... delightful.

Although this book deals with complex theories, it is full of fascinating examples, anecdotes and metaphors to illustrate the material whose weightiness is leavened by Barrett’s wit sprinkled liberally throughout the text. As a welcome surprise, Seven and a Half Lessons is part self-help book on how to manage our own quirky brains and part manifesto on how to move forward to heal this country’s political divisions..

Read through these thought-provoking images of the tuning and pruning by environmental influences on the myriad early neurons which ultimately sculpt the wiring within the brain. Differentiate between the process of allostasis and homeostasis and its role within the body. This short, concise, readable, thought-challenging view of the complex brain will pique the reader and puzzle the mind wondering what reality really is..

... slim but potent.

... short and concise essays.

Barrett uses many helpful metaphors.

An excellent education in brain science in seven short chapters and an introduction. Barrett clearly knows her neuroscience. However, like in How Emotions Are Made (2017), the author deftly employs metaphor and anecdote to deliver an insightful overview of her favorite subject.