This book deals with the evolution and mechanics of the reading brain, an absolutely fascinating topic. I did not know until I reading this that the hThis book deals with the evolution and mechanics of the reading brain, an absolutely fascinating topic. I did not know until I reading this that the human brain is not set up for the process of decoding letters and phonemes. It has had to develop intricate synaptic pathways utilizing many different parts of the brain in order to cope.
The earliest symbolic representations were clay tokens, and knotted ropes. We then move on to cunieform and hieroglyphics, which made for more diversity, but limited the number of people who were able to read to the most educated classes. The more complex the symbols became, the fewer people could read them. Then came a breakthrough: the Sumerian and Egyptian alphabets, where letters were used in combination to produce polysyllabic words. Moore uses a wealth of diagrams to chart the changes made as the brain evolves from the primitive tokens to the alphabetic system.
This is where it starts to get really interesting: she discusses Socrates fight against reading and writing. Another part of the story with which I was not familiar, Socrates thought that the written word would rob man of his ability to memorize, and would also hamper the dialectic process through unsupervised access to information. Many parallels may be drawn between Socrates' dilemma, and the world today, which has turned from the printed page to the digital screen.
Wolf goes on to describe in intricate detail the developmental process of the modern reading mind, from that of emerging pre-readers, all the way to the expert reader. Anyone who has ever taught another person to read, or vividly remembers the process of learning to read will find this section particularly riveting.
She ends with an overview of dyslexia, using it to describe the types of disruptions that take place in the brain when a person cannot learn to read in the normal way. No doubt, this study benefits from the fact that one of Wolf's children is dyslexic. It is a fascinating look at recent research into the topic....more
The title may be awkward, but it is descriptive: Jaynes lays out his theory that communication between the left and right spheres of the brain is a reThe title may be awkward, but it is descriptive: Jaynes lays out his theory that communication between the left and right spheres of the brain is a relatively recent development, and that in ancient civilizations, man heard voices in his head which he then attributed to the outside world. When this book first came out, it sparked all kinds of controversy. For me, it began an interest in neurophysiology that continues to the present. Brain functioning is fascinating stuff, and Jaynes made a seminal contribution to the field in this lucid, sometimes quirky, work....more
Although Ms. Perlstein closely follows members of a class through their eighth grade year, her findings are more than anecdotal. This book is better tAlthough Ms. Perlstein closely follows members of a class through their eighth grade year, her findings are more than anecdotal. This book is better than many others on this topic for a couple of reasons. First, the author gives equal time to the stories of both boys and girls, which gives a pleasing balance to the book. There are many more books on the behavior of girls at this age than boys. Second, Perlstein discusses brain development in a way that makes the crazy way that children this age act much more understandable. She also writes in an engaging style, and the reader comes to care for the children as much as she does....more
I have long enjoyed Malcolm Gladwell's pieces in The New Yorker, and am a little abashed that it took me this long to get around to reading this book.I have long enjoyed Malcolm Gladwell's pieces in The New Yorker, and am a little abashed that it took me this long to get around to reading this book. In my world, there are two kinds of people: the people who brainstorm, and people who don't.
The brainstormers will love this book, because Gladwell is particularly adept at recognizing patterns in society, and bringing them together in an interesting way. Much of what he says rings true to my personal experience, which is why I keep reading his writing.
The non-brain stormers may criticize a dearth of hard data, but I do not find this to be a problem. Much of what Gladwell talks about is pure common sense, and how does one quantify that? His argument about causes of the increase in teenage smoking were particularly cogent. I also enjoyed the section on Sesame Street and Blues Clues, and his analysis of the "treasure box" advertising.
I enjoyed this book immensely. Power to the brainstormers!...more
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