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Our Brains, Our Selves

What a Neurologist’s Patients Taught Him About the Brain

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WINNER OF THE ROYAL SOCIETY TRIVEDI SCIENCE BOOK PRIZE
A FINANCIAL TIMES, THE TIMES AND GUARDIAN BEST SCIENCE BOOK OF 2025

What makes us who we are? Is it our background that creates our identities? Or our families, where we lived, how we were brought up and educated, the jobs we’ve held? Yes, all of the above, but more fundamental than any of these is our brain.

This is never more evident than if we lose even a single one of our cognitive abilities. People who develop a brain disorder can find that their identity, their sense of self, can undergo dramatic changes. Through the stories of seven of his patients, acclaimed Oxford University neurologist Masud Husain shows us how our brains create our identity, how that identity can be changed, and sometimes even be restored. Among the people we encounter is a man who ran out of words, a woman who stopped caring what others thought of her and another who, losing her memory, started to believe she was having an affair with the man who was really her husband.

These compelling human dramas reveal how our identities are created by different functions within the brain. They show how modern neuroscience can help to explain the changes in behaviour that occur when our perception, attention, memory, motivation or empathy are altered. By understanding how our brains normally function, neurologists are bringing hope to patients with brain disorders and illuminating the human experience. The resulting journey will ignite new ideas about who we really are and why we act in the ways we do.©2025 Masud Husain (P)2025 Canongate Books Ltd
Neuroscience & Neuropsychology Psychology Psychology & Mental Health Human Brain Mental Health
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I enjoyed this detailed and expressive work. The insights into the clinical world of neuroscience by examples from real life are absorbing. The only criticism I have is the reading.
Whilst the presentation is clear, the delivery is sometimes oddly stilted and there are some very odd pronunciations of words. On a few occasions there are also repetitions - as if re-recorded but the original copy has not been deleted…..
Annoying, but fortunately it didn’t ruin the enjoyment.

Excellent content but…..

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A book telling the stories of multiple patients to answer questions on what makes us who we are, what makes us belong, what brain structures and functions contribute to these, including some historical background and biographical stories. Engaging, both factual and emotionally engaging, scientifically and medically interesting. Absolutely loved it.

A fantastic multi-layered book

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Very interesting chapters, well written and along the same lines as Oliver sucks, but appalling reader; not remotely fluid and could not pronounce any of the technical terms without difficulties including such basic terms as Alzheimer's disease! The editor certainly did not pay attention.

Excellent content, rubbish speaker

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just buy and listen, excellent narration and mind blowing information of the power of humans.

knowledge

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