Weekend Reads: “Iconoclast”

I went into the Wayback Machine for this one.

Iconoclast: A Neuroscientist Reveals How to Think DifferentlyIconoclast: A Neuroscientist Reveals How to Think Differently by Gregory Berns
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

“Iconoclast” is that true rarity: a book I start recommending to friends before I have even finished reading it.

Berns uses his background in neuroscience to first show the physiological differences in brain structure between iconoclasts (original thinkers, if you will) and those who tend to “go with the crowd.” Citations include controlled studies, MRI data, etc. Once he demonstrates the differences, he share examples of iconoclastic thought in everything from hamburgers to aerospace.

The main focus, though, is how to train your brain away from the fear-based mentality that prevents you from exercising your full potential in everything from public speaking to science. The applications for this technique are broad, in everything from education to business.

As one who has never been afraid to speak my mind, I could not understand those who went along “with the gang” even when they disagreed. Thanks to Berns’ book, I have a far greater understanding.

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Weekend Reads: “Regeneration: The Rescue of a Wild Land”

Regeneration: The Rescue of a Wild LandRegeneration: The Rescue of a Wild Land by Andrew Painting
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

It took me a long time to finish this book. I bought it in Scotland, and picked it up shortly after I got home. I read other things concurrently, to be sure (I always have a couple of books going), but this one had to be taken in small chunks.

This book deals with the part of Scotland’s rewilding efforts taking place at Mar Lodge in the Cairngorms. Much of the effort, as in this case, is focused on the enormous sporting estates; a handful of wealthy individuals own a majority of the land in the Highlands, so their cooperation is needed. Census-taking for wildlife ranging in size from moss to red deer constitutes a great deal of the work,a and is shared with the readers so that we truly understand the importance of biological diversity to the overall effort.

Maybe Scotland seems far away to you, so it seems that the effort may not be relevant. The truth is, this movement of preserving and monitoring native flora and fauna is a global one and of the utmost importance. Our planet will only survive if we look after it.

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