PT Bookshelf

The Ethical Brain

By Michael S. Gazzaniga (Dana Press)

Cognitive neuroscientist Gazzaniga conducted the groundbreaking research that gave us the popular terms "left-brained" and "right-brained." Now he calls on both sides of his brain to write a book that's part science and part philosophy, making a convincing plea for an ethical code informed by scientific understanding. Science illuminates not only controversial issues, but also the structures of the brain that evaluate moral decisions. By understanding how we make difficult choices, Gazzaniga hopes we can make those choices better.

Freakonomics: A rogue economist explores the hidden side of everything

By Steven D. Levitt and Stephen J. Dubner (William Morrow)

Why did crime fall in the 1990s? The data say: the legalization of abortion in the 1970s. Why do drug dealers live with their mothers? The data say: Drug-dealing is actually a minimum-wage job. Star economist Levitt and star journalist Dubner are convinced that a clear-eyed look at the numbers can answer every social question and overturn all conventional wisdom. Fascinating, but limited. Rather than tackle the complexities of actual human beings, the data-dog authors prefer to rummage through the statistics we humans leave behind.

The Glass Castle

By Jeannette Walls (Scribner)

In her memoir, Walls recounts the unconventional childhood she and her siblings spent traveling across the southwest, led by an unruly father and an eccentric mother. The family comes up with creative ways to cope with being constantly poor, like celebrating Christmas one week late to take advantage of the trees that other families throw out. The book deals with dark and disturbing subject matter like alcoholism and poverty, but Walls writes with unabashed honesty and humor throughout.

Mediated: How the media shapes your world and the way you live in it

By Thomas de Zengotita (Bloomsbury)

Does the type of mouthwash you use reflect who you really are? Will you be the kind of parent who gives birth at home or in a hospital? Will you videotape the delivery? Will you use a Webcam? In a media-saturated culture of endless choices, the realms of personality and reality fuse and diffuse, becoming what anthropologist Zengotita calls "the Blob." In his new book, Zengotita guides us through the media Blob, in which episodes of reality TV are staged and spontaneous events feel rehearsed.

Against Depression

By Peter D. Kramer (Viking)

We romanticize depression as a wellspring of finer thought, as
the source of melancholic insight for artists, deep thinkers and sensitive souls. We shouldn't, says psychiatrist Kramer, author of Listening to Prozac. Suffering doesn't create genius. Depression is a disease as dangerous and debilitating as cancer, and the human species would be better off if it were
eradicated. His critics ask: What if Van Gogh had taken Prozac? Kramer's answer: more, and more beautiful, paintings.

Last Child In The Woods: Saving Our Children From Nature-Deficit Disorder

By Richard Louv (Algonquin Books of Chapel Hill)

Running around in the woods and playing in tree houses are essential to growing up. Today, children spend more time in front of their computers than outside, and Louv thinks that's a big problem. He argues that creativity and learning ability are closely tied to our experience of the natural world, and that "nature deficit disorder" may hinder mental and physical development. Louv suggests how parents, schools, architects and governments can foster an environment that places more emphasis on nature.