READER'S REVIEWS, SEPTEMBER 2009

“…Coming from the mental health field, I found this book delightfully readable, and a resource no brain fan could be without. It’s like reading a selection of fascinating short stories that all relate to the true final frontier, the human brain. What could be more intriguing? Hats off to Dana Press and Dr. Walter G. Bradley for bringing this timely book to neurologists and wannabe neurologists everywhere. Great stuff!”

 — Michael A Labbe, Silver Spring, MD

“Walter G. Bradley offers sound educational primer addressing many key concerns families face with brain related illnesses. Written out of a wealth of experience, doctor Bradley provides illustrations that help the reader understand the emotional side of those struggling with illnesses such as Alzheimer’s, stroke, and brain cancer. Bradley offers enough technical language to assist readers when they engage medical staff, yet places key clinical terminology within a larger narrative of human experience. Serving as a survey of brain illness and treatment, families, caregivers, and communities may use this book as a friendly review for a particular concern or need.”

 —Dean G. Blevins, Kansas City, MO

“On the opening page of Dr. Bradley’s enlightening book, Treating the Brain:  What the Best Doctors Know, he states, “treatment by a neurologist may come into your life or the life of someone you care about, and that’s what this book is about.”  While no one in my immediate family or circle of friends have faced the situations presented in the book’s 12 chapters, the fascinating information and interesting personal stories compelled me to read the book from cover to cover in less than a month.  Weaving the stories of his fifty years of personal experience as a neurologist with patients into easy to read examples of a wide variety of brain malfunctions helps make Bradley’s book accessible to anyone with an interest in the workings or dysfunctions of our brains.  Some stories were sad, others joyful, but all of them were hopeful and visionary with respect to new treatments on the horizon. 

Which diseases may be inherited and which typically are not?  What problems may be brought on by outside toxins?  From amazing new treatments for Parkinson’s disease to the differentiation of the many kinds of migraines, Bradley’s book has something for everyone.  Additional chapters address spinal cord injuries, Lou Gehrig’s disease, Carpal Tunnel Syndrome, stroke, cancer, epilepsy, Multiple Sclerosis and more.  The historical references are particularly interesting and his sensitive bedside manner should even inform fellow neuroscientists.

As an educator, I have suspected for at least a decade that the answers we seek to better learn how brains learn would come from the neurosciences. Understanding how a healthy brain operates most efficiently is a good start, but what happens when normal processes aren’t quite right?  In addition to the wider audience of folks whose lives are directly affected by the many brain issues Bradley addresses, his book contributes to a deeper understanding of what can go wrong in the brain and be observed in behavior or through scanning.  Treating the Brain:  What the Best Doctors Know can help to bridge the communication gap between medical schools and colleges of education and may someday contribute to bridging the learning gap in our schools.  Thank you, Dr. Bradley, for this important work.  I look forward to the day when books like this become standard in the curriculum of our future educators and educational leaders.”

 — Dr. Rebecca Shore, Charlotte, NC

“My interest in this book stems from several different perspectives. As the holder of a PhD in physiological psychology, I am interested in being able to have descriptions of the brain in layman’s terms at my finger tips. I am just finishing my respecialization training in clinical psychology and expect to be working with patients with disabilities, some of which are mentioned in the descriptive blurb about the book. Finally, on a personal level I have an X-linked disorder, which I have passed to my son, causing us both to have peripheral neuropathy. While I understand a bit more about it than an average reader, I struggle to find the right way to discuss it with my son. For all these reasons, I anticipate the enjoyment I will get as I devour this book. I look forward to adding it to my collection.”

 —Dr. Barbara Smith, Herndon VA