Welcome to Your Child's Brain: How the Mind Grows from Conception to College

Welcome to Your Child's Brain

by Sam Wang, Sandra Aamodt

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Book Review
How children think is one of the most enduring mysteries and difficulties encountered by parents. In an effort to raise our children smarter, happier, stronger, and better, parents will try almost anything, from vitamins to toys to DVDs. But how can we tell marketing from real science? And what really goes through your kid's growing mind as an infant, in school, and during adolescence?

Neuroscientists Sandra Aamodt and Sam Wang (who is also a parent) explain the facets and functions of the developing brain, discussing salient subjects such as sleep problems, language learning, gender differences, and autism. They dispel common myths about important subjects such as the value of educational videos for babies, the meaning of ADHD in the classroom, and the best predictor of academic success (hint: It's not IQ ). Most of all, this book helps you know when to worry, how to respond, and, most important, when to relax.

Welcome to Your Child's Brain upends myths and misinformation with practical advice, surprising revelations, and real, reliable science. It's essential reading for parents of children of any age, from infancy well into their teens.

About the Author
Sandra Aamodt, Ph.D, is the former editor in chief of Nature Neuroscience, the leading scientific journal in the field of brain research. During her career, she has read over 5000 neuroscience papers, given lectures at many universities, and attended over fort scientific meetings in ten countries. Her science writing has been published in the New York Times, Washington Post, El Mundo and the London Times. She lives in Northern California with her husband, one cat, and three chickens.

Sam Wang, Ph.D, is an associate professor of neuroscience at Princeton University. He has published fifty articles on the brain in leading scientific journals and received numerous awards. His research and analysis has been featured in the Wall Street Journal, the New York Times and on National Public Radio, and he has made numerous television and radio appearances. He lives in Princeton, NJ with his wife and daughter.

The Secret Lives of Wives

The Secret Lives of Wives: Women Share What It Really Takes to Stay Married

by Iris Krasnow

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Book Review
America's high divorce rate is well known. But little attention has been paid to the flip side: couples who creatively (sometimes clandestinely) manage to build marriages that are lasting longer than we ever thought possible. What's the secret? To find out, bestselling journalist Iris Krasnow interviewed more than 200 wives whose marriages have survived for 15 to 70 years. They are a diverse cast, yet they share one common and significant trait: They have made bold, sometimes secretive and shocking choices on how to keep their marital vows, "till death do us part," as Krasnow says, "without killing someone first."

In raw, candid, titillating stories, Krasnow's cast of wise women give voice to the truth about marriage and the importance of maintaining a strong sense of self apart from the relationship. Some spend summers separately from their partners. Some make time for wine with the girls. One septuagenarian has a recurring date with an old flame from high school. In every case, the marriage operates on many tracks, giving both spouses license to pursue the question "Who am I apart from my marriage?" Krasnow's goal is to give women permission to create their own marriages at any age. Marital bliss is possible, she says, if each partner is blissful apart from the other.

A fascinating window on the many faces of modern relationships, The Secret Lives of Wives brims with inspiring and daring examples of women who have it both ways: a committed marriage and personal adventures in uncharted territory. For anyone who wants to stay married and stay sane, this is the book to read!

About the Author
Iris Krasnow is the author of the New York Times bestseller Surrendering to Marriage as well as Surrendering to Motherhood, Surrendering to Yourself, and I Am My Mother's Daughter. She has appeared on numerous national shows, ranging from Oprah and Good Morning America to All Things Considered. She lives in Maryland with her husband and four sons.

Leveraging the Universe: 7 Steps to Engaging Life's Magic

Leveraging the Universe: 7 Steps to Engaging Life's Magic

by Mike Dooley

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Book Review
Bestselling author Mike Dooley builds on the principles from Infinite Possibilities and Manifesting Change to offer a step-by-step strategy for leveraging the Universe in the course of self-fulfillment and success. In just a seven steps, Dooley teaches you how to channel the Universe’s incredible energy to achieve your greatest dreams.

Filled with practical strategies and simple exercises that anyone can do, Leveraging the Universe lays out the path to engaging the magic that is available to everyone. Dooley weaves his inspiring personal history throughout the book to demonstrate firsthand how properly applying the Universe’s power has brought success and fulfillment to his own life. Simply follow Dooley’s seven steps to an amazing life:

• Understand Your Relationship to the Universe and the Magic. As shared in Manifesting Change, not understanding the nature of your reality is the number one reason people actually “fail.”
• Starting Where You Are. No matter where you are today, there are brand new things to do tomorrow even if you don’t know yet know what you are going to do when you grow up.
• Taking Action and Delegating. Know what you can, should, and must do, versus what you mustn’t ever do.
• Using the Fulcrums of Your Thoughts, Words, and Deeds. How to use your thoughts, words, and actions to get the most from life, by doing the least.
• Aligning Your Beliefs With Your Dreams. No need to figure out what your invisible limiting beliefs are, they are invisible after all! Instead, know what you want them to be.
• Beginning It. How to get all your ducks lined up, even the ones you didn’t know you had.
• Adjusting your sails. There’s never been anything wrong with you, though your approach may need some tweaking.

