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  • Livewired

  • The Inside Story of the Ever-Changing Brain
  • Written by: David Eagleman
  • Narrated by: David Eagleman
  • Length: 9 hrs and 18 mins
  • 4.9 out of 5 stars (67 ratings)

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Livewired cover art

Livewired

Written by: David Eagleman
Narrated by: David Eagleman
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Publisher's Summary

"Eagleman renders the secrets of the brain’s adaptability into a truly compelling page-turner.” (Khaled Hosseini, author of The Kite Runner)

Livewired reads wonderfully like what a book would be if it were written by Oliver Sacks and William Gibson, sitting on Carl Sagan’s front lawn.” (The Wall Street Journal)

What does drug withdrawal have in common with a broken heart? Why is the enemy of memory not time but other memories? How can a blind person learn to see with her tongue, or a deaf person learn to hear with his skin? Why did many people in the 1980s mistakenly perceive book pages to be slightly red in color? Why is the world’s best archer armless? Might we someday control a robot with our thoughts, just as we do our fingers and toes? Why do we dream at night, and what does that have to do with the rotation of the Earth?   

The answers to these questions are right behind our eyes. The greatest technology we have ever discovered on our planet is the three-pound organ carried in the vault of the skull. This book is not simply about what the brain is; it is about what it does. The magic of the brain is not found in the parts it’s made of but in the way those parts unceasingly reweave themselves in an electric, living fabric. 

In Livewired, you will surf the leading edge of neuroscience atop the anecdotes and metaphors that have made David Eagleman one of the best scientific translators of our generation. Covering decades of research to the present day, Livewired also presents new discoveries from Eagleman’s own laboratory, from synesthesia to dreaming to wearable neurotech devices that revolutionize how we think about the senses.

©2020 David Eagleman (P)2020 Random House Audio

What the critics say

"Masterful ... Outstanding popular science."⁠ (Kirkus Reviews, starred)

"An altogether fascinating tour of the astonishing plasticity and interconnectedness inside the cranial cradle of all of our experience of reality, animated by Eagleman’s erudite enthusiasm for his subject, aglow with the ecstasy of sensemaking that comes when the seemingly unconnected snaps into a consummate totality of understanding." (Maria Popova, Brain Pickings)

"Vivid ... Since the passing of Isaac Asimov, we haven’t had a working scientist like Mr. Eagleman, who engages his ideas in such a variety of modes. Livewired reads wonderfully like what a book would be if it were written by Oliver Sacks and William Gibson, sitting on Carl Sagan’s front lawn." (Wall Street Journal)   

What listeners say about Livewired

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Fascinating!

Eagleman does a fantastic job of using analogy to explain the complex workings of the mind.

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Awesome book!

Very good book for all those curious minds wanting to know how the brain works. great story and amazing performance! I'll probably listen for a 2nd time.

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A Genuinely Smart and Useful Book on Brain Plasticity

Any time I start reading a book, I judge it by the way the author presents the information, structures his narrative and by how useful the overall content is.

I was immensely pleased to find out that this book was crafted by a genuinely intelligent person who knows what he is talking about. The author has a point, his point is a fresh take on a subject as of 2022, he presents semi-academic information and backs it with scientific examples. What more can you ask from a science book?

I guarantee - you will not be disappointed if you find the subject matter relevant to you 😉

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is this the key to life?

this book blew my mind wide open! there are so many practical lessons and aha moments! highly recommend!

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Fascinating

I enjoyed listening to the science behind the bionics. on Brene Browns podcast Dr Eagleman was interviewed which inspired me to purchase the book. It is interesting and inspiring. Thank you.

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it will change your view of the brain

on the content:
brilliant and insightful. the author uses clever analogies that allow readers to digest the concepts easily. completely changed my outlook of how the brain functions.

on the narration:
well paced and well spoken, in other words not painfully boring.

other note:
the part on the possibilities of mechanical live wiring inspired by the brain is odd and probably many many years down the line but interesting.

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