Endangered Minds: Why Children Don't Think And What We Can Do About It (Paperback)

by Jane M. Healy (Author) "Kids' brains must be different these days," I remarked half jokingly as I graded student essays in the faculty room late one afternoon..." (more)
Key Phrases: prefrontal development, experience expectant, growing brains, Sesame Street, United States, New York Times (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Review
Educational Leadership A fascinating exploration of today's much-deplored decline in school achievement....[Healy] clearly conveys the relationship between language, learning, and brain development, then explains why television viewing and present-day lifestyles sabotage language acquisition, thinking, and personal success. -- Review

Review
Louise Bates AmesGesell Institute of Human DevelopmentProvocative, scholarly, and timely. Society may actually be changing our children's brains for the worse.

Priscilla Vailauthor of Smart Kids with School ProblemsEndangered Minds is a masterly blend of scientific knowledge, educational expertise, psychological insight, and common sense....Jane Healy sounds warnings we should all heed, and offers priorities and strategies compatible with the nature of childhood and the flowering of intellect.

Educational LeadershipA fascinating exploration of today's much-deplored decline in school achievement....[Healy] clearly conveys the relationship between language, learning, and brain development, then explains why television viewing and present-day lifestyles sabotage language acquisition, thinking, and personal success.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 392 pages
• Publisher: Simon & Schuster; 1 edition (September 1, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0684856204
• ISBN-13: 978-0684856209
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.5 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.5 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars See all reviews (18 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #71,139 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

70 of 72 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Giving Kids a Great Start, November 28, 1999

By A Customer

I read this book over 8 years ago. It really opened my mind to how I wanted to raise my children with respect to television, family time, over commitments, and developmental learning. I have two children ages 8 and 10. They are both at the top of their respective classes, they love to learn and they love to read. They are able to carry-on intelligent conversation at the dinner table and with others that they deal with. They had very little TV exsposure as pre-schoolers, and now TV is limited to the weekends only. I credit this book with guiding me to be a better parent in regards to their academic development. I recommend this book to any new parent. Gain control of the TV and computer games before they take hold of your children's minds.

48 of 49 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars If you let your kids watch "good TV", don't read this book, May 26, 2002

By	Sandi Jones (Cincinnati, Ohio USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

If you are an advocate of letting your children watch "good TV", like PBS, this book will be a hard pill to swallow. I read it years ago, and loved it. I occasionally go back and reread a passage or two.

She discusses brain development in children at great length. She cites some of the studies that indicate that children who view Sesame Street on a regular basis, express shorter attention spans than those who do not view such programming.

I liked much of the in-depth physiological brain developmental information.

28 of 28 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Definately a "must read" for parents and teachers., August 27, 2003

By	Jason Fitzpatrick (Lake Orion, MI United States) - See all my reviews

I would highly recommend this book to both parents and teacher alike. Healy maintains an interesting writing style throughout the text, and actively engages her audience. While I do feel the text is rather long, it doesn't dissolve into random banter. The book stays focused until the end, providing many provoking lines of thought. For instance: Since the introduction of standardized schooling over a hundred years ago, the rate of literacy has radically declined. How did we go from a nation of unschooled but highly literate people, to a nation of overschooled and illiterate people? Such illuminations, beg discussion.