Barbara Arrowsmith-Young

In this brave, fascinating book, Barbara Arrowsmith-Young describes how she rebuilt her own damaged brain and transcended the doomful prognosis she received in childhood. This is a riveting study of both neuroscience and human determination

Andrew Solomon, author of THE NOONDAY DEMON and FAR FROM THE TREE

A pioneer in the treatment of learning disabilities... An inspiring, instructive life story

Arrowsmith-Young's poignant and uplifting book about her transformation from a child born with severe learning disabilities to a dynamic pioneer in cognitive education offers hope to anyone who has ever struggled with a learning disorder, brain trauma, ADD, or stroke. By her own fierce determination and passionate desire to learn, this remarkable woman changed her own brain and has since helped countless others to change theirs. This is an important book.

Mira Bartók, New York Times bestselling author of The Memory Palace

This is a poignant book about two people who connected across continents and generations-a Canadian woman with an unusual cognitive makeup, and the great Russian neuropsychologist Alexander Luria whose writings gave Barbara Arrowsmith the tools to change her own life and the lives of her many students. Moving, insightful and empowering!

Elkhonon Goldberg, Ph.D., the author of The Wisdom Paradox and The New Executive Brain

If you have a son, a daughter, a parent, a spouse, or a brain, this is a must-read book. It will open your mind to new possibilities on how to deal with 'traffic jams in the brain.

Alvaro Fernandez, CEO & Co-Founder, SharpBrains.com

How We Can Shape our Minds and Other Tales of Cognitive Transformation

Barbara Arrowsmith-Young was born with severe learning disabilities that caused teachers to label her as slow, stubborn - or worse. As a child, she read and wrote everything backwards, was physically uncoordinated and she continually got lost. But by relying on her formidable memory and iron will, she made her way to graduate school, where she chanced upon research that inspired her to invent cognitive exercises to 'fix' her own brain, which we now now as neuroplasticity. 
 
The Woman Who Changed Her Brain interweaves Barbara's personal story with riveting case histories from over thirty years of working with both children and adults at what became the Arrowsmith School in Toronto. This remarkable book by a brilliant pioneer deepens our understanding of how the brain works. Our brains may shape us, but this book offers clear and hopeful evidence of the corollary: that we can shape our brains. 
 
Foreword by Norman Doidge, M. D., author of The Brain that Changes Itself

The Woman who Changed Her Brain

About us

About Us (Header 4)

Best-Jane-Austen-quotes_Online-Desktop_Penguin

James-Baldwin

Marian-Keyes

haruki-murakami-320×320-1

Richard-Osman

Malorie Blackman

Lisa-Jewell

Charlie-Mackesy

Authors (Header 3)

Children&#039;s

Company

Discover

Fiction

Non-fiction

Penguin Classics

Penguin Shop (Header 5)

Useful links

Work with us

sectionTitle

isEnabled

anchor

anchorLabel

prhuk/featured-book

prhuk/praise-section

maxBooks

showViewMore

prhuk/books-section

hideAuthorAlert

formName

iterableDivision

iterableBrand

buttonText

description

heading

legalText

successHeading

successText

image

alignment

variation

prhuk/email-section

prhuk/series-section

prhuk/biography-section

prhuk/articles-section

prhuk-authors

Little Black Classics Box Set

Penguin Modern Box Set

Frankenstein

Barbara Arrowsmith-Young

Praise for The Woman who Changed Her Brain

In this brave, fascinating book, Barbara Arrowsmith-Young describes how she rebuilt her own damaged brain and transcended the doomful prognosis she received in childhood. This is a riveting study of both neurosci ...

Groundbreaking and enthralling

A pioneer in the treatment of learning disabilities... An inspiring, instructive life story

In this brave, fascinating book, Barbara Arrowsmith-Young describes how she rebuilt her own damaged brain and transcended the doomful prognosis she received in childhood. This is a riveting study of both neurosci ...

Groundbreaking and enthralling

A pioneer in the treatment of learning disabilities... An inspiring, instructive life story

In this brave, fascinating book, Barbara Arrowsmith-Young describes how she rebuilt her own damaged brain and transcended the doomful prognosis she received in childhood. This is a riveting study of both neurosci ...

Groundbreaking and enthralling

A pioneer in the treatment of learning disabilities... An inspiring, instructive life story

Follow penguin

Follow ladybird

Follow puffin

Sign up to the Penguin newsletter