Book Review: ‘The Brain’ by Alison George

Book Review: ‘The Brain’ by Alison George
Short Url
Updated 13 May 2025
Follow

Book Review: ‘The Brain’ by Alison George

Book Review: ‘The Brain’ by Alison George

Imagine having a manual for the brain, the remarkable, mysterious machine that powers thoughts, dreams, and creativity, and stands as the force behind human civilization, setting our species apart from all others on Earth.

“The Brain: Everything You Need to Know” by Alison George, published by New Scientist, breaks down consciousness, memory, intelligence, and even why we dream, in a way that is light and easy to follow. It avoids scientific jargon, making it a good choice for readers who are curious about the brain but don’t want to get lost in technical details. 

Along the way, the book asks a fundamental question: How can we understand, and even improve, the way our minds function? 

The book argues that the brain is far more complex than we tend to assume. Many of its processes happen outside of conscious awareness, and even the ways we make decisions, form memories, or dream are shaped by forces we barely notice.

Understanding the brain, the book suggests, requires accepting that much of what drives us happens invisibly. 

One chapter that stands out takes a closer look at the unconscious mind, described as the brain’s “unsung hero.” It’s where habits live and decisions form long before they reach awareness. Everyday actions like walking, typing, or even choosing what to eat are often driven by this autopilot system. The book explores how deeply the unconscious shapes behavior, challenging the idea that we are always fully in control of our actions. 

Some of the chapters are short and punchy, which keeps the pace moving, but this also means the book doesn’t spend enough time exploring some of the topics. It can feel more like an introduction to neuroscience than a true exploration of it. For readers seeking a light, engaging overview of the mind’s mysteries, this approach may work well. Those hoping for deeper engagement, however, might be left wanting more.


What We Are Reading Today: ‘State of Ridicule’

Photo/Supplied
Photo/Supplied
Updated 04 July 2025
Follow

What We Are Reading Today: ‘State of Ridicule’

Photo/Supplied
  • Sperrin begins by describing the Roman foundations and substructures of British satire, paying particularly close attention to the core Roman canon: Horace, Persius, and Juvenal

Author: Dan Sperrin

Satire is a funny, aggressive, and largely oppositional literature which is typically created by people who refuse to participate in a given regime’s perception of itself.

Although satire has always been a primary literature of state affairs, and although it has always been used to intervene in ongoing discussions about political theory and practice, there has been no attempt to examine this fascinating and unusual literature across the full chronological horizon.

In “State of Ridicule,” Dan Sperrin provides the first ever longue durée history of political satire in British literature. He traces satire’s many extended and discontinuous trajectories through time while also chronicling some of the most inflamed and challenging political contexts within which it has been written.

Sperrin begins by describing the Roman foundations and substructures of British satire, paying particularly close attention to the core Roman canon: Horace, Persius, and Juvenal. 

 


Book Review: ‘The Hidden Life of Trees’ by Peter Wohlleben

Book Review: ‘The Hidden Life of Trees’ by Peter Wohlleben
Updated 03 July 2025
Follow

Book Review: ‘The Hidden Life of Trees’ by Peter Wohlleben

Book Review: ‘The Hidden Life of Trees’ by Peter Wohlleben

“The Hidden Life of Trees” is a controversial 2015 book by German author Peter Wohlleben, who argues that trees communicate with each other as well as feel.

Wohlleben presents the idea that forests are a living social network — claiming that trees have ties akin to families, which they care for and help grow in their own way.

According to the author, trees use underground fungal networks to share nutrients with other trees to help them recover from disease and thrive.

It is a contentious claim, supported in part by academics including from the University of Portsmouth, which has published research showing that mature plants help smaller plants thrive in harsh environmental conditions.

Another article from BBC Earth supports some of Wohlleben’s claims, describing how some trees can use their senses to “hear” predators through vibrations in the ground or “smell” other plants by detecting chemical indicators.

An additionally curious aspect of the book is its ideas about complex tree communication methods. It also talks about different factors that play a role in their growth, like fungi, insects and birds.

The author goes to great lengths, moreover, to push the idea that securing healthy forests through sustainable practices helps the wider environment flourish.

However, the book has come in for significant criticism, with Sharon Kingsland, writing in the Bulletin of the Ecological Society of America, suggesting it is aimed at “lay” readers rather than forestry scientists, many of whom Wohlleben has “infuriated” by “eliciting an emotional response from readers through (the book’s) powers of suggestion.”

Kingsland says the author tends to anthropomorphize trees, whilst noting a 2017 petition launched by two German scientists calling on colleagues to criticize the book received over 4,500 signatures, calling it a “conglomeration of half-truths, biased judgements, and wishful thinking.”

Despite this, “The Hidden Life of Trees” is a great read for people who want to see nature in a new light, as it sets out a path to view trees not as inanimate commodities, but as ecosystems with needs which, if met, will have wider benefits for the planet.


What We Are Reading Today: Bad Company by Megan Greenwell

What We Are Reading Today: Bad Company by Megan Greenwell
Updated 03 July 2025
Follow

What We Are Reading Today: Bad Company by Megan Greenwell

What We Are Reading Today: Bad Company by Megan Greenwell

Megan Greenwell’s “Bad Company” tells the hidden story of private equity through the experiences of four American workers who watched as private equity upended their employers.
Greenwell pulls back the curtain on shadowy multibillion dollar companies like Apollo Global Management, Bain Capital, and KKR, telling a larger story about how private equity is reshaping the economy, disrupting communities, and hollowing out the very idea of the American dream itself.


What We Are Reading Today: ‘What Do You Want Out of Life?’ by Valerie Tiberius

What We Are Reading Today: ‘What Do You Want  Out of Life?’ by Valerie Tiberius
Updated 02 July 2025
Follow

What We Are Reading Today: ‘What Do You Want Out of Life?’ by Valerie Tiberius

What We Are Reading Today: ‘What Do You Want  Out of Life?’ by Valerie Tiberius

What do you want out of life? To make a lot of money—or work for justice? To have children—or travel the world? The things we care about in life—family, friendship, leisure activities, work, our moral ideals—often conflict, preventing us from doing what matters most to us.

Even worse, we don’t always know what we really want, or how to define success. Blending personal stories, philosophy, and psychology, this insightful and entertaining book offers invaluable advice about living well by understanding your values and resolving the conflicts that frustrate their fulfillment.


What We Are Reading Today: ‘Wildlife of the Eastern Caribbean’

What We Are Reading Today: ‘Wildlife of the Eastern Caribbean’
Updated 01 July 2025
Follow

What We Are Reading Today: ‘Wildlife of the Eastern Caribbean’

What We Are Reading Today: ‘Wildlife of the Eastern Caribbean’

Authors: Steve Holliday and Gill Holliday

This is the first photographic field identification guide to Eastern Caribbean birds, mammals, amphibians, reptiles, land crabs, dragonflies, and butterflies.

Beautiful and easy-to-use, the guide covers 17 island groups stretching from the Virgin Islands south through the Lesser Antilles, from Anguilla to Grenada, where a unique range of flora and fauna evolved in relative isolation.

Around 30 percent of all the species included are endemic to the region. 

For each island group there is a list of endemic and “don’t miss” species.