith the tools to change her own life and the lives of her many students. Moving, insightful and empowering!
—— Elkhonon Goldberg, Ph.D., the author of The Wisdom Paradox and The New Executive BrainIf you have a son, a daughter, a parent, a spouse, or a brain, this is a must-read book. It will open your mind to new possibilities on how to deal with 'traffic jams in the brain.
—— Alvaro Fernandez, CEO & Co-Founder, SharpBrains.comA rites-of-passage memoir refracted through key sonic experiences...a de profundis roar of anger and bafflement as the randomness of what has befallen Coleman prompts fundamental questions: Who am I? How am I? What the hell happens now?
—— The TimesA smart, witty and gentle memoir of music and adolescence and beyond
—— Sunday HeraldFascinating book... It’s beautifully written, moving and, coming from 1970s, Yes-loving prog-rocker, surprisingly moving.
—— John Walsh , IndependentCongratulations to Coleman: his private hell is now a tribute to the things he loves the most
—— Sunday TimesReally a story about listening and love. Brilliant.
—— GuardianIf The Train in the Night went no further than the list of life-changing music that drops in at the end, like an index, it would be just another retread of High Fidelity, but Nick Hornby's book is a boy's train-set in comparison to this
—— IndependentAn autobiography through sound...a broad meditation on mortality and the resourceful defences of memory
—— ObserverEmotional and resonant… Sharp, funny and sad in equal measure
—— Sally Morris , Daily MailWritten with the same passion and wit that punctuated his reviews for the likes of NME, Coleman shares his journey to reconnecting with the soundtrack of his life
—— Big Issue in the NorthI can’t tell you how good it is but I’ll try… It’s a superb analysis
—— William Leith , Evening StandardA warm, witty and very candid book
—— Natasha Harding , SunThe book offers experiences and, for anyone whose responsiveness to the world has slackened, a reminder of how full experience can be.
—— Amy Leach , ObserverTim Dee has a deep feeling for the natural world and an ability to celebrate it in ways that seem fresh and new.
—— Tim Richardson , Literary Review[Dee] writes so well, and so personably, that he casts a disarming spell over his readers.
—— Mary Blanche Ridge , Tablet[Dee] is at once a naturalist, environmentalist, journalist, historian and diarist. Dee’s rich writing delights as he imparts his considerable research and observations about life and the state of the world
—— Good Book Guide[It] belongs in the tradition of 'nature writing', but works with it too putting its beautifully written sentences in the service of description and evocation, but using them to frame a serious conversation about environmental preservation and its opposites; it’s a deeply attractive book and also an important one.
—— Andrew Motion , GuardianFelt very deeply and pondered very wisely, it takes four areas of the planet and tells their story in ways that bring the plight (and delight) of the earth as a whole within reach.
—— Andrew Motion , Times Literary SupplementA lyrical, poetic reflection on our relationship with the natural world.
—— Tim Maguire , Edinburgh Evening NewsThis profound work by Tim Dee is as creative and original as anything on the Man Booker shortlist and arguably more “useful”... The book’s reach is extraordinary.
—— Bel Mooney , Daily Mail[A] marvellous new memoir.
—— Richard Mabey , New StatesmanAn enthralling and unexpected book of what we have made of the natural world
—— Kathleen Jamie , GuardianThis is nature writing at its finest
—— Juanita Coulson , LadyWith the eye of a birdwatcher and the soul of a poet, Dee meditates on our green spaces and what we have made of them
—— Michael Kerr , TelegraphDee’s rich writing delights as he imparts his considerable research and observations about life and the state of the world
—— Good Book GuideCharged with meaning and lyrically luminous, Four Fields is an unquantifiable work – and an unmissable one
—— Melissa Harrison , The Times