Customer Reviews

The Executive Brain: Frontal Lobes and the Civilized Mind

5 star:		(13)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Most of us wander through our days without any conscious thought about the very organ that's directing our routine. But anyone who reads Dr. Goldberg's compelling, lively account of the brain's frontal lobes will come away with a newfound appreciation for their own gray matter. As Goldberg tells it, not only do the frontal lobes help us prioritize tasks and give us our awareness of ourselves and others, they also play a crucial role in creativity and talent, and are the reason they're as civilized as we are. (Next time I see someone toss their trash on the street, I'll think, Weak Frontal Lobes!) Although the book was written with both a general and a scientifically adept readership in mind, it's never so technical that the layperson can't follow the discussion. I found this book stimulating, witty, and illuminating.

Sorry, but I found the book disappointing. The author notes in the first few pages the book is "an idiosyncratic account of my own understanding of several central issues of cognitive neuroscience and of the personal context that let me to write about it" and that's an understatement. Highly personal and very idiosyncratic are the watchwords. If you are looking to gain an understanding of the frontal lobes and executive functions you will find this book comes up short. Zero attempt is made to provide even highlights of the most necessary topics, or even a cursory and minimally sufficient survey of well-accepted research in this area. At best you have a few good points raised. Even those however are difficult to distinguish from personal bias and preference.

Chapter one is a sales pitch for the rest of the book with virtually no information presented. Chapter two is an odd account of the author's career, again with no information presented. The end few chapters are likewise completely tangential. Having excised the filler, what's left is very thin. References are likewise scant and the index is an embarrassment.

The coup de grace however was the patently offensive entire chapter advertising the author's private clinical services. Aimed at attracting aging but otherwise high functioning, bright people, who presumably make clinical work more palatable, the service offered is to rejuvenate or improve aging mental horsepower. I hope the idiosyncratic and highly personal techniques employed in clinical practice are more effective than the content delivered in this book. None of the cognitive techniques are actually discussed, even superficially. One can only hope they carry the same warnings as the herbal supplements - "these treatments have not been tested, and are not approved to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease." Likewise perhaps the title of the book could be changed to "Selected Memoirs of a Neuropsychologist."

This book explores not just the frontal lobes but the brain from every angle.....from how we engage in complex mental operations to our social behavior. It's full of the latest discoveries in neuroscience and provides clinical vignettes to illustrate the author's vast experience with patients worldwide. The chapter on Social Maturity, Morality, Law, and the Frontal Lobes is exceptionally well-done and provides a keen insight into the behavior that has captured national headlines in recent times. This book should be required reading for all students of social science. Highly readable for every type of audience. The reader learns something new on each page. Very hard to put down....an excellent read!

I have a child with a brain injury and found that the material contained in this book helpful in understanding her processing difficulties and gave me ideas to put in place to help overcome some of those differences. The book provided me with a better understanding of how certain neuropsychological tests measure what they say they measure. The Executive Brain was so helpful to me that I purchased additional copies and gave them friends and teachers who either have or work with children with learning difficulties. The beginning of Goldberg's work takes place during the time of the Soviet Union. Having traveled in Russia, I found his account of events there facinating.

I found the book to be extremely fascinating and informative. It was well written for a comprehensive understanding of the material. Most interesting was the case studies which brought a sense of reality to the scientific nature. The balance between research and personal experience allows for accessibility to a wide range of readers. It is something I will definitely recommend for others to enjoy.

Rarely is a serious scientific work, like this, which is accessible to lay people, so engaging and personal, while maintaining its scientific rigor. This is work well done. Neurologists might only appreciate the topic of focus, the brain's frontal lobes, but Dr. Goldberg delivers it in an engrossing and engaging manner.

There is a wealth of information here for both the lay and serious reader. I recommend this work for its comprehensive details and readability. Dr. Goldberg's personal accounts are a wonderful bonus.

Dr. Goldberg does a phenomenal job at explaining complex cogntivie neuroscience principals in simple and readily understandable terms. This book is useful for all interested in brain-behavior relationships and a must for neuropsychology students. Even seasoned professionals will find Dr. Goldberg's views refreshing, insightful and intriguing.

At first I was afraid something written in the jargon of popular science would not be a worthwhile read. I was wrong. This is an excellent read, and is packed with worthwhile information about the frontal lobes and the patients with problems there. Thank you Dr. Goldberg.

I had managed to obtain "Executive Brain" after reading Dr. Goldberg's intriguing The Wisdom Paradox: How Your Mind Can Grow Stronger As Your Brain Grows Older, and this book certainly brings additional understanding of neuropsychology and neurobiology as it can be a useful resourceful book.

This book explores the frontal lobes of the brain as well the understanding of how this part of our brain works. Not only frontal lobes and neurons are discussed in this book, but a sort of autobiography of the author himself is brought to light. I certainly like the section regarding the Tourette's as it is an insightful read.

It is easy to read and consists only of 12 chapters. I personally felt "Executive Brain" is a worthwhile read as it holds essential information about the frontal lobes and personal aspects of the author himself.

Every generation or so rises one with vision who points psychology in a new and fruitful direction. Dr Goldberg's inventive thinking about the brain, about mental illness, attention problems and tourettes to name a few of the areas spanned in The Executive Brain are sure to stimulate research and therapy for years to come. As a bonus, rarely does such a forward looking advance come with such clarity and humanness