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ratings: ★★★★☆ (4/5)
Genre: Psychology / Neuroscience / Popular Science

Book Review:
Kathleen Taylor's ''Brainwashing'' is an outstanding and thought-provoking exploration of one of the most misunderstood phenomena of our time. Shortlisted for the MIND Book of the Year Award, this book does exactly what its subtitle promises: it reveals the science of thought control. Taylor, a neuroscientist, brings together cutting-edge research from neuroscience and social psychology to explain what actually happens in our brains when our beliefs are manipulated by forces outside our control. But this is not just dry theory—she illustrates her points with chilling case studies of real-life brainwashing, from prisoners of war to cult members. Perhaps most disturbingly, she shows how thought control exists in various forms all around us every day, from marketing and television to politics. The Focus Magazine called it ''an outstanding book... anyone interested in psychology will find it a thrill.'' Accessible yet rigorous, this book will change how you think about your own thinking. Essential reading for our age of information overload and manipulation.