The Burning House: Unlocking the Mysteries of the Brain

Frances Emery is an editor and writer in Nepean, Ontario.

Science broadcaster Jay Ingram has a talent for taking complex,
difficult concepts and putting them into easy-to-grasp, everyday words.
This book is no exception. Among its topics are a visit to a “brain
museum”; the different areas of the brain and what little we know
about what each controls; neurons and the electrical chemical activity
involved in their function; schizophrenia, Parkinson’s disease, and
the effects of atropine, Prozac, and serotonin; the peculiar
neurological problem called “neglect,” in which the patient’s
brain does not notice (or is unable to report on) anything to the left
of centre of his or her observational sphere; the incredible neural
complexity involved in even the simplest perception and control of
objects (picking up a cup of coffee, for example); the phenomena of
“phantom limbs” and the rejection of real limbs; “out-of-body”
experiences; the amazing ability we have to recognize faces (and the
pathological inability of some otherwise normal patients to do so);
different kinds of memory; sleep; and finally, dreams. The book
concludes with additional reading suggestions and a short index.

Despite its subtitle, The Burning House frequently and firmly points
out that the keys to unlocking the brain’s mysteries are still nowhere
close at hand. I recommend this book for all adult readers (or juniors
with a scientific or medical bent) who would be intrigued by learning
more of what is now understood about the brain.