About the Author
Mike Dooley is an international tax accountant turned entrepreneur turned writer for "the Universe." His Notes from the Universe™ emails go out to more than 370,000 subscribers, and have since spun off into books, calendars, greeting cards, and world tours. As the bestselling author of Infinite Possibilities and Manifesting Change, with works translated into twenty-five languages, and a featured teacher in The Secret book and DVD, Dooley is actively using the concepts and principles he expounds upon to travel the world, speaking on life, dreams, and happiness.

Decoding the Mysteries of Personality

Making Sense of People: Decoding the Mysteries of Personality

by Samuel Barondes

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Book Review
Leading neuroscientist Samuel Barondes shares scientific frameworks and tools for improving your intuitions about people, and sizing them up more consciously, systematically, and successfully. He shows how to use the latest research about personality and character to get along better, choose great friends, decide whom to trust, and avoid narcissists and sociopaths.

About the Author
Samuel Barondes is the Jeanne and Sanford Robertson Professor and Director of the Center for Neurobiology and Psychiatry at the University of California, San Francisco. A leading psychiatrist and neuroscientist, he is a member of the Institute of Medicine and of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. His books include Mood Genes, Better Than Prozac, and the Scientific American Library title Molecules and Mental Illness. He lives in Sausalito, California.

The Relaxation & Stress Reduction Workbook

The Relaxation and Stress Reduction Workbook

by Martha Davis Ph.D.

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Book Review
Since its first publication in 1980, "The Relaxation and Stress Reduction Workbook" has become the most indispensable resource for effective and up-to-date techniques for relaxing the body, calming the mind, and refreshing the spirit. Therapists recommend the book to their clients; readers pass it on to their friends. More than half a million copies have helped millions of people take the edge off their stressful lives and find the peace they need to foster happiness and success. The overwhelming popularity of this book is the result of its comprehensive yet simple and straightforward adaptation of all the most effective relaxation techniques.No other book offers easy-to-use, step-by-step instructions for using progressive relaxation, autogenics, self-hypnosis, visualization, mindfulness, acceptance, and more. This revision will significantly update and simplify this timeless classic. The authors provide the most proven-effective worry and anger models based on the latest research. They have simplified many of the chapters so that readers only get the best treatment methods in the most accessible manner. Two new chapters include "Facing Feelings", which focuses on mindfulness and acceptance, and "Coping with Anger". The chapter on time management will be revised to include information on how to unplug from our wealth of electronic communication conveniences when necessary. The book also includes an updated resources section and subject index.

About the Author
Martha Davis, Ph.D., worked as a psychologist at the Kaiser Permanente Medical Center Department of Psychiatry in Santa Clara, CA, where she did individual, couple, and group psychotherapy. She is now retired and living in northern California with her family. She has co-authored Thoughts & Feelings, Messages, and The Messages Workbook.

Elizabeth Robbins Eshelman, MSW, is a licensed clinical social worker who worked as a staff operations consultant for the marketing and internet services group of the Kaiser Foundation Health Plan. She is now retired and lives in the San Francisco Bay Area. She is preparing to become a certified coach for executives and other individuals and plans to use skills and techniques from this book in her practice.

Matthew McKay, Ph.D., is a professor at the Wright Institute in Berkeley, CA. He has authored more than twenty-five books, including When Anger Hurts, Self-Esteem, and ACT on Life Not on Anger. In private practice, McKay specializes in the cognitive behavioral treatment of anxiety, anger, and depression.

Beyond the Paleo Diet for Total Health and a Longer Life

Primal Body, Primal Mind: Beyond the Paleo Diet for Total Health and a Longer Life

by Nora T. Gedgaudas

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Book Review
Examining the healthy lives of our pre-agricultural Paleolithic ancestors and the marked decline in stature, bone density, and dental health and the increase in birth defects, malnutrition, and disease following the implementation of the agricultural lifestyle, Nora Gedgaudas shows how our modern grain and carbohydrate heavy low-fat diets are a far cry from the high-fat, moderate-protein hunter-gatherer diets we are genetically programmed for, leading not only to lifelong weight gain but also to cravings, mood disorders, cognitive problems, and “diseases of civilization”--such as cancer, osteoporosis, metabolic syndrome (insulin resistance), heart disease, and mental illness.

Applying modern discoveries to the basic hunter-gatherer diet, she culls from vast research in evolutionary physiology, biochemistry, metabolism, nutrition, and chronic and degenerative disease to unveil a holistic lifestyle for true mind-body health and longevity. Revealing the primal origins and physiological basis for a high-fat, moderate-protein, starch-free diet and the importance of adequate omega-3 intake--critical to our brain and nervous system but sorely lacking in most people’s diets--she explains the nutritional problems of grains, gluten, soy, dairy, and starchy vegetables; which natural fats promote health and which (such as canola oil) harm it; the crucial role of vitamin D in cancer and disease prevention; the importance of saturated fat and cholesterol; and how diet affects mental health, memory, cognitive function, hormonal balance, and cellular aging. With step-by-step guidelines, recipes, and meal recommendations, this book offers sustainable strategies for a primally based, yet modern approach to diet and exercise to reduce stress and anxiety, lose weight, improve sleep and mood, increase energy and immunity, enhance brain function, save money on groceries, and live longer and happier.

About the Author
Nora T. Gedgaudas, CNS, CNT, is a certified nutritional therapist and neurofeedback specialist with a private practice. A member of the Nutritional Therapy Association, the National Association of Nutritional Professionals, the Nutrition and Metabolism Society, and the Weston A. Price Foundation, she lives in Portland, Oregon.