Writing this book is a great adventure
and a mystery trip, as is each book. In this one I combine
my favorite fascinations – nature and human nature. On the
days I don’t work on it, I feel it tugging and squirming and
know I’ll have to start attending to it again soon. Writing,
after all, is an art form that lives along the vertebrae and
pierces the heart. A book can clamor for attention.
--
from An Alchemy of Mind
Every animal has a brain, but only human
beings are granted the ability to write books about it. It is one
of the attributes that makes us human. As Diane Ackerman writes in her latest
book “An
Alchemy of Mind: The Marvel and Mystery of the Brain”, “I
believe creativity is our ecological niche.” And within
the vast creative field of contemporary literature
and natural history, Ms. Ackerman has found her own
special
niche.
This book – her 20th including poetry
and books for children – continues Ackerman’s search into the
natural world that includes the best-selling “A
Natural History of the Senses” in 1990 and “A
Natural History of Love” four years later. They are as
much an extended essay into her personal thoughts and actions,
a sharing of the universals that play out in all our lives.
Anyone writing about the brain is going to be
led down dark passages, because science can only tell us so
much about how it all functions. Despite thorough brain
mapping and tremendous advances in neurology, scientists
are still not sure exactly how the mind makes its connections. And
therein lies the first trace of mystery. As Ackerman states, “The
brain is not the mind, the mind inhabits the brain. Like a
ghost in a machine, some say.” The brain/mind may determine
character and personality, may compose beautiful music and
solve complex mathematical problems, but it’s always at work
in the background. It may allow a philosopher and poet to
delve further than a scientist into the nature of consciousness
or the intimations of genius.
“An Alchemy of Mind” describes brain structure,
function and evolution. It continues through chapters on memory,
desire, language and emotion. Ackerman, a naturalist who lives
in Ithaca, also writes with discipline and free association
about her beloved garden and about visions during a life-threatening
experience.
Diane Ackerman joins WSKG’s Bill Jaker on OFF THE PAGE to tell
about the world within and around us. Listeners can join in
the conversation during the live 1:00 PM broadcast by calling
1-888/359-9754 or by sending a message HERE or directly by
e-mail to WSKG.Radio@Gmail.com.
 Joel Shatzky is now a Professor Emeritus
of English at SUNY-Cortland, and his many years in the academic
world are reflected in his
hilarious new book “Option Three: A Novel about the University”. He
visits OFF THE PAGE on June 13th to tell about
teaching, writing, publishing and his forthcoming work of
science fiction.
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Off the Page
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