Main description:

Everything we think, do, and refrain from doing is determined by our brain. It shapes our potential, our limitations, and our characters. In other words, we don't just have brains; we are our brains. This forceful conclusion is at the heart of pre-eminent brain researcher DF Swaab's international bestseller. It reveals how nearly everything about us - from our sexual orientation to our religious proclivities - is present in our neuronal circuits before we are even born. In short, engaging chapters that combine fascinating and often bizarre case studies and historical examples, Swaab explains what is going on in our brains at every stage of life, from the womb to the radical changes that take place during adolescence to what happens when we fall in love or get Alzheimer's. Provocative, opinionated and utterly convincing, We Are Our Brains illuminates this complex organ's role in shaping every aspect of human existence.