'Powerful' FINANCIAL TIMES
'Thought-provoking' NEW SCIENTIST
'Fascinating' DAILY MAIL
WINNER OF THE ROYAL SOCIETY TRIVEDI SCIENCE BOOK PRIZE
A FINANCIAL TIMES, THE TIMES AND GUARDIAN BEST SCIENCE BOOK OF THE YEAR
What makes us who we are?
Through the stories of seven of his patients, acclaimed Oxford University neurologist Masud Husain shows us how our brains create, change and can even restore our identity. Husain introduces us to a man who ran out of words, a woman who lost all inhibitions and another who believed she was having an affair with the man who was really her husband.
These compelling human dramas reveal how our identities are created by different functions within the brain. It will ignite new ideas about who we really are - and why we act in the ways we do.
"Husain's empathetic and engaging portraits tell a wider story about identity and belonging and the fundamental question of what makes each of us who we are" - * The Times, 'Best Books of 2025' *
"Each story is fascinating in its own right; together, they form a thought-provoking book that exposes the precariousness of our sense of self. If Husain's writing is an indication of his clinical care (which I suspect it is), then he is an intelligent, empathetic and perspicacious doctor" - * New Scientist *
"[An] emotionally powerful book [that] delves deeply into the nature of individual human identity and how this relates to our belonging to a supportive social group" - * Financial Times *
"
[A] funny, fascinating book . . . Above all, the book is a reminder of how mysterious the workings of the human brain are [and] builds a powerful case for supporting people whose brains have
become unruly, rather than isolating them
" - * Daily Mail *
"Neurologist Husain writes an engaging medical memoir about his experiences with seven patients whose symptoms illustrate the workings - and failings - of the human brain. At the same time he looks sympathetically at the way society treats people as their neural disorders progress and their behaviour changes" - * Financial Times *
