Unthinkable

An Extraordinary Journey Through the World's Strangest Brains

By: Helen Thomson

Narrated by: Helen Thomson

A prize-winning journalist with a background in neuroscience, Helen Thomson spent years tracking down people who live with the world's most extraordinary neurological disorders - like a man who tried to break his back because his legs no longer felt like his own, and another who believed that he was dead for nine years. Not content to simply read about these cases on paper, Thomson reached out to 10 people with these afflictions, and they agreed to tell her their stories.

Leaving behind the scans and the clinical histories, Unthinkable ties the first-ever interviews with the people who have these rare conditions together with cutting-edge science. Through these incredible tales, Thomson casts a light on the chaos that the human mind can create. She shows us how these strange conditions hold the keys to unlocking the biggest mysteries of the human brain, and provide a deeper understanding of the human condition itself.

Combining careful observation with bold science and vibrant storytelling, Unthinkable takes us on a deep dive into the weirdest corners of our brain, and helps us to see our own creativity, our emotions, and our consciousness more clearly.

©2018 Helen Thomson (P)2018 John Murray Press

amazing book

very very thankful to author for producing this masterpiece, please keep up the good work and waiting for more

An odd & interesting book

Helen presents many unique and amazing brains in this fun and fascinating book. Thank you!

Excellent, with one flaw.

A very well written book, crafted with a journalists eye for a story and a scientists mind for complexity. The presentation is clear and well done, (and the accent is sexy as hell, in my opinion), but I nevertheless had to deduct a star from the performance. I simply cannot let the pronunciation of the word DISORIENTED as DISORIENTATED slide. It is a strangely low-brow mistake that occurs many times throughout the book, and if you're an assh- I mean pedant like me, it will get in your nerves early and often.

Excellent book and performance otherwise.

Completely Fascinating!

My daughter got this book for me, after reading only the description, thinking it might be something I would like. Turns out, yep...loved it. Every chapter seemed to be more interesting than the previous. I was riveted. If I would have read this book 25 years ago I would have totally studied psychology.

The awesome abilities of the brain and brain disorders 

The story was wonderful it made you understand about different people and different brain disorders, and the things that can go on in our brain very traumatic experiences, but very interesting 

This book covers a lot...

of well worn territory neurologically speaking. If you have read V.S. Ramichandran's books, you will be familiar with almost all of it. There is heavy influence here. But she also gets to a couple of other odd neurological disorders and I would say overall it's a very interesting book.

Enjoyed

I enjoyed this one. I mostly listen on my commutes home from work. Some of the cases I had read or learned about in other books or classes previously, but some were new to me and I still enjoy hearing about those ones I already know. Its read by the author and what I like most is her ability to explain conditions that sound inexplicable at first, in way that makes you think ,' oh, now I totally see how that could happen to someone.' If you love psychology and learning about cognition this book is for you.

Narrator voice grating

Couldn’t make it though it. Narrator’s voice is grating and hard to listen to for long.

Very interesting

I really enjoyed this book a lot! I’ve been having medical issues the past 3 years now and as such, I’ve really appreciated books like these a lot more than I ever did before. Nonfiction can be difficult for me to finish- via text nearly impossible but still hard via audiobook. This one was easy to engage with & the writer does a great job narrating her work without ever getting dry or monotone. Typically medical science nonfiction is best when read by the author but sometimes it’s too dry of a job- definitely not the case here & I really appreciated her cadence. 5/5, tho not in depth on the cases if you’ve a passing interest in brain disorders that are unusual, you’re probably aware these disorders exist & will find simply the interviews themselves fascinating.

Brilliant!

Helen Thomas is delightful. The stories she has collected are astounding and thought-provoking. Highly recommend if you miss Oliver Sacks.