PositiveThe New York Times Book ReviewTo get an eloquent reminder of this impact is timely, given the stream of recent books paying one-sided attention to rationality and knowledge ... It is interesting to see this argument being developed by a writer who started his career as a theoretical physicist ... With Emotional, he dives into a field that is clearly not his own. The result is a rather intellectualized version of the emotions without all of their bodily manifestations and long evolutionary history ... we don’t read about some of the greats, such as the psychologist Paul Ekman or the neuroscientist Jaak Panksepp, who placed facial expressions and emotional brain circuitry in an evolutionary context ... Those interested in understanding how feelings unconsciously steer thought, however, are in for a stimulating read. Mlodinow handles this topic astutely with compelling examples and attention to the latest research, which is quite spectacular. He writes in a brisk, friendly style that easily draws you in and makes you reflect on both the recounted anecdotes and your own way of handling comparable situations ... Mlodinow is skilled in setting up topics with gripping anecdotes while subsequently fleshing them out by explaining recent scientific discoveries ... Toward the end, Mlodinow turns a corner that I found unnecessary and out of his league. His book all of a sudden heads for the self-help section ... Perhaps some readers will find his advice useful, but for me the value of this book is as a lively exposé of the growing consensus about the limited power of rationality and decision-making.
David Attenborough
PositiveThe New York Times Book ReviewAttenborough relates his adventures of 60 years ago with typical British wit ... This is a great book for anyone who wants to vicariously travel like an old-fashioned adventurer and seeks to understand how far we have come in developing a protective attitude toward wildlife.
