Reading Brain Books
Aurelia West
March 2017
Lately I’ve gotten into the habit of seeking out books about psychology, both online and when I’m in bookstores. I took AP Psychology back when I was in high school, and I’ve always had a fascination with the way brains work, but until recently I didn’t go searching for more information about them.
My brain book quest began the autumn of 2014 when I had to do a project on a nonfiction book. My class took trips to the library multiple times, and it was on one of those trips that I came across the book Mindset by Carol Dweck. As I read it, I was fascinated by the growth mindset versus fixed that Dweck depicted and found it easy to relate to my own life in a way that was very alluring. The way the book was written, on top of the countless studies backing up Dweck's information, intrigued me in a way that was different than the intrigue that accompanies the books that usually find their homes on my shelves.
Lately I’ve gotten into the habit of seeking out books about psychology, both online and when I’m in bookstores. I took AP Psychology back when I was in high school, and I’ve always had a fascination with the way brains work, but until recently I didn’t go searching for more information about them.
My brain book quest began the autumn of 2014 when I had to do a project on a nonfiction book. My class took trips to the library multiple times, and it was on one of those trips that I came across the book Mindset by Carol Dweck. As I read it, I was fascinated by the growth mindset versus fixed that Dweck depicted and found it easy to relate to my own life in a way that was very alluring. The way the book was written, on top of the countless studies backing up Dweck's information, intrigued me in a way that was different than the intrigue that accompanies the books that usually find their homes on my shelves.
Soon after, I was talking to my counselor about my newfound love for brain books and she recommended to me Daring Greatly by Brené Brown, a book that focused on acknowledging and embracing the vulnerability we all possess, and how showing one’s vulnerability may take the most courage of all. I was completely taken in by it, and it definitely impacted me a very good way. It was also one of the first books I’d read that wasn’t for school purposes in probably a good two years, and it helped get me back into reading for leisure.
Nowadays, both of these books still hold very special places in my heart for the way that they affected me when I read them. In fact, during my college convocation, the chancellor mentioned Dweck’s Mindset in his speech and it felt like a warm friend to me. I’ve definitely discovered a new realm of books to become invested in, and I really enjoy reading all of the studies associated with each one.
Nowadays, both of these books still hold very special places in my heart for the way that they affected me when I read them. In fact, during my college convocation, the chancellor mentioned Dweck’s Mindset in his speech and it felt like a warm friend to me. I’ve definitely discovered a new realm of books to become invested in, and I really enjoy reading all of the studies associated with each one.