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PRESERVING THE ETCHINGS OF THE MIND

AGING, DEMENTIA, AND HEARING LOSS

A useful, easy-to-read book about a difficult subject.

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Wilson’s nonfiction work delves into dementia and its causes, and possible ways to attack it.

The author, a prescribing medical psychologist and board-certified neuropsychologist, tackles an important subject in his informative (and ultimately engaging) look at dementia. Wilson sets up his premise in the first couple of pages via an anecdote about a road trip he and his family took to see the ancient petroglyph panels at Legend Rock, Wyoming: “Much like we can take action to protect the ancient petroglyph panels, we can protect another, very personal form of history—our brains,” he writes. “There are certain things we can do as we age to protect our brains to allow ourselves to enjoy life to the fullest and for the longest time possible.” The text begins by defining dementia (which, the author asserts, afflicts a third of people aged 85 and older) before describing four different types of dementia: Alzheimer’s, vascular, Lewy body, and frontotemporal. He discusses each in detail, also answering the question many people have when they forget someone’s name or where their car keys are: Is forgetfulness a normal part of aging? The answer is “yes,” although Wilson goes on to explain when such forgetfulness indicates a cause for concern. The second part of the book delves into the risk factors of dementia, and the third section makes the connection between hearing loss and dementia. The fourth part details strategies to mitigate the effects of dementia, including exercise, proper nutrition, blood pressure monitoring, neuropsychological services, medication, and socializing. At 130 pages, the text is far from a daunting read, and it’s made easier by the author’s engaging (and, at times, even fun) writing style addressing this most serious of subjects. What could be dense and clinical information is presented in digestible, breezy chunks, with only the section on medications slowing things down. This is an excellent primer for those dealing with dementia or readers simply interested in one of the greatest mysteries surrounding the human brain.

A useful, easy-to-read book about a difficult subject.

Pub Date: N/A

ISBN: 978-1-7377117-7-3

Page Count: 130

Publisher: Savory Words

Review Posted Online: Oct. 18, 2023

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 1, 2023

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THINKING, FAST AND SLOW

Striking research showing the immense complexity of ordinary thought and revealing the identities of the gatekeepers in our...

A psychologist and Nobel Prize winner summarizes and synthesizes the recent decades of research on intuition and systematic thinking.

The author of several scholarly texts, Kahneman (Emeritus Psychology and Public Affairs/Princeton Univ.) now offers general readers not just the findings of psychological research but also a better understanding of how research questions arise and how scholars systematically frame and answer them. He begins with the distinction between System 1 and System 2 mental operations, the former referring to quick, automatic thought, the latter to more effortful, overt thinking. We rely heavily, writes, on System 1, resorting to the higher-energy System 2 only when we need or want to. Kahneman continually refers to System 2 as “lazy”: We don’t want to think rigorously about something. The author then explores the nuances of our two-system minds, showing how they perform in various situations. Psychological experiments have repeatedly revealed that our intuitions are generally wrong, that our assessments are based on biases and that our System 1 hates doubt and despises ambiguity. Kahneman largely avoids jargon; when he does use some (“heuristics,” for example), he argues that such terms really ought to join our everyday vocabulary. He reviews many fundamental concepts in psychology and statistics (regression to the mean, the narrative fallacy, the optimistic bias), showing how they relate to his overall concerns about how we think and why we make the decisions that we do. Some of the later chapters (dealing with risk-taking and statistics and probabilities) are denser than others (some readers may resent such demands on System 2!), but the passages that deal with the economic and political implications of the research are gripping.

Striking research showing the immense complexity of ordinary thought and revealing the identities of the gatekeepers in our minds.

Pub Date: Nov. 1, 2011

ISBN: 978-0-374-27563-1

Page Count: 512

Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux

Review Posted Online: Sept. 3, 2011

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 15, 2011

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F*CK IT, I'LL START TOMORROW

The lessons to draw are obvious: Smoke more dope, eat less meat. Like-minded readers will dig it.

The chef, rapper, and TV host serves up a blustery memoir with lashings of self-help.

“I’ve always had a sick confidence,” writes Bronson, ne Ariyan Arslani. The confidence, he adds, comes from numerous sources: being a New Yorker, and more specifically a New Yorker from Queens; being “short and fucking husky” and still game for a standoff on the basketball court; having strength, stamina, and seemingly no fear. All these things serve him well in the rough-and-tumble youth he describes, all stickball and steroids. Yet another confidence-builder: In the big city, you’ve got to sink or swim. “No one is just accepted—you have to fucking show that you’re able to roll,” he writes. In a narrative steeped in language that would make Lenny Bruce blush, Bronson recounts his sentimental education, schooled by immigrant Italian and Albanian family members and the mean streets, building habits good and bad. The virtue of those habits will depend on your take on modern mores. Bronson writes, for example, of “getting my dick pierced” down in the West Village, then grabbing a pizza and smoking weed. “I always smoke weed freely, always have and always will,” he writes. “I’ll just light a blunt anywhere.” Though he’s gone through the classic experiences of the latter-day stoner, flunking out and getting arrested numerous times, Bronson is a hard charger who’s not afraid to face nearly any challenge—especially, given his physique and genes, the necessity of losing weight: “If you’re husky, you’re always dieting in your mind,” he writes. Though vulgar and boastful, Bronson serves up a model that has plenty of good points, including his growing interest in nature, creativity, and the desire to “leave a legacy for everybody.”

The lessons to draw are obvious: Smoke more dope, eat less meat. Like-minded readers will dig it.

Pub Date: April 20, 2021

ISBN: 978-1-4197-4478-5

Page Count: 184

Publisher: Abrams

Review Posted Online: May 5, 2021

Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 1, 2021

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