Throughout my life in academia, I have received much advice on how I should and shouldn’t write. Countless books have been written on the topic, but The Reader’s Brain is special. Instead of just telling people what to do, Yellowlees Douglas actually explains why it is good to write one way or another, based on cutting-edge research on how our minds process written language.

The Reader’s Brain has been invaluable to me, as it greatly improved the quality of my PhD thesis. It is doubly interesting, because it is not only useful, but also gives interesting insights into how our minds work.

I strongly recommend you read this book if:

  • You write things (theses, blog posts, emails, etc.), or
  • you are interested in neuroscience and natural language understanding;
  • And you prefer science-based advice over authority-based advice on your writing style.