Shattered Mind

"The Shattered Mind" was first published in 1975, and its usefulness has not diminished in the quarter century since then. Yes, there have been dramatic changes in the neurological sciences since that time, but because the book deals with the "basics," it is still as relevant and useful as when it was first published. Howard Gardner's tone is uniformly optimistic and up-beat without being saccharine, something that is probably greatly appreciated by those suffering a sudden brain injury and by their relatives. The book allows them to acquire useful factual information and it also encourages them to develop the more rare and desirable qualities of hope and optimism when facing their difficult times.Gardner was given the MacArthur Prize Fellowship ("The Genius Award"), in part, for this book. There was a time in my life when I frequently had to deal with relatives of stroke victims, and it was this book that I most often recommended when I was asked for literature about brain injuries and their effect on the emotions and personalities of the victims. This book has done incalculable good to those needing a quick manual to allow them to understanding the brain and its functions.The book manages to be scientifically rigorous while at the same time making its material easily accessible to any reasonably intelligent adult. There is no need to know neuroanatomy or neuropathology to enjoy the book. Its prose is compellingly easy, and the material is rendered with a story-teller's touch. Readers who have sampled the masterful work of neurologist Oliver Sacks ("The Man Who Mistook His Wife For A Hat," "Awakenings" and many other books) will also treasure this one.

Amnesia is the loss of memory, something that happenes to many with brain injury. What medicine does not understand is why the brain does what it does, what motives it. Gardner has put into words what many have tried but never done successfully: describe and relate the indescribeable and unrelateable. I was amnesic for over 16 years; recovery showed me about "self", identity, and reasons for our actions and thoughts. Gardner has expressed what I learned without having to have been amnesic. A must for anyone who wants to learn about personality, what it is, what impairments can do to one's personality.