Our Brains, Our Selves

[A] funny, fascinating book . . . Above all, the book is a reminder of how mysterious the workings of the human brain are [and] builds a powerful case for supporting people whose brains have become unruly, rather than isolating them * * Daily Mail * * An extraordinary book - one of a kind - as beautifully written as it is deeply humane and scientifically fascinating. This book is as brilliant as anything written by Oliver Sacks, a real-life medical detective story that is life-enhancing and beautiful -- IAN ROBERTSON, author of HOW CONFIDENCE WORKS This masterful book, written by an internationally eminent neurologist, combines gentle humour with deep scientific insight. If you have any interest in the brain and the structure that makes us what we are, this is an essential read. Through personal experience, fascinating case studies and the science of the brain, this book leads you gently by the hand through the most complex structure in the known universe -- RUSSELL FOSTER, author of LIFE TIME A beautifully written, moving story of how your brain creates and sometimes changes your sense of who you really are. Science writing reminiscent of the best of Oliver Sacks -- CAMILLA NORD, author of THE BALANCED BRAIN In this wonderful book, Masud Husain brings readers on a journey through the many facets of the self, viewed through the lens of his first-person experiences as a neurologist. A masterful storyteller, Husain infuses this very personal memoir with scholarship and cutting-edge science, in the process, shedding light on the neural mechanisms that make us uniquely human -- CHARAN RANGANATH, author of WHY WE REMEMBER The human brain is the single most complex thing in the universe, and even its most minor hiccoughs can lead to terrifying conditions that are often still beyond the power of modern medicine to treat. In this beautifully written, very personal account of tales from his neurologist's consulting room, Masud Husain reminds us just why we need to continue to probe the mysteries of how the brain works. I couldn't put it down -- ROBIN DUNBAR, author of THE HUMAN STORY A rare combination of elegant prose, captivating storytelling and academic rigour. Through his patients, and his own experiences of clinical medicine, Masud illuminates those aspects of the brain that define us and our place in the world -- GUY LESCHZINER, author of SEVEN DEADLY SINS and THE NOCTURNAL BRAIN Our Brains, Our Selves is a delight. Masud Husain writes with wit, wisdom and kindness, weaving deeply personal stories of lives transformed by brain damage with insights from the frontiers of modern neuroscience. By gently evoking details from his patients that expose the brain mechanisms that are beginning to go awry, he reveals that what really binds us all together is the fragility of our selves -- STEVE FLEMING, author of KNOW THYSELF Clinical neurology remains a critical component of contemporary brain science as Masud Husain clearly demonstrates in his new book Our Brains, Our Selves -- ANTONIO DAMASIO, professor of Psychology, Philosophy and Neurology The book is rich and informative, drawing on [Husain's] medical experience, as well as his own authoritative knowledge of cognitive neuroscience. Told in an inviting and entertaining narrative style, Husain offers a compelling narrative that is easily in the same league as other great storytellers of neuroscience, like Alexander Luria, Antonio Damasio and Oliver Sacks -- DAVID BADRE, author of ON TASK