Review of McGilchrist, I. (2009). 'The master and his emissary: The divided brain and the making of the western world'. New Haven, CT: Yale University. Price: $38.00. 608 pp. ISBN: 978-0-300-14878-7

Abstract

The title is not at all clear before reading the book. Hence the need for a subtitle, and this subtitle made me suspicious, as I am of any theory claiming to explain "all" - the divided brain and the making of the western world? Those were my thoughts on opening this sizeable book. Yet I was soon captivated. It is written beautifully and referenced comprehensively. The author brings together his impressive knowledge of clinical psychiatry and an elegant expressive ability to present a most engaging book on the topic of hemispheric specialisation. It recounts the scientific evidence of lateralisation and then proposes shifting roles of the hemispheres during history from ancient to modern and post-modern times.