Bookshelf: From the Brain to Chess

Book reviews on the brain after injury, new immigrant chess champs, and how disorganization leaves room for serendipitous success.

By Lydia Fong, Catherine New, Dawn Stanton, published on March 01, 2007 - last reviewed on March 23, 2007

The Brain That Changes Itself

By Norman Doidge

A woman who perpetually feels like she's falling, a man addicted to hard-core pornography, an amputee with excruciating pain in his phantom elbow: all cured thanks to neuroplasticity, the brain's ability to rewire itself. Doidge provides a history of the research in this growing field, highlighting scientists at the edge of groundbreaking discoveries and telling fascinating stories of people who have benefited. One researcher restores a woman's sense of balance by placing electrodes on her tongue to create a novel neural pathway; a man undergoes physical therapy that reorganizes his brain and allows him to return to work after suffering an incapacitating stroke. Doidge even calls psychoanalysis "neuroplastic therapy"—understanding a painful memory, for example, involves disconnecting and reconnecting neuronal groups. The book discusses specific studies and papers, but it's an engaging read for anyone interested in the science behind how our surprisingly moldable brains are changed by our experiences.

The Kings of New York

By Michael Weinreb

Covering a game that draws intellectual outliers and social misfits, sports writer Weinreb ushers us through a year in the life of a scrappy, and elite, chess team from Brooklyn's Edward R. Murrow High School. Meet Sal and Alex, both from Eastern Europe, two of the best players in the United States. And Oscar, a Puerto Rican immigrant who loves a move called "the Orangutan." These guys are mercurial and brilliant, and Weinreb takes us inside their moves and motivations. But there is another story here beyond rooks and pawns. This is the story of modern immigration and a sport with no cultural boundaries.

A Perfect Mess

By Eric Abrahamson and David H. Freedman

It pays to be messy. From the office of governor Schwarzenegger, who refuses to have a schedule, to the delicious disorder that contributes to the success of New York's best restaurants, the authors explore the benefits of messiness, citing disorganized successes in business, science, and politics, where strewn chaos can lead to serendipitous connections. No need to spend thousands of dollars for a professional organizer to rid your home of its clutter, they argue, when flexibility, completeness, and creativity spring from the same well that inspires cramming, collecting, and a little carelessness.