The Brain That Changes Itself by Norman Doidge

Question: Why this book was picked? How did the book impact me?

(Are we supposed to write our questions were answering as given by the Independent reading helpful hints page? It says "design your own question and answer it"..?)

The book is non-fiction, legit non-fiction. So legit, that I had to look up medical jargon about every page. It was a pain in the behind, but when I choose the book, I understood that I would have to. I bought The Brain That Changes Itself because I was intrigued by the subject and decided I NEEDED it. I wanted to understand how the human memory worked, because during the month of January, I felt like I was forgetting things, and I didn't have the mental capacity I used to. That may sound stupid but it was freaking me out. So, as I browsed the Barnes and Noble bookshelves for interesting non-fiction books, it captured my eye and highlighted concerns with a quick scan of the pages and chapter titles. Yes, I know, I have a "buy on a whim" problem, but so what? The "buy on a whim method" has given me some of my favorite books. For example; Ella Enchanted, The Uglies, The Charlie Bone series, all Beverly Cleary books starting with the "on a whim purchase” of Mouse on a Motorcycle. That woman is amazing! I do miss my childhood books.

ANYWAYS, I picked The Brain That Changes Itself because I'm a nut! How ever, it was a great pick, though a difficult read. I found it hard to get through, because of the advance science/medical language made it impossible for me to zoom through as usual. The book forced me to think, visualize and predict. The true stories in The Brain That Changes Itself, found while Norman Doidge during his research were inspirational and mind-blowing. The Brain can recover from more damage than I'd ever imagined, naturally, with a bit a resolve, and practice the human brain can re-wire and heal itself to almost normal functions. Needless to say this book slowly blew my mind. By the end I forgot my own brain "anxieties" and began to wonder how this could advance society and what people I knew who could use this help. Isn't it ironic/funny that I "forgot" the fact I was forgetting things? Because it's almost midnight and tomorrow is opening night of Hamlet, I'm very amused!