Beautifully Clear and Entertaining

In all of creation, the least likely thing ever to be well understood is the human brain. Professor Medina spins what we know and the fuzzy parts we think we know into an engaging and entertaining story. Easy to follow and peppered with fascinating anecdotes and examples, this is a good listen for anyone, regardless of educational level or background in the sciences. As an MD and son of a neurology professor, it is the best telling of this story I have yet found.

152 people found this helpful

Great Narrator

wow! I am blown away by the narrator in this book. He is charismatic and very well informed. His cadence and tone really hook you and keep you paying attention; you can practically hear his smile as he peppers in anecdotes and real world situations to support what he is speaking about. I highly recommend this audio book.

110 people found this helpful

The standard fare for brain science

The breadth of this lecture series is considerable, although I was hoping for a little more depth. The lecturer is very careful to qualify his information with peer reviewed research, which is refreshing. I guess I primarily had hoped that there was more new information out there, since I had already heard much of this from other sources. Narrated well. The lecturer is a skilled public speaker who knows how to maintain attention during a lecture.

98 people found this helpful

Brainy but not nerdy

This lecture series teaches you about the structure and function of the brain, and is also packed with practical tips on how to get the best out of your own brain.

What makes this lecture series stand out from the rest is the ‘lecturer’. I’ve put that word in quote marks because he’s so unlike the standard lecturer that it doesn’t feel right to use the regular word. He’s more like the host of a children’s TV programme, in the nicest possible way. He’s incredibly animated, frequently rising to peaks of excitement that send his voice into a shrill falsetto. That’s his style, to come across as being spectacularly enthused about his subject. He doesn’t sound like an academic, but he clearly knows his stuff and he shares this knowledge using lots of anecdotes and metaphors to illustrate an array of fascinating facts about an organ that just sits there, with the consistency of tofu, and doesn’t appear from the outside to do a fat lot. Appearances can be deceptive.

The practical tips are about a number of things: How to keep your brain alive and well for longer, how to improve your memory, how to avoid stress, and the importance of sleep. All good stuff and well worth a listen.

89 people found this helpful

Have no doubt, this is worth it!

Any additional comments?

If you are interested in brain science or human behaviour this courses is well worth your time and money. The course is informative with the material being presented in an easily digestible form that doesn't dumb it down too much. I have listened to numerous books and courses on these topics and this course is the best for beginners and those wanting a refreshing refresher. The lecturer tries to maximise the presentation of the topics so you will remember them.Ultimately, this is one of the best purchases I have made, and is probably the best of The Great Courses I have listened to.

Note. The lecturer sounds like a slightly higher pitched, slightly more excitable Penn Jillette and that might not work for everyone. I like Penn Jillette, so it was a bonus for me.

61 people found this helpful

Mind blowing!

This is one of the greatest of the great courses. I found the lectures compelling, timely and well-explained. I even re-listened to a few segments because they were so fascinating. Awesome series! I highly recommend this one.

50 people found this helpful

Blow your mind with brain knowledge

John Medina needs his own TV show. What a great set of lessons and easy to understand communication. Accessible, entertaining, evocative, inspiring. Thank you.

45 people found this helpful

Not as advertised and not particularly useful

Generally speaking, I really enjoy the Great Courses. I find most of their courses useful and well presented. This one, however, fell short.

I gave it three stars for the information in chapters 3 and 13 (on depression) and 22 through the end of the book (how exercise, diet, etc. influence brain function). Most of the book, however, is not about how to improve your brain (therefore the part of my review title about "not as advertised"). Most of it is a primer on brain function.

Don't get me wrong, there is interesting information, here, it's just not particularly useful for any actual brain improvement. If you want a primer about brain organization and function, this wouldn't be a terrible choice, although, you could probably do better there, too.

Most of the book deals with the way the brain takes in a processes information and what parts of the brain do what. Again, this is interesting, but I didn't find any relevance to ways I could actually improve my brain.

The narration is overly cutesy for me for something like this. While there were a few entertaining metaphors and similes, the metaphors and similes were overdone and the tone seemed to be geared more for an adolescent audience.

Again, this is not a terrible choice for understanding some of the more basic points of brain function, but don't think you will get a lot of good advice about brain improvement. What should be improved is the title of the course and to some extent, the course itself.

44 people found this helpful

Wish I could give it six stars - Very Engaging!

If you could sum up Your Best Brain: The Science of Brain Improvement in three words, what would they be?

Sorry, I can't - But Your best brain could. It covers the whole brain. I LOVED Nero Science in College and this book brought the reason for that passion back to me. The brain is fascinating, when you finish this book one can't help but want to learn more.

What was one of the most memorable moments of Your Best Brain: The Science of Brain Improvement?

For me it was the sections on learning and sleep

What does Professor John Medina bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

I found him to be extremely engaging, I would LOVE to listen to more of his lectures. It was obvious that he has a passion for his subject.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

I was excited by the knowledge, I would like more books like this one.

Any additional comments?

I highly recommend this book to anyone considering it, it took me about 5 days to listen to the whole thing.

31 people found this helpful

This was a great work of non-fiction.

Would you listen to Your Best Brain: The Science of Brain Improvement again? Why?

I have been in the medical field for over 30 years and found the science behind sleep, memory, emotion and other functions of the brain fascinating. You don't need to be knowledgeable in the medical arts to enjoy this book however. The Author and narrator is wonderful. He breaks down his subject in such a way that anyone will understand what he is talking about. The Professor wrote and narrates the book. He is jovial and obviously enjoys sharing his knowledge with you. You will learn why you feel as you do and it will make sense to you the way he has written the book. It is presented as a series of lectures and very easy to follow.

What did you like best about this story?

I loved learning new facts about the brain and its workings.

Which character – as performed by Professor John Medina – was your favorite?

There was no characters in this book.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

Absolutely. the lectures were engaging, entertaining and full of interesting facts. I will listen to this book again simply to remember all the details the Professor spoke of.

Any additional comments?

Even if you aren't medical give this book a listen. It is one of the best nonfiction offerings I have read.

28 people found this helpful