LIFE IN THE FAST BRAIN: Keeping Up With Gifted Minds [Paperback]

Karen L. J. Isaacson (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 1, 2007

AS a sequel to the delightfully entertaining and award-winning Raisin Brains: Surviving My Smart Family, this new book will keep the laughs coming! The same characters are back, five years older, and are living proof that the journey of raising gifted children continues to be full of surprises. Enjoy more comical stories of the things that gifted kids do and say, and discover the wit and wonder of this mother of five all over again!

Editorial Reviews

Review

A mother of five recommends hope, humor, and looking on the bright side in a family where she says 'curiosity and creativity run loose.' Delightful real life scenarios told with wit and insight. If you experience 'life in the fast brain' at your house, this book is for you! --Arlene DeVries, M.S.E., Author of Gifted Parent Groups: The SENG Model, Gifted/Talented Consultant, Des Moines, Iowa

Isaacson has a keen eye for our common experiences with gifted children and a real knack for throwing it into touching relief and hopefulness. We can all relate and laugh because we see ourselves and relate both to the descriptions and the challenges that come with raisin' and livin' with smart brains. --Jann H. Leppien, Ph.D., Associate Professor, School of Education, University of Great Falls, Co-Director of Edufest, Summer Institute for Enrichment, Teaching, and Learning

She's done it again--but even better! Karen Isaacson has topped Raisin' Brains: Surviving My Smart Family, with her sequel, Life in the Fast Brain, always looking on the bright side. You can't help but laugh (and sometimes cry) with her illustrative anecdotes... and feel welcomed into the greater community of fast-brained folks! --Wendy Skinner, Author of Infinity & Zebra Stripes

About the Author

Karen Isaacson spent her growing-up years with a large family of quirky, gifted people. She now has five children of her own, who have carried on the fine tradition of being slightly eccentric individuals who show their creativity in their own peculiar ways. With all this material to work with, Karen couldn t help but write a book, which she titled Raisin Brains: Surviving My Smart Family. This book won the 2002 ForeWord Magazine Book-of-the-Year Gold Award for Humor. Each humorous chapter gently informs the reader about the traits of giftedness and creativity while emphasizing the value of the individual. Karen firmly believes that people are valuable precisely because of their uniqueness. She enjoys speaking on this topic, and as always, makes liberal use of humor to get the point across.

She has written stories for newspapers and magazines, a book for a reading program, and just finished her newest book with co-author Tamara Fisher, Intelligent Life in the Classroom: Smart Kids and their Teachers, a companion to Raisin' Brains. She is also working on a young adult novel scheduled to be released in 2007. She is involved in a parent group that works to provide enrichment opportunities for the local school district. Although most of her time is spent being a mom, she dedicates every spare moment to the creative process, whether it is writing, painting, jewelry-making, or remodeling her home.

Karen lives in Montana with her husband, who has supported her in all of her creative endeavors, and with her children.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 174 pages
• Publisher: Great Potential Pr., Inc. (November 1, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0910707820
• ISBN-13: 978-0910707824
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 5.7 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #768,082 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A humor filled look at life in a gifted family, December 27, 2007

By 

Lorel Shea (New England) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: LIFE IN THE FAST BRAIN: Keeping Up With Gifted Minds (Paperback)

Life in the Fast Brain-Keeping Up with Gifted Minds is the second Karen Isaacson book about life in a gifted family. Her first book, Raisin' Brains, introduced us to her highly intelligent brood. The author's dry, signature style continues to amuse and entertain readers in the sequel. She refers to all friends and family members with quirky monikers such as Rupert, Magnolia, Petunia, and Gabby. A handy family tree at the beginning of the book helps us to keep track of all the quirky characters.

Isaacson writes, "Intense people don't just enjoy things, they become enamored. They take their relationships with ideas, with objects, or with hobbies to the next level." She illustrates this well with stories about things such as her teenage son's passion for duct tape clothing and jewelry. Worn shoes were sealed with duct tape and eventually metamorphosed into duct tape boots. Another child, at eight years old, had a scheme for making money. He got creative and made sock puppets and took the door to door to sell. Of course this doesn't sound so unusual, until you read that he swiped virtually every sock in the house, and left his entire family with cold toes!

Life in the Fast Brain also includes the story of young Eugene, who helped his preschool director out by catching up the office filing, and six year old Imogene, who was concerned about the dangers of hydrogenated oils in fast food. I particularly liked the tale of the boy who designed a Rube Goldberg type machine to wake himself in the morning- it was supposed to drop a marble on his head! There's something sure to make you smile, wince in sympathy, or nod in agreement on virtually every page.

Gifted kids can be very challenging to raise, and Karen Isaacson encourages us to stop taking everything too seriously. Laughter is great medicine, and her humor is a great way to ease the burden of coping with gifted kids who make nearly every experience extraordinary.

0 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Very enjoyable read, April 9, 2008

By 

Robin Milne "68rpm" (nj) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: LIFE IN THE FAST BRAIN: Keeping Up With Gifted Minds (Paperback)

What a fun book. I really enjoyed the writers stories and writing style. I read the first book Raisin Brains and was excited to see a sequel, it didnt disappoint.