The Rewired Brain

By nature, I am a pessimistic person.  I usually see things glass half empty and will jump to the worst case scenario when things don't go exactly as I have planned.  This is why I was interested in The Rewired Brain by Dr. Ski Chilton.

The Negatives

Like I said, I'm negative by nature, so I thought I'd start with the things that I didn't love about the book.

This Rewired Brain is a mixture of science and faith, but the science language is what dragged me down.  Dr. Chilton did a good job of not using science-specific jargon where he could, but there are times when it is simply unavoidable.  This was not a book to curl up with an hour before bed when you were tired.  You needed your full brain to be engaged in order to truly understand what Dr. Chilton was explaining.

Only a third of the book really tells you HOW to rewire your brain.  The other two-thirds is background on the brain and then examples of what can cause you to be negative or react without thought in the first place.  I got bored with the book, honestly, before I got to the HOW part so I didn't spend much time trying the tips out.  I was excited about them by the time I read through them.

The Positives

I do like how Dr. Chilton tried to marry the idea of science and faith when dealing with changing our behavior.  He did a thorough (maybe too thorough) job of explaining brain circuitry and the WHY of many behaviors.  Realizing why we act the way we do is the only way we can truly find it in ourselves to want to change.  But we need help to change, and Dr. Chilton shares this as well.  He talks a lot about prayer and how we must lay down our negative behaviors at the feet of our God and pray for Him to change us.

The stories, examples and imagery that Dr. Chilton used in the book were also helpful.  They helped to keep me somewhat entertained in the book.  Dr. Chilton is also very vulnerable in his own struggles and why he chose to pursue the research needed to be able to write this book.  You can tell when a writer believes in the work and is being honest with you, and I felt that with Dr. Chilton.

All in All

I rated The Rewired Brain as three stars on Goodreads.  It was okay. This isn't a book that I will probably refer back to often, if at all, but I'm glad I read it.  There are things about my negative behaviors that I understand better now.  If you are a chronic pessimist or have anger issues, I would recommend this book, but if you're just trying to change some minor habits, I would look elsewhere.

Disclosures:  I received this book from Bakers Books for Bloggers for this review. Erika Bault is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com