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Books on the brain

Posted by Candice on Friday, Aug 29, 2014

Literally.

I was just perusing the most recent NYT Sunday Book Review, and I noticed that The Shortlist (brief reviews of current books on a specific topic) contains titles about 'the mind.' That is kind of exciting to me, because I am responsible for ordering books in the subject areas that would most likely contain books about the brain and thought processes. So, I went to order the books that had good reviews, and lo and behold, we already have them all! I must have been thinking ahead. Not only do we have them, but as I am writing this, four of the five books reviewed are on the shelf. Hot new books, ready for you, right now!

So, without further ado, I exhort you, thoughtful reader, to put on your thinking cap and come to the Library to check these books out--your mind will expand, you will build new neural pathways, and your brain will thank you!

Kidding Ourselves: The Hidden Power of Self-Deception by Joseph T. Hamilton

History Lessons: A Memoir of Madness, Memory, and the Brain by Clifton Crais

Struck By Genius: How a Brain Injury Made Me a Mathematical Marvel by Jason Padgett and Maureen Seaberg

Me, Myself, and Why: Searching for the Science of Self by Jennifer Ouellette

The Depths: The Evolutionary Origins of the Depression Epidemic by Jonathan Rottenberg

*edited to add that, by the time I published this, another book was checked out...so hurry!

About the Author

Candice's picture

I work at the Info Desk on the second floor, and I select books for the adult nonfiction collection. I have a degree in anthropology, which really helps in selecting...well...almost anything. I also manage the Art To Go collection of framed prints and original art, and the nonfiction DVDs.
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  • Slenderman : online obsession, mental illness, and the violent crime of two Midwestern girls

    by Kathleen Hale

    364.1523 /Hale
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    "The first full account of the Slenderman stabbing, a true crime narrative of mental illness, the American judicial system, the trials of adolescence, and the power of the internet. On May 31, 2014, in the Milwaukee suburb of Waukesha, Wisconsin, two twelve-year-old girls attempted to stab their classmate to death. Morgan Geyser and Anissa Weier's violence was extreme, but what seemed even more frightening was that they committed their crime under the influence of a figure born by the internet: the so-called "Slenderman." Yet the even more urgent aspect of the story, that the children involved suffered from undiagnosed mental illnesses, often went overlooked in coverage of the case. Slenderman: Online Obsession, Mental Illness, and the Violent Crime of Two Midwestern Girls tells that full story for the first time in deeply researched detail, using court transcripts, police reports, individual reporting, and exclusive interviews. Morgan and Anissa were bound together by their shared love of geeky television shows and animals, and their discovery of the user-uploaded scary stories on the Creepypasta website could have been nothing more than a brief phase. But Morgan was suffering from early-onset childhood schizophrenia. She believed that she had been seeing Slenderman for many years, and the only way to stop him from killing her family was to bring him a sacrifice: Morgan's best friend Payton "Bella" Leutner, whom Morgan and Anissa planned to stab to death on the night of Morgan's twelfth birthday. Bella survived the attack, but was deeply traumatized, while Morgan and Anissa were immediately remanded into jail, and the severity of their crime meant that they would be prosecuted as adults. There, as Morgan continued to suffer from worsening mental illness after being denied antipsychotics, her life became more and more surreal. Slenderman is both a page-turning true crime story and a search for justice"--

    csmith's picture

    This is a thorough, very readable account of the Slenderman-related crime that happened in Wisconsin, in 2014. The author has done their research, and is able to add a lot of great detail due to the interviews they had with involved persons. The gentle focus on mental illness is welcomed, as it brings so much to light here. Also especially interesting is the background on the whole Creepypasta/Slenderman thing, which, to be honest, was a bit of a mystery to me. Adults will like this, but some higher-reading young adults with a judicious interest might as well. -Candice
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