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There Is Life After the Nobel Prize
One day in 1996, the neuroscientist Eric R. Kandel took a call from his program officer at the National Institute of Mental Health, who informed him that he had been awarded a key grant. Also, the officer said, he and his colleagues thought Kandel would win the Nobel Prize. “I hope not soon,” Kandel’s wife, Denise, said when she heard this. Sociologists had found that Nobel Prize winners often did not contribute much more to science, she explained.
In this book, Kandel recounts his remarkable career since receiving the Nobel in 2000―or his experience of proving to his wife that he was not yet “completely dead intellectually.” He takes readers through his lab’s scientific advances, including research into how long-term memory is stored in the brain, the nature of age-related memory loss, and the neuroscience of drug addiction and schizophrenia. Kandel relates how the Nobel Prize gave him the opportunity to reach a far larger audience, which in turn allowed him to discover and pursue new directions. He describes his efforts to promote public understanding of science and to put brain science and art into conversation with each other. Kandel also discusses his return to Austria, which he had fled as a child, and observes Austria’s coming to terms with the Nazi period. Showcasing Kandel’s accomplishments, erudition, and wit, There Is Life After the Nobel Prize is a candid account of the working life of an acclaimed scientist.
In this book, Kandel recounts his remarkable career since receiving the Nobel in 2000―or his experience of proving to his wife that he was not yet “completely dead intellectually.” He takes readers through his lab’s scientific advances, including research into how long-term memory is stored in the brain, the nature of age-related memory loss, and the neuroscience of drug addiction and schizophrenia. Kandel relates how the Nobel Prize gave him the opportunity to reach a far larger audience, which in turn allowed him to discover and pursue new directions. He describes his efforts to promote public understanding of science and to put brain science and art into conversation with each other. Kandel also discusses his return to Austria, which he had fled as a child, and observes Austria’s coming to terms with the Nazi period. Showcasing Kandel’s accomplishments, erudition, and wit, There Is Life After the Nobel Prize is a candid account of the working life of an acclaimed scientist.
- GenresScience
120 pages, Hardcover
Published December 7, 2021
4 people are currently reading
75 people want to read
About the author
Eric R. Kandel
39 books589 followersEric Richard Kandel is an Austrian-born American medical doctor who specialized in psychiatry, a neuroscientist and a professor of biochemistry and biophysics at the College of Physicians and Surgeons at Columbia University. He was a recipient of the 2000 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for his research on the physiological basis of memory storage in neurons. He shared the prize with Arvid Carlsson and Paul Greengard.
Kandel was from 1984 to 2022 a Senior Investigator in the Howard Hughes Medical Institute. He was in 1975 the founding director of the Center for Neurobiology and Behavior, which is now the Department of Neuroscience at Columbia University. He currently serves on the Scientific Council of the Brain & Behavior Research Foundation. Kandel's popularized account chronicling his life and research, In Search of Memory: The Emergence of a New Science of Mind, was awarded the 2006 Los Angeles Times Book Prize for Science and Technology.
Kandel was from 1984 to 2022 a Senior Investigator in the Howard Hughes Medical Institute. He was in 1975 the founding director of the Center for Neurobiology and Behavior, which is now the Department of Neuroscience at Columbia University. He currently serves on the Scientific Council of the Brain & Behavior Research Foundation. Kandel's popularized account chronicling his life and research, In Search of Memory: The Emergence of a New Science of Mind, was awarded the 2006 Los Angeles Times Book Prize for Science and Technology.
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Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews
August 8, 2022
“Thus, the new science of mind gives us not only insights into ourselves – how we perceive, learn, remember, feel, and act – but also