All Is Not Forgotten

All Is Not Forgotten
By Wendy Walker
2016
St. Martin's Press
ISBN:  978-1250097910

Digital Galley from NetGalley.com
Release Date: July 12, 2016

I got the review copy of this book after reading an excerpt in BuzzBooks. The brief except had intrigued me in part because of the premise (a young rape victim treated with a medication that erases her memory) and partly because of the voice of the narrator, unnamed in the excerpt.

So first, as a future psychiatrist, I feel the need to point out that the option to give someone a medication and prevent consolidation of their memory of a traumatic event doesn't exist. That part is science fiction. However, it is science fiction of the plausible near future variety, and there are medications available now that might reduce the risk of PTSD when administered shortly after a trauma. Other than the medication, the rest of the writing in this book about how memories form and can be manipulated is relatively scientifically sound, which is, frankly, part of what makes the whole thing frightening.  Some of the stuff about psychopaths and personality disorders I personally don't agree with, but it's mostly within the realm of things that reasonable people in the field might believe.

There's not too much that can be said about the plot of this one without giving away spoilers, and I don't want to do that. This book was not, however, what I expected it to be. It is more psychological thriller with a number of morally complicated situations than mystery. The questions that drive the narrative forward are far more complex, and frankly, more interesting, than the identity of the rapist.

Overall, I found this to be an interesting and innovative thriller, if an occasionally uncomfortable read. The narrator, a psychiatrist who is treating more of the characters than would likely be recommended by professional boundries, is a distinctive and complex voice, and a particular strength. I will definitely be recommending this one once it hits shelves this summer. I would be a great beach read.

And if you read it, let me know, because I would love to talk about it with someone who doesn't need me to avoid the spoilers.

Smarter Faster Better

Smarter Faster Better
The Secrets of Being Productive in Live and Business
By Charles Duhigg
2016
Random House
ISBN:978-0812993394

Digital Galley from NetGalley.com
Release Date: March 8, 2016

I really enjoyed Duhigg's earlier book, The Power of Habit, which was well-researched, accessible, and entertaining. So when I saw this one come up as an available option on NetGalley, requesting a copy was a bit of a no-brainer. I was actually pretty excited when I got approved, since I figured it would be a pretty popular choice.

In Smarter Faster Better Duhigg turns his attention to the science of productivity, and tips for thinking processes and ideas that can take your work to the next level. He cites Atul Gwande in the Introduction as a model for prolific producitivity, and with that had me sucked in from the beginning.

This is a very readable book, and very clearly intended for a general audience. Even when Duhigg is talking about the science that backs up his assertions, he does so without feeling the need to go into too much detail about methods, so if you're seeking that level of detail, look elsewhere. That being said, I found this an enjoyable, quick read, and felt that it brought home some ideas in ways that were accessible.

One of the most powerful ideas for me was introduced in the last chapter. Interestingly, Duhigg uses as an example the impressive turn-around of South Avondale Elementary School, which is less than 2 miles away from where I sit as I write this, and is the school that a child living in my house would attend. The core idea is one similar to something that I have been advocating with my tutoring students for a number of years: information is only internalized if one manipulates and uses it right away. Duhigg calls this process, that of taking information and forcing effort-full engagement, "disfluency." And points out that sometimes it requires the counterintuitive step of taking information from the representation that is most comfortable and clear, and translating it into another form. Interestingly enough, reading this chapter helped me see how the tactic that I use often (and I think well) when studying myself, and in helping other students study and designing board-prep plans, could be applied more broadly to other areas of my thinking, especially in terms of manipulating information as I read. (Of course, this very activity, the act of sitting down and writing deliberately about a book is a form of disfluency, forcing me to think more deeply about what I have just read than I might have otherwise. It is a form of disfluency that I know is effective, since I certainly remember the books that I write about better than those that I don't, and I am better able to talk about books that I have read lately if I am blogging regularly.)

In the spirit of disflunecy: Here's a summary of the core ideas in the other chapters.
1.Motivation - Marines are badass. Creating a sense of control will both help you to maintain motivation and help to create a "bias towards action" (which is a phrase I have personally been repeating in my mind when I've been tempted to procrastinate over the last few days.) It helps to have big picture reasons for the things that you are doing, and the reflect on those when things are challenging.
2. Teams - Google is cool. The most important characteristics of teams are culture-based, and a sense of ownership and a feeling of openness to risk and flexibility, which come together in something called "psychological safety" is essential.
3. Focus - Airplanes are scary. Focus is good, creating stories that you tell yourself about what you expect can help you anticipate situations and identify problems more readily, too much focus or getting trapped in a single cognitive structure can be (very) dangerous.
4. Goal Setting - Israel should have seen the Yom Kippur War coming. SMART goals are good, but can keep you trapped in small picture ideas, the best structure combines SMART goals with large ambitious ones that force transformative thinking.
5. Managing Others - There used to be a very uncomforting amount of debauchery going on in auto plants. Somewhat similar to teams, give people flexibility and autonomy, recognize that each person is an expert in their own area is essential.
6. Decision Making - Annie Duke is good at poker. Probability is hard to understand, but not so hard that you can't help your brain get good at it, and probably worth it, but even if you do that, your accuracy will depend on your base assumptions.
7. Innovation - Frozen almost sucked. Claiming things and making them personal is important. The highest impact creativity most often comes from novel combinations and pulling together ideas from different fields. Some stress is necessary.
8. Absorbing data - See above. There are good stories coming out of the Cincinnati Public School System, so my taxes aren't entirely wasted, even though they gave me a parking ticket today.

Overall, I enjoyed the book a lot, and I think that some of the ideas, if I can make them cognitive habits, will be a help. It's a quick and simple read, so you can probably get as much benefit as you are going to from an audiobook or a quick tour of a library copy, but if you're glad that you bought The Power of Habit (I gave my copy away) then by all means, buy this too.

The Upside of Stress

The Upside of Stress
By Kelly McGonigal
2015
Avery
ISBN: 978-1-58333-561-1

ARC from LibraryThing.com
Sent to my mother for now, but likely keeping in the long run

The LibraryThing Early Reviewers program sent me a copy of The Upside of Stress many months ago. I actually picked up the book last week for two main reasons. (1) I am trying to get through all the books that I ever said I was going to review, both because I hate the feeling of having things like that hanging over my head and because I want to be in good shape with the fine people at LibraryThing so that next time they have something I really want I am more likely to get it. (2) SO MUCH STRESS.

I just came back to Cinci for my last 3 months of medical school, during which I will also (finally!) defend my dissertation. In June I will officially be a "double doctor" and done with school FOREVER. The moving back to Cincinnati was stressful (also the leaving of husband and kitties in Boston). When I picked up this book I was still waiting for board scores (released today, all happiness!). I am 43 days, 16 hours, and 57 minutes from finding out where I will spend the next stage of my training, and if I will get to spend 4-6 months of next year in pediatrics (joy!) or if I will have to do adult medicine (something other than joy!). There's a lot going on right now.

This book was just right for me right now. I will admit, it was occasionally repetitive, over-simplistic, and perhaps occasionally a little to "upsidey" for me, but overall it was a very helpful check in. I recommend it to anyone that's feeling overwhelmed.

McGonigal's central thesis is that stress is not inherently bad, and that what matters more than the amount of stress in your life is your attitude towards the things that you find stressful. She points out (compellingly) that stress is actually the result of having meaning in your life, and that focusing on that meaning, having a growth mindset, and aligning your thoughts about the stresses in your life with your values and your sense of general humanity can turn "stress" from a pro-inflammatory health disaster into a positive force for your health.

There was not terribly much in here that someone in psychology will not be at least peripherally aware of, but McGonigal's clear writing, examples, and short simple exercises are a powerful synthesis of the information into a "mindset intervention" that likely all of us could benefit from. This is a quick read, and one I think is well worth the time.