Into the Silent Land

Broks draws upon his experience as a neuropsychologist to tell illuminating case studies of those with brain injury and other anomalies of experience. Woven through are reflections on the philosophy of what it means to have a mind which is based on the meat of the brain and what it means for our sense of selves to have damage to that brain.

Humane and moving, with flashes of dark humour, Broks brings back from the outlying lands of human experiences lessons that are relevant for all of us.

Having met with terrorists, kidnappers, land-grabbers, soldiers, and several outright psychopaths in my career, I have often wondered what makes people tick.

Neuropsychologist Paul Broks’ eloquent and philosophical book delves into the question of what makes you “you.” The physicality of the self is often striking – one of Broks’ patients had a fall and damaged the left side of his brain and became an indifferent, emotionless automaton: another injured the opposite side of his brain and became so effusively emotional and empathetic that his wife had to stop him giving his coat to homeless people whenever he left the… show more.