This text shows how the structure and chemistry of the brain determine our perceptions, emotions and behaviour, and what we can do to shape its functions to our advantage. Ratey also analyses the ways in which things can go wrong, detailing causes and treatments for diseases including autism.

Bringing order and relevance to the cascade of recent brain findings, Dr John Ratey explains the brain's most important systems, the role they play in determining how we interact with the world and the ways in which we can influence their operations for the better. Throughout, he illustrates his points with vivid and often surprising examples drawn from his own practice, research and everyday life. Ratey answers such questions as: What does it mean to be linguistically ambidextrous? How does a mother's cradling of her child on her left shoulder relate to the development of language skills? Why does listening to music while doing homework improve accuracy? Why do people like spicy foods?;Ratey also analyses the ways in which things can go wrong, detailing causes and treatments for diseases such as autism, Parkinson's and Alzheimer's, as well as numerous neurological disorders. As Dr Ratey demonstrates throughout the book, the brain is astonishingly flexible, able to be retrained and reprogrammed. Like a muscle, it responds to use, adapting to new demands and conditions, allowing, as the title of the book suggests, the guidance of the user.

The human brain is more complex than the world's most sophisticated computer, yet we spend half our lives cluttering it with faulty 'software' that drastically reduces its productivity. Part of the problem is that we have only just begun to understand how the brain works, and therefore how we have been abusing it. American psychiatrist John Ratey reveals what great advances in understanding have come about in the last decade or so, and what we can do to put right (or at least help) cerebral malfunctions that were previously considered untreatable. Ratey's approach is as down-to-earth as the book's title suggests. It is written for the average person who prefers to have things explained in easily understood terms - as with the computer example above. Writing more like a friendly GP than one of the world's leading consultants with a string of letters after his name, Ratey begins each chapter with a case history that shows how psychological and physical problems have arisen, how the brain has responded and how it can be reprogrammed to put the damage right. In order to understand this we need to know a bit about the brain's many bits and pieces, and Ratey explains these without resort to overly technical terms. Those with phobias, ailments such as depression, and sufferers from social complexes of all kinds will find it easier to understand their problems and treatments through reading Ratey's simple explanations. The accompanying diagrams are of interest in showing which parts of the brain govern our every mood and perception. The book is not a self-treatment guide. Going back to the computer analogy, think of it more as an instruction manual that shows how that wonderful hardware in our heads responds best to careful and respectful use. (Kirkus UK)