Like its author, Healthy Brain, Happy Life is impossible to pigeonhole. On one level, this is a delightful heroine's journey to self-acceptance. However, the heroine is a highly acclaimed neuroscientist, so on an equally enjoyable level this is a compelling treatise on how the brain functions under the influence of exercise, nutrition, social connections, service to others and meditation.
Wendy Suzuki begins with, "One day I woke up and realized I didn't have a life. As an almost-forty-year-old award-winning, world-renowned neuroscientist.... I was really good at engaging with science and advancing my career, but it seemed that I was really bad at living." So she decided to conduct an experiment on herself, applying all she knew about neuroscience, and the results were life altering. Since she was about 20 pounds overweight, she began with an exercise regimen that incorporated verbal affirmations (called intenSati). Soon she became a trained instructor and incorporated the routines into her "Can Exercise Change Your Brain?" class, studying the effects of exercise on memory and retention. Suzuki ends her experiment with meditation--which is not nearly as easy for her Type A personality as aerobic exercise.
Healthy Brain, Happy Life is not only an inspirational memoir about the rejuvenation of one individual, but a fascinating study into how lifestyle affects the brain (which affects our disposition and overall sense of wellness), as well as a concrete how-to book filled with four minute "Brain Hacks" designed to help readers restore energy, boost mood and improve thinking. --Kristen Galles from Book Club Classics