TOP BRAIN, BOTTOM BRAIN Surprising Insights Into How You Think

Christopher Hurt has an appealing, mildly flinty vocal quality that would sound at home presenting any type of scientific or investigative writing. With his relaxed and kindly delivery providing space for curiosity and engagement, he conveys a reassuring gentleness that softens the facts and abstractions in this neuroscience book. The author (with a cowriter) summarizes research that shows that the brain is best understood as two broad systems that are each connected to many specific brain areas and work in different proportions in different people. To oversimplify, the Top Brain is the system concerned with spatial perception, navigation, and acting, while the Bottom Brain involves perceiving and analyzing information, especially sensory data. Fascinating research snippets and Hurt's excellent reading make this technical book fascinating. T.W. © AudioFile 2014, Portland, Maine [Published: FEBRUARY 2014]