This information-packed guidebook combines the latest in brain research with the real world applications for your personal, family and work life.

The best part of this book is that every sub-chapter includes a list of "applications" for what you have just read. This elevates the book from the simple listing of facts to an extremely usable tool. I would dare anyone to read this book and not come away with at least one application that could not vastly improve their life. Time with this book is time well spent.

27 of 27 found the following review helpful:


A great book for teachers, managers, trainers and parents  May 03, 1999 By groei@xs4all.nl
There are books in my bookcase that are still utterley beautifull. Some of the books however are dog-eared and dilapidated, shaken and loosened by continual use, marked and scribbled in from front to back. Howard's Owner's Manual for the Brain is one of them. There is no book available at the moment that can be compared to this classic Great Book. This is my one-and-only book that accompanies me on every flight across the world, to ev'ry meeting I have. It is on my desk as soon as I start designing a a training, or writing an article or preparing a presentation. It gives us theoretically insights to the (dys)functioning of people - young and old. More important it gives you solutions for education, life in general and managing people and problems. Easy to read, scientifically up-to-date and the book designs show that he walks his talks.

20 of 20 found the following review helpful:


Excellent starting point for understanding the brain  Feb 12, 2003 By P. Gimenez "chuos"
If you are beginning to study the mind and brain, this is clearly the place to start. The book covers all the major topics related to the human brain function, with a focus on breadth rather than depth. It's easy to read and full of everyday applications that you can start using the first day to improve both your personal self and your relationships.

If you are already knowledgeable on this field, the book is filled with thousands of references to other books, papers, web sites and institutes where you can find more information on the latest advances for each topic.

Even if you skip all the technical terms, the book is really worth reading and keeping it close as a reference.

20 of 20 found the following review helpful:


The Layman's Brain Guide  Sep 13, 2000 By Caroline Olson
I really enjoyed this book cover-to-cover. I had a hard time putting it down. Mr. Howard explains the anatomy of the brain so that someone who is not a doctor can understand. He explains how all of our everyday activities relate to how our brain works: from what we eat, how we sleep, to how much we exercise. He describes the differences between the genders, and he spends quite a few pages about the different methods of learning and IQ. I especially enjoyed his very precise descriptions of memory, how it is formed and how it can be improved. Because brain research is progressing at such a fast rate, I look forward to reading the next edition.

34 of 37 found the following review helpful:


Masterful Balance of Profundity and Simplicity  Jan 02, 2003 By Kent Ponder
Even my first riff through this hefty tome, viewing the graphic variety of summaries flash by, was a pleasure reminiscent of my first youthful encounter with a Worldbook Encyclopedia. Astonishing in its breadth and clarity of coverage, direct and practical in topic selection and presentation, this book educates and entertains while it links related concepts and leads the reader into a surprising variety of organized branches of further exploration.

Though my Ph.D. is in a related field, I found new, intriguing and useful information at almost every turn of page. The descriptions are simple but not simplistic. Suggestions and advice are practicable but not prosaic or mundane. Whether your interest is right-left brain observations or the right anterior cingulate cortex, you'll find enlightening remarks and crystal-clear syntheses in these attractively laid-out pages.

How small children perceive their world? It's here. How brain activity varies from sex to sex and age to age? You'll find it. Why you feel as you do on some occasions and not others? That too. What you can do to improve this, that and you-name-it? Yes. To me this book is analogous to a trip through a huge new shopping center plus a museum complex and an international buffet. I would honestly worry about the state of mind or level of sincerity of a person who would claim not to find this book fascinating and rewarding.

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