The Tell-Tale Brain

A Neuroscientist's Quest for What Makes Us Human

By: V. S. Ramachandran

Narrated by: David Drummond

Length: 13 hrs and 3 mins

Publisher's summary

V. S. Ramachandran is at the forefront of his field - so much so that Richard Dawkins dubbed him the "Marco Polo of neuroscience". Now, in a major new work, Ramachandran sets his sights on the mystery of human uniqueness.

Taking us to the frontiers of neurology, he reveals what baffling and extreme case studies can teach us about normal brain function and how it evolved. Synesthesia becomes a window into the brain mechanisms that make some of us more creative than others. And autism - for which Ramachandran opens a new direction for treatment - gives us a glimpse of the aspect of being human that we understand least: self-awareness.

Ramachandran tackles the most exciting and controversial topics in neurology with a storyteller's eye for compelling case studies and a researcher's flair for new approaches to age-old questions. Tracing the strange links between neurology and behavior, this book unveils a wealth of clues into the deepest mysteries of the human brain.

PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying reference material will be available in your My Library section along with the audio.

©2011 V.S. Ramachandran (P)2011 Tantor

Critic reviews

"Ramachandran produces an exhilarating and at times funny text that invites discussion and experimentation." ( Kirkus)

Fascinating!

I loved how differently this made me look at my own mind. It was informative, it was written in a way the lay-person could understand, and it was fun to listen to. I would recommend this book to people interested in the brain, in psychology, or anyone involved with childhood development or caregiving. I will be listening again.

Amazing performance of a pretty fun book.

If you’ve listened to books by V. S. Ramachandran before, how does this one compare?

Ramachandran's book Phantoms in the Brain is what got me into neuroscience as a kid--this author makes the brain seem so weird and wonderful. Now, as then, he finds great case studies and spins them into an interesting tale backed by his own extensive work in neurology. Unfortunately, as a more sophisticated reader I am now eager for a bit more detail--Ramachandran tends to produce a readable tome over an excessively sciency one.

I also find myself wondering if I went back to read Phantoms in the Brain if I would find the same self-important tone and occasional snarky comments. I'm pretty sure even at 4am I wouldn't make a nasty joke about someone's neurological symptoms to his lawyer on the phone--and then I definitely wouldn't write about it in my book as if I were in the right. Ultimately, those kinds of annoyances fade though, because the work is just so cool and the brain is just so awesome and Ramachandran knows how to tell you so.

What about David Drummond’s performance did you like?

Drummond's reading is superb--he does great accents, and shows wonderful range. I found myself delighted every time a new character would emerge with a different voice. He breathed life into the patients, even portraying those with speech impediments with empathetic accuracy. Plus, his standard reading of the text was also fluid and enthusiastic.

I am going to go look for other audiobooks Drummond has narrated, just because he was that fun to listen to!

Great Book for the General Audience

Deemed the “Marco Polo” of neuroscience by Richard Dawkins, V. S. Ramachandran brings his thinking and research to the general reader in The Tell-Tale Brain: A Neuroscientist’s Quest for What Makes Us Human. If you have no background in the field of neuroscience or neuroplasticity, this is about as good a place to start as any. If you have been reading literature available for the general public in this area, the book is still very helpful. Ramachandran is a graceful and clear writer. The benefit of this book is its breadth of coverage. For example, he visits phantom limb syndrome, devotes a chapter to the relationship between seeing and knowing, and autism is addressed in a very thoughtful, generous manner. Most interesting me to personally was his discussion of aesthetics and the brain. This is an excellent book and I hope that we hear more from Ramachandran in the near future. The reading of David Drummond is very good.

Top Notch Brain Stuff

Where does The Tell-Tale Brain rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

This book is very entertaining, and high quality neuroscience. it is fairly easy to follow, considering its topic. i would put it in the top five books of its type. i think in some ways it is better than David Eaglemen's Incognito, but would put it slightly behind Steven Pinker or Leonard Mlodniow. My only reason for giving four starts, instead of 5, is because the book feels a little light or incomplete, like Dr. R has stopped short, perhaps there is still science to be made. All that said, i would definitely buy his next book.

Very Interesting

I found the discussion quite lucid but one really needs the text version of the book to see the illustrations that are referred to. I bought that one as well. One other reviewer who read the authors earlier books indicated that not much new was offered. I haven't read his earlier books but paid attention to dates of the studies referred to. If I recall correctly I didn't hear of any study later than 2004. So maybe the other reviewer is correct. I'm going to check the bibliography of the text version. One note the last two chapters are speculative and theoretical and we're harder to follow compared to the earlier chapters. I still think if you are interested in how our brains work this book will definitely add to your understanding.

More Philosophical than science based

Dr. Ramachandran's first book 'Phantoms in the Brain' was better at capturing science and research based experiences. This book is more founded on philosophical questions and theoretical ideas. Good but not as good as the first book in my opinion.

Good science book

I enjoyed the stories. There is a lot of information in this book that can bring about serious discussions. Would like to hear more books by this author.

Great if you like understanding how brains work

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. Do take some time to look at the included PDF before you start listening otherwise you will be frustrated at various points. The book does repeat some things from other of Ramachandran???s books, but it was all stuff that was interesting enough to bear repeating. The book also becomes speculative at points, but the author notes where experimental results end and speculation begins and he also points out that speculation is an important part of the scientific method. The speculation becomes a little wild near the end of the book when the author attempts to frame art in term of neuroscience, but it was interesting to think about nevertheless. The book mostly describes unusual neurological conditions, links them to specific brain regions, and describes experiments to test related theories. This is quite good fun if you are in to that sort of thing ??? if you are not, it might seem dry.

Really sets itself apart in the second half

There's a ton here. The first half of the book covers a lot that's pretty well discussed elsewhere, but in the second half, Ramachandran just explodes into a huge fireball of ideas that are expansive not only in their reach but are also impressive in their novelty and creativity. You get the feeling that the only thing keeping him back is time. It's definitely not a lack of important questions and well-designed experiments.

I especially liked his discussion of art and aesthetics and his speculations on why we like abstract art and what makes some art almost irresistible to the human brain. He comes to it with a refreshingly different perspective due to his Indian background. He's unwaveringly scientific, but seems to have a much greater pool of examples to draw from due to the vast cultural landscape India offers. A lot of the book is speculative, but the speculation isn't far-fetched, certainly nowhere near as speculative as most of what today's physicists write about, and he clearly indicates what's solid and what's remains to be tested, often suggesting experiments for others to try.

Excellent book, fascinating, and well narrated.

Takes a potentially boring and tedious subject and makes it fascinating. One of those rare books whose perspective is a combination of entertaining, enlightening and understandable. This book is well narrated too. Actually kept me awake and entranced during a long boring trip. After reading this book you will have a much better sense of how the brain works, how science advances and how top of the profession physicians think.