(book review)

‘Our Creative Brain’ is a popular science book by neuroscientist Dick Swaab, in which he describes the stages of brain development from birth to old age.

The main difference between this book and all others is that the author does not flirt with the reader, does not chew on scientific terms for him. Each chapter of this book is structured as a scientific article on the topic. Svaab covers topics such as brain development and environmental influences, music and genetics. He also tackles complex topics such as orientation and mental illness, explaining their nature scientifically.

I bought this book because of the huge section on Alzheimer’s. The book presents real photographs of a healthy brain and the brain of a sick person. It is described in great detail how and in what stages this disease passes; each thesis is supported by scientific research on this topic. The author describes the disease in sufficient detail (almost 50 pages) from all sides, from the beginning of the aging process to possible treatment.

“During the aging process, some brain processes are impaired, such as memory and concentration, and the ability to think slows down. The ability to memorize new things — the function of the hippocampus — is weakening, and it becomes more difficult to throw unnecessary information out of the head.”

Of course, other sections are also worth noticing. For example, “Brain Diseases and the Environment.” Depression, suicide, schizophrenia, Parkinson’s disease, PTSD are discussed in detail.

Also, in the book, many famous paintings complement the description of the disease or simply decorate the scientific text of the book.

Although the content is scientific in large part, there is still this prefix “popular” literature. For example, in the article on depression, I lacked scientific research. All the material, although extensive, covers some topics too superficially. There are also articles where the author simply spatially discusses good and evil or music.

This book is worth reading. I give it 9 out of 10, because this is the best in its topic on the Ukrainian book market.