This issue of "Nandu Book List" focuses on introducing a popular science book on brain science: "Changing Minds". Two American scientists in this book proposed that language can play an optimizing and compensating role in the face of cognitive aging. Therefore, exercising our language skills now and maintaining reading, writing and talking can make cognitive reserves for a healthy old age.
"Nandu Book List" is a recent good book selected by the editors and reporters of Nanfang Metropolis Daily for readers, which is divided into four categories: "Literature and Art", "Social Science", "Practical" and "Children's Books", which are launched every Sunday.
【Practical】
The Changing Mind: How Language Slows Aging
Roger Cruz et al., Shanghai Education Publishing House, December 2021 edition, 65.00 yuan.
This is an interesting and informative popular science book that will bring great inspiration to people. Does language ability, which relies on perception and memory, continue to decline with age? In order to answer this complex question, American psychology professors Roger Cruz and Dr. Richard Roberts in this book, by describing the changes in the four dimensions of language ability (that is, listening, speaking, reading, and writing) and the currently known coping methods, present the reader with a picture of the change in language ability after entering the old age, and emphasize that positive cognition of aging should be formed from a young age and language ability should be exercised.
The authors point out that understanding the root causes of changes in language ability can help us cope more effectively with the decline in cognitive function. Language and aging interact with each other. The elderly actually have certain advantages in terms of language ability, such as: the elderly are better at telling stories; the elderly have a larger vocabulary; the elderly can become better writers... The authors use a wealth of experimental cases to show the similarities and differences between young and old people; the authors have searched for many clues that show language ability and cognitive changes from daily life, celebrity anecdotes, and popular culture, which makes people read with great interest. For example, the nuns who have lived and studied together since they were young can basically guess who is more likely to develop Alzheimer's disease by observing the difference in their writing ability.
The authors argue that being a bookworm can compensate for the decline of other cognitive processes: just spending 30 minutes a day reading can have an effect. This advice, whether it's really beneficial to cognitive function or not, is well worth listening to — after all, reading is much better than swiping your phone.
We all age and deal with older people, so everyone might as well read this interesting book. Now that many middle-aged people feel that they are not old, they should make full use of language resources to effectively combat the premature arrival of brain aging.
【Literature & Art】
"The Shadow"
(French) By Antoine Debak, Wuhan University Press, December 2021 edition, 78.00 yuan.
In the twentieth century, French film culture was very developed, and the "fandom" of film lovers became an important cultural phenomenon. "Lost Shadow" is written by the former editor-in-chief of the famous French magazine "Film Handbook", who uses a large number of first-hand documents, archives and interviews with parties to establish a biography of the characters in the history of French fan film, reconstructing the spiritual context and social background of a generation of fan film culture. Many of these people later became critics, directors, writers, and journalists, including Bazin, Houmai, Langlois, Truffaut, Godard, Riviette, Chabrol, and others.
The Second Half of Osamu Dazai's Life
(Japanese) Nagabe Sunrise, Tianjin People's Publishing House, December 2021 edition, 78.00 yuan.
The Second Half of Osamu Dazai's Life is a biography written by the famous Japanese writer and commentator Hoshi Osamu Dazai. The biography cites a wealth of first-hand historical sources to record the ups and downs of Osamu Dazai's life, and has a delicate portrayal of Osamu Dazai's life and literary creation, which was well received after its publication in Japan. Literature, love, and faith are the three themes that run through the second half of Dazai's life, and he constantly pursues love, trust, and freedom between people, and this book depicts the life of Dazai's rebirth in literature and towards the final decade of his disillusioned life.
【Social Science】
The Price Revolution
David Hackett Fisher, Guangxi Normal University Press, December 2021, 128.00 yuan.
The price record is richer than any other quantifiable data, and spans the entire range of history, from grain price tables in the Middle Ages to surplus modern statistics ... In this book, the famous historian Fisher reshapes 800 years of world history by describing and analyzing four waves of price revolutions in history. Each of the four waves of price revolutions began in a certain period of equilibrium, and each revolution was characterized by persistent inflation, a widening gap between rich and poor, increasing instability, and finally a crisis.
Twilight in Europe
(Bulgaria) Ivan Krasteev, November 2021 edition of the Oriental Publishing Center, $45.00.
In this cutting-edge work, the Bulgarian scholar Krasteev reflects on the future of the European Union, and perhaps its future of no longer existing. Under the influence of practical factors such as the refugee crisis, right-wing conservative ideas, and Brexit, the ideal of European integration has been questioned. The author analyzes the great crisis that the EUROPEAN Union is encountering from a realistic and historical perspective unique to Eastern Europeans. He leads readers on a journey of understanding that if the EU embarks on a process of disintegration, the continent will usher in a dark political, economic and cultural future.
【Children's Book】
Seeds that grow to the moon
Zhang Hejun, (Japanese) Tsukioka Sadao, China Children's Publishing House, December 2021 edition, 48.00 yuan.
This is an interesting and informative picture book that tells the story of a peanut to the moon. The protagonist Peanut heard at a story meeting that his hometown was the moon, and with the encouragement and companionship of his friends, he decided to ask about the moon himself. This imaginative fairy tale conveys the power of dreams, perseverance and friendship. The story is interspersed with the characteristics and customs of the twenty-four solar terms, and spreads the traditional Chinese culture to young readers. The hand-drawn illustrations of Tsukioka Sadao, the elder of the Japanese animation industry, are brightly colored and full of childlike fun.
Why We're Obsessed with Sports
Editor of Sports News Editorial Department of Xinhua News Agency, December 2021 edition of Xinhua Publishing House, 158.00 yuan.
"Why We Are Fascinated by Sports" is a sports science book for teenagers. It shows teenagers the richness, diversity and fun of sports. Through the popularization of knowledge of various aspects of exercise, young readers not only realize that exercise is important and necessary, but also learn scientific exercise methods and healthy lifestyles. The whole book uses a modern painting style and expressive pictures to present the essence of the Olympic style and sports science, and use vivid illustrations to fully feel the charm of sports.
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