Into the Gray Zone: A Neuroscientist Explores the Border Between Life and Death
Language: English
Published by Scribner Book Company, 2017
- Hardcover
- Used

Seller: ThriftBooks-Atlanta, AUSTELL, GA, U.S.A.ThriftBooks-Atlanta
AbeBooks seller since March 24, 2009
Condition: Used - Good
£ 5.27
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Add to basketItem description from seller
Pages can have notes/highlighting. Spine may show signs of wear. ~ ThriftBooks: Read More, Spend Less.
Seller Inventory # G1501135201I3N00
- Title
- Into the Gray Zone: A Neuroscientist Explores the Border Between Life and Death
- Author
- Owen, Adrian
- Publisher
- Scribner Book Company
- Publication year
- 2017
- Condition
- Good
- Dust jacket
- No Jacket
- Binding
- Hardcover
- Language
- English
- ISBN 10
- 1501135201
- ISBN 13
- 9781501135200
- Item weight
- 1.33 pounds
Into the Gray Zone takes readers to the edge of a dazzling, humbling frontier in our understanding of the brain: the so-called &;gray zone&; between full consciousness and brain death. People in this middle place have sustained traumatic brain injuries or are the victims of stroke or degenerative diseases, such as Alzheimer&;s and Parkinson&;s. Many are oblivious to the outside world, and their doctors believe they are incapable of thought. But a sizeable number are experiencing something different: intact minds adrift deep within damaged brains and bodies. An expert in the field, Adrian Owen led a team that, in 2006, discovered this lost population and made medical history. Scientists, physicians, and philosophers have only just begun to grapple with the implications.
Following Owen&;s journey of exciting medical discovery, Into the Gray Zone asks some tough and terrifying questions, such as: What is life like for these patients? What can their families and friends do to help them? What are the ethical implications for religious organizations, politicians, the Right to Die movement, and even insurers? And perhaps most intriguing of all: in defining what a life worth living is, are we too concerned with the physical and not giving enough emphasis to the power of thought? What, truly, defines a satisfying life?
This book is about the difference between a brain and a mind, a body and a person. It is about what these fascinating borderlands between life and death have taught us about being human.
"Synopsis" may belong to another edition of this title.
Review
--Daniel J. Levitin, New York Times bestselling author of This Is Your Brain on Music and The Organized Mind
"Immensely moving, profound, and engaging, with a zest for life and science that bubbles off the page...Owen has lived the dream of a neuroscientific discovery that changes thinking about a terrifying medical condition and how patients and their families can be given the answers they crave. Reading how this happened will make you alternately laugh, gasp and cry."
--John Duncan, author of How Intelligence Happens
"Fascinating...With remarkable clarity, Owen punctuates his findings with concise dispatches on the human condition and the disparities between what is considered quality of life and what some consider an inhumane, dysfunctional existence....A striking scientific journey that draws hopeful attention to how the brain reacts, restores, and perseveres despite grave injury."
--Kirkus Reviews
"Vivid, emotional, and thought-provoking . . . Owen's story of horror and hope will long haunt readers."
--Publishers Weekly
"Meshing memoir with scientific explication, Owen reveals how functional magnetic resonance imaging can probe the deep space of trapped minds. It's a riveting read, from the march of technology and tests for neural responses--such as imagining playing a game of tennis--to extraordinary personal accounts of the 'gray zone' by partially recovered patients."
--Nature magazine
"Into the Gray Zone is required reading for anyone who wants to explore the outer limits of consciousness, and the human spirit. Neuroscientist Adrian Owen takes us on gripping, often harrowing journeys into the most mysterious realm of human experience: the twilight zone between life and death. He narrates this real-life scientific thriller with authority, compassion and unexpected humor. Into the Gray Zone is a riveting read that will open your eyes, your heart, and your mind."
--Joshua Horwitz, War of the Whales: A True Story, Winner, 2015 PEN Literary Award for Best Science Writing
"What an amazing read! Adrian Owen takes us on a personal and scientific journey, which leads to the discovery of lost minds hidden within the damaged brains of patients in a vegetative state. The book is a real page-turner, both because it unpacks the complexities of modern neuroscience in an accessible way and because it directly confronts profound ethical questions."
--Melvyn Goodale, PhD, coauthor of Sight Unseen: An Exploration of Conscious and Unconscious Vision
"Into the Gray Zone is both a crystal-clear description of cutting-edge neuroscience from one of the pioneers in the field, and a set of intensely personal stories about patients in the twilight of consciousness. Owen deftly knits these two strands together to raise fascinating ethical questions about human identity and value. The result is one of the most moving and gripping science books you're ever likely to read."
--Daniel Bor, author of The Ravenous Brain: How the New Science of Consciousness Explains Our Insatiable Search for Meaning
"This is an unforgettable book. Owen weaves together stories of human resilience in the face of extraordinary adversity with an account of his own ground-breaking research, and in so doing takes us on a deeply moving journey to the very frontiers of consciousness. I couldn't put it down."
--Tim Bayne, author of The Unity of Consciousness
"As a journalist observing Adrian Owen's pioneering research over the years, I've grown used to the media sensation created by his descents into the twilight world between death and consciousness. But to understand the profound impact of his work on his many patients, told in his own words, is truly moving and inspirational. Though their experiences are disturbing, Into the Gray Zone provides an uplifting testament to the power of scientific curiosity and the extraordinary resilience of the human spirit. This book delivers an eloquent message: even in the most desperate circumstances, there can be hope."
--Roger Highfield, former editor of New Scientist and coauthor of SuperCooperators and The Arrow of Time
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