Proust and the Squid: The Story and Science of the Reading Brain

Description

How the brain learned to read is a startling reminder of the amazing achievements of humankind. We were never born to read, says Maryanne Wolf. No specific genes ever dictated readings development. Human beings invented reading only a few thousand years ago. And with this invention, we changed the very organisation of our brain, which in turn expanded the ways we were able to think, which altered the intellectual evolution of our species. In Proust and the Squid, Maryanne Wolf explores our brains near-miraculous ability to arrange and rearrange themselves in response to external circumstances. Wolf, a world expert on the reading brain, brings both a personal passion and a deft style to this incredible story. A pop science masterpiece on a subject that anyone who loves reading will be sure to find fascinating.

Maryanne Wolf teaches at Tufts University and is Director of the Center for Reading and Language Research in Boston, USA. She teaches and lectures all over the world and is a renowned expert on the reading brain.

'This book is so thought-provoking that at times it feels as if one is being overloaded. Yet it is - except for some of the stuff about the supramarginal gyrus - quite easy to read. That, probably, is why it is so stimulating.' Nicholas Lezard, Guardian'Everything about Maryanne Wolf's book, which combines a healthy dose of lucid neuroscience with a dash of sensitive personal narrative, delights ... a beautifully balanced piece of popular-science writing' Boyd Tonkin, Independent'For people interested in language, this is a must. You'll find yourself focusing on words in new ways. Read it slowly - it will take time to sink in.' William Leith, Sunday Telegraph"'As booksellers, we don't need to be convinced of the importance of reading, but Maryanne Wolf's sage book goes far beyond what even we imagined. Wolf... is not content to discuss the cultural significance of reading; she asserts with convincing evidence that this activity has radically changed the very organization of the human brain.' www.barnesandnoble.com"