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103 of 107 found the following review helpful:
 Good read, but wrong title Aug 01, 2005
By Tom Perigrin
"TIP"
I purchased the book expecting to read about peptides, receptors, structure activity relationships, and the relationship between "molecules" and "emotions". Instead, I got an interesting book about being a woman scientist in a male dominated field, and the inside political struggles of being a grad student, post doc, etc. I read about choosing publication dates, the struggle for the Lasker prize, etc. Having "been there, done that", I can attest that Dr Pert is right about everything she says. Her story is very well written, engaging, and even entertaining.
But I didn't want to read about the POLITICS and SOCIOLOGY of studying the molecules of emotion. I wanted a review of the area, giving pertainent molecular, chemical, biochemical and psychological information. Of course, such a tome might not sell as well to the general public, but I'm not convinced that the general public will be all that interested in the power struggles that go on in academia and the palace.
I would line up for a second book by Dr Pert - one that reviews the area in the fashion described.
However, that doesn't mean the current book isn't without merit. I will probably recommend this book to beginning graduate students, along with other classics such as Brook's "The Mythical Man Month". I have seldom seen such a clearly defined expositon of the cut-throat nature of academia and big science as this book. I wonder how many grad students will be dismayed by the revelation that science is 10% inspiration, 50% persperation, and 40% politics.
118 of 125 found the following review helpful:
 Reads Like A Thriller Aug 13, 2002
By Carol Bardelli and Jerry Bardelli
Molecules of Emotion by Candace Pert Ph.D. reads like a high tech medical thriller. The fact that it's autobiographical non-fiction never detracts and it proves an intriguing and surprisingly entertaining read. An often controversial and brilliant research scientist, Candace Pert has been on the cutting edge since the early 1970's, particularly in biomolecular medicine. She has contributed enormously to the paradigm shift in scienctific research that lead to proof of the mind-body connection in the laboratory. Her book takes the reader along on her often rocky journey in a burgeoning field and reveals the inside politics of the "old boy" club modern science has yet to outgrow today. Pert makes complicated science seem easy to understand and dishes it up in palatable bites. The plot alternates between a front row seat at one of her popular lectures and the wider view of her life as a scientist. From Ph.D. candidate at Johns Hopkins, controversial NIH insider to extensive lecturer, she shows the dark side of her professional journey as well as the gratifying career-making highs. She touches on her roles as a wife, mother of three and decidedly feminine woman in an alpha male field. What many will find truely thrilling about this book is the revolutionary science behind mind-body medicine and the promise of a brighter future for all humanity as the science is put into practice. A "must read" for nearly everyone. Of particular interest to women embarking on a career in the sciences or mind-body medicine advocates.
67 of 71 found the following review helpful:
A very worthy discussion of mind-body communication! Aug 17, 1999
By Christopher M. Adams
Dr. Perts book is worth reading by any one interested in understanding the interrelationship between our body, mind, emotions and health. Much better than the many dogmatic eastern books so lacking in western-scientific thought, Dr. Pert makes the science easily understandable by laypersons. Those who criticize her "whining" against her former mentors obviously didn't finish the book, or they would have seen her own admission for her need to release the unhealthy emotions she harbored for being slighted by her male colleagues who took the credit for her valuable discovery. It's seems her detractors are the ones who are whining too much! Thought her writing is perhaps shaky at first (she lacks the eloquence of say, E.O. Wilson), she finds her stride midway through, presenting an intriguing account of the science behind the vital two-way communication continuously going on within us. While her descent into religion and spirituality was disappointing (she should have stuck with emotions - which are enough to convey her point), the book still reflects a solid effort.
41 of 43 found the following review helpful:
You really ought to read this book. Aug 23, 2000
By Asaf Rolef Ban-Shahar
When I was first recommended this book, the title made me very uncomfortable - too New Age for me. I thought it would be another book that would claim to find the bridge between mind and body, to point some unscientific pseudofacts that we should all be aware of. However, after the third recommendation I bought the book and delved into it. Dr Candace Pert is a neuroscientist and she speaks biology, which is a recognised territory for me, since my wife is a scientist as well. At the beginning of her book (which is, more than anything, a novel, a very good novel and very well written) Candace unfolds her scientific history and experience, mainly from a biological point of view but also from an autobiographical one. I was excited to enter her lab, when she invited me in, with her enthusiastic approach towards science and with professional knowledge phrased in words I could understand. Very gradually, she draws you into the basics of information-substances, which create the core of information flow in our bodies, communicating with the outside world and the inner one. With regard to facts - the book is full of them. If you are looking for scientific approval of complementary medicine, of hypnotherapy or any mind-body approach, you will surely find references for it there. It is so heart-warming to find a western scientist who not only acknowledges the unity of mind-body (the body is the unconscious mind, she says), but also further serves the public in the endeavour to shift the old paradigm of separation and move towards a new, integrated one. Candace's future flows right into her past (since information and metaphors are boundless in terms of space and time), creating a shift in her language. She stands on the edge of a new paradigm, explores her own boundaries, with beauty, love, excitement and humble humanity. Personally, I found a lot of the knowledge in the first part of the book irrelevant - when a paradigm changes, it needs a new language, new metaphor, but I acknowledge that we are on the threshold of an exciting shift. Hence, the old language is gradually twisting itself, until barely recognised, before finally moving forward to the new one. Speaking more languages is always better, having more choices is what we aim for - as humans, and as therapists. She takes the reader in a shamanic journey of self-exploration, through the realms of her private life, through the realms of science, as she shapes it with her knowledge. I found myself joining her journey, holding her hand and showing compassion in her difficult moments, happy in her growth, always from within. You really ought to read this book.
25 of 25 found the following review helpful:
Very informative Sep 24, 2005
By L. Mesa
Dr. Pert's credentials as a pioneer in this field is well documented. Her research has given credibility to what humans have known intuitively, that is, that the mind and the body are one. In this manuscript, Dr. Pert attempts to bring into a reader's grasp, a basic understanding of a very complex subject. She brings her theories and findings closer to us by using her own life experiences as examples of how, the way we process information, determines our molecular response. We are what we think. Some of the chapters addressing the science itself may have to be read twice as it is indeed a complex subject but she does a pretty good job at simplification. Towards the end of the book, some readers may feel that she may be reaching too far with her connections to alternative medicine and the New Age crowd but , from reading Dr. Pert's biography on previous occasions, reaching too far is what she does best. It is that drive and ability to see beyond the established rule that makes her a pioneer. I would certainly recommend this book.
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