Switched On: A Memoir of Brain Change and Emotional Awakening

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Switched On: A Memoir of Brain Change and Emotional Awakening

An extraordinary memoir about the cutting-edge brain therapy that dramatically changed the life and mind of John Elder Robison, the New York Times bestselling author of Look Me in the Eye

NAMED ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR BYÂ THE WASHINGTON POST

Imagine spending the first forty years of your life in darkness, blind to the emotions and social signals of other people. Then imagine that someone suddenly switches the lights on.

It has long been assumed that people living with autism are born with the diminished ability to read the emotions of others, even as they feel emotion deeply. But what if weâ€™ve been wrong all this time? What if that â€œmissingâ€ emotional insight was there all along, locked away and inaccessible in the mind?

In 2007 John Elder Robison wrote the international bestseller Look Me in the Eye, a memoir about growing up with Aspergerâ€™s syndrome. Amid the blaze of publicity that followed, he received a unique invitation: Would John like to take part in a study led by one of the worldâ€™s foremost neuroscientists, who would use an experimental new brain therapy known as TMS, or transcranial magnetic stimulation, in an effort to understand and then address the issues at the heart of autism? Switched On is the extraordinary story of what happened next.

Having spent forty years as a social outcast, misreading othersâ€™ emotions or missing them completely, John is suddenly able to sense a powerful range of feelings in other people. However, this newfound insight brings unforeseen problems and serious questions. As the emotional ground shifts beneath his feet, John struggles with the very real possibility that choosing to diminish his disability might also mean sacrificing his unique gifts and even some of his closest relationships. Switched On is a real-life Flowers for Algernon, a fascinating and intimate window into what it means to be neurologically different, and what happens when the world as you know it is upended overnight.

Praise for Switched On

â€œAn eye-opening book with a radical message . . . The transformations [Robison] undergoes throughout the book are astonishingâ€”as foreign and overwhelming as if he woke up one morning with the visual range of a bee or the auditory prowess of a bat.â€â€”The New York Times

â€œAstonishing, brave . . .Â reads like a medical thriller and keeps you wondering what will happen next . . . [Robison] takes readers for a ride through the thorny thickets of neuroscience and leaves us wanting more.â€â€”The Washington Post

â€œFascinating for its insights into Aspergerâ€™s and research, this engrossing record will make readers reexamine their preconceptions about this syndrome and the future of brain manipulation.â€â€”Booklist

â€œLike books by Andrew Solomon and Oliver Sacks, Switched On offers an opportunity to consider mental processes through a combination of powerful narrative and informative medical context.â€â€”BookPage

â€œA mind-blowing book that will force you to ask deep questions about what is important in life. Would normalizing the brains of those who think differently reduce their motivation for great achievement?â€â€”Temple Grandin, author of The Autistic Brain

â€œAt the heart of Switched On are fundamental questions of who we are, of where our identity resides, of difference and disability and free will, which are brought into sharp focus by Robisonâ€™s lived experience.â€â€”Graeme Simsion, author of The Rosie Effect

Country	USA
Author	John Elder Robison
Binding	Hardcover
EAN	9780812996890
Edition	1
ISBN	0812996895
Label	Spiegel & Grau
Manufacturer	Spiegel & Grau
NumberOfItems	1
NumberOfPages	320
PublicationDate	2016-03-22
Publisher	Spiegel & Grau
ReleaseDate	2016-03-22
Studio	Spiegel & Grau

Switched On: A Memoir of Brain Change and Emotional Awakening

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