The Anatomy of Violence

The Biological Roots of Crime

De: Adrian Raine

Narrado por: Jonathan Cowley

With a 4-page full-color insert, and black-and-white illustrations throughout

Why do some innocent kids grow up to become cold-blooded serial killers? Is bad biology partly to blame? For more than three decades Adrian Raine has been researching the biological roots of violence and establishing neurocriminology, a new field that applies neuroscience techniques to investigate the causes and cures of crime. In The Anatomy of Violence, Raine dissects the criminal mind with a fascinating, readable, and far-reaching scientific journey into the body of evidence that reveals the brain to be a key culprit in crime causation.

Raine documents from genetic research that the seeds of sin are sown early in life, giving rise to abnormal physiological functioning that cultivates crime. Drawing on classical case studies of well-known killers in history—including Richard Speck, Ted Kaczynski, and Henry Lee Lucas—Raine illustrates how impairments to brain areas controlling our ability to experience fear, make good decisions, and feel guilt predispose us to violence. He contends that killers can actually be coldhearted: something as simple as a low resting heart rate can give rise to violence. But arguing that biology is not destiny, he also sketches out provocative new biosocial treatment approaches that can change the brain and prevent violence.

Finally, Raine tackles the thorny legal and ethical dilemmas posed by his research, visualizing a futuristic brave new world where our increasing ability to identify violent offenders early in life might shape crime-prevention policies, for good and bad. Will we sacrifice our notions of privacy and civil rights to identify children as potential killers in the hopes of helping both offenders and victims? How should we punish individuals with little to no control over their violent behavior? And should parenting require a license? The Anatomy of Violence offers a revolutionary appraisal of our understanding of criminal offending, while also raising provocative questions that challenge our core human values of free will, responsibility, and punishment.

Dry but exceptionally well thought and delivered.

Almost a textbook, very dry, but if this is a subject matter that you enjoy knowing something about it ends up being a great book, that you can learn plenty from. And it's not just talk and theories, there are a LOT of studies quoted to back up opinions.

The author will also gladly tell you about the shortcomings of cited studies and possible holes in his theories, he's not a know it all, he's an intellectual.

Very enlightening book on violence

The author, who is a research neuropsychologist, is an expert in the study of the biological basis of violence. He has clearly done groundbreaking research in the fundamental biological causes of violence. It was fascinating to learn how early in an individual's life the "seeds" of violence are "planted" from poor nutrition, lack of parental love and care, physical violence especially to the maturing brain, etc. in a baby or very young person. Violence is, then, caused by this toxic mixture of brain abnormalities and terrible social situation according to the author.

The author feels that we need to move away from strictly retributive justice by taking in to account the sociobiological basis of violence. Clearly, this is a tall order when the judicial system confronts such tragedies as mass shootings resulting in many deaths.

The author has certainly caused me to rethink my own views as to how society should deal with these criminals.

I slightly downgraded the performance as the reader, who is good, has a very pronounced British accent which I found hard to understand at times. But this is a personal preference.

Very insightful and thought-provoking book

This book is a must read, if you want to understand the biological roots of crime. It includes detailed discussions on how genetic, neurological and environmental factors play into making some people more violent than others.

Not sure if this kind of nonfiction has a "story"

But I found the content highly thought-provoking. I never realised how many factors came together to create crime, and it certainly persuaded me that a compassionate medical model to dealing with violence may be the ideal to strive for. Then again, I went into this book already disliking the revenge-oriented mindset of the US criminal justice system.

Violence is not just choice

Adrian Raine is a leading researcher in how the brain's development effects the way people think, respond to life's stressors, and process information. Research shows that people's ability to make good and right choices is not merely genetic, not is it all moral choice, but there are many factors that effect the development of a child's brain. Thought the narrator is not my favorite, the book is very well written and very engaging. I recommend this book for anyone in the fields of criminology, childhood development, medicine, and social welfare.

great book. definitely recommend

great book. took me a few weeks to finish because I only audible during my runs. good flow, very good narrator. content was great. learned a lot. Definitely worth the read. also this isn't a fake review.

A fascinating book about neurology and brain anatomy

The ways in which genetics, neurology, psychology, neurobiology, all work together to create normal and abnormal people.

Any person wishing to lead society should read this book if they want to truly effect the evils in our society in an evidenced based manner.

Interesting Book the Roots of Abnormal Behavior

Please bear with me as I first talk about what drew me to this book, that requires a lot of explanation about James Fallon, who is a neuroscientist but who did not write this book.

I recently heard a TED Radio Hour segment by James Fallon, a neuroscientist at the University of California-Irvine, who has been working with psychopaths, trying to physically differentiate the brain of a killer from that of a nonkiller. He was clued in by his mother that his father's family might have some members who were worth studying. He discovered that there was "a whole lineage of violent people-killers" including a connection of Lizzie Borden, who let it be said was acquitted of killing her parents in a court of law, but who has certainly been convicted in the court of public opinion. In a study he had done on Alzheimer's, he had talked family members into taking a PET scan and contributing a DNA sample, now he began to analyze these for signs of abnormality.

In reviewing the PET scan and genotypes of his close family members including his mother, wife and children, they were perfectly normal. But his own PET scan showed a lack of activity in his orbital cortex, a sign that many neuroscientists would regard as significant in that the orbital cortex is supposed to help to control another part of the brain called the amygdala that is associated with aggression. He also looked at the MAO-A gene in his DNA. This is a gene associated with the regulation of serotonin in the brain. If the person has a particular variant of the gene then the brain may not respond to the calming effects of serotonin.

Fallon's conclusion was he was separated from psychopaths who act out on their impulses by a loving and supportive upbringing. According to his TED talk, an insult to the brain or severe trauma at the right (very young) age is the link that might trigger the negative aspects of these variants.

I found this intriguing, so when I saw that this book was about the anatomical aspects of the roots of violence I couldn't pass it up.

First, it's readable. It's written at a level that is accessible to the average reader with some knowledge of the anatomy of the brain and an interest in crime. I don't buy his theories whole hog, but added to what I've read elsewhere and some experience that I have with multi-generational bad actors in families, I find this intriguing.

Adrian Raine talks about his own studies into psychopathy utilizing temp workers-- that's why they have been so unreliable!, longitudinal studies of twins and children and "The Selfish Gene"-- he was taught at University by Dawkins. He also gives examples from his own work in facilities for the criminally insane with violent rapists and murderers, and from his own exposure to criminal violence.

I would recommend this book to anyone who has an interest in crime and criminals and also likes to muse as to why it is that certain tropes are so popular within certain genres.

And then, shades of Bones, it looks like they are going to make Adrian Raine into a semi-fictional character in a TV crime drama-- I swear, the US just make make me want to pound my head against my monitor at times.

The narrator is quite good and easy to listen to.

Excellent book on the Neuroscience of Violence!

Would you consider the audio edition of The Anatomy of Violence to be better than the print version?

Yes - only because reading a book like this may bring on napping whereas listening to this book on the road made it easy to follow.

What other book might you compare The Anatomy of Violence to and why?

Probably "The Wisdom of Psychopaths" by Kevin Dutton. Raine's "Anatomy of Violence" was clearly more exhaustive; however "Wisdom of Psychopaths" was an easier read. Both books do an excellent job reviewing psychopathy and disorders in the brain.

Which character – as performed by Jonathan Cowley – was your favorite?

He was the narrator and did not perform any characters.

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

Yes - Raine provided a case where a large African American man broke into a young Caucasian woman's apartment and brutally raped her repeatedly, beat her to a pulp, and then slit her throat. It was extremely graphic and made me feel dirty; however the questions posed by the case and the points Raine was trying to make really stuck with me.

Any additional comments?

Excellent and exhaustive look at the neuroscience of violence! Raine did an incredible job compiling his research, along with others in the field, and presenting it in a reasonable and topical format.

"The Anatomy of Violence" spends a majority of the time examining aspects and structures of the brain that are correlated with violence; however Raine takes it a step further to examine the heart, sweat glands, and other minor organs of offenders to look for correlations and patterns.

Raine also spends time looking at socio-economic factors and family influences to finally bridge the gap of the "nature vs. nurture" debate. Most of his examples and case studies were well picked and referenced to illustrate many of his points.

The only low point of the book was when he offers a hypothetical world and society in 2034. I'm not a fan of hypothetical's, but Raine did a great job using the hypothetical "future" to address philosophical and ethical questions to the reader. I've rarely read other non-fiction works that pose questions back to the reader, so I found this very engaging and impressive.

Pros: Comprehensive and organized look at the external and internal forces that produce violence in humans.
Cons: More case studies and criminal interviews would've been nice, but there were no major cons.
Bottom line: Excellent for anyone interested in crime and how alterations in the brain can affect behavior.

Wow! Incredibly Interesting!

Where does The Anatomy of Violence rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

This is non-fiction, and in my many non-fiction purchases, it ranks in the top 10.

Any additional comments?

I hadn't heard much of these brain studies, and I was surprised and amazed at the depth of the program. Much insight into the how/why of violence, what might be causing it, how to predict it, who is responsible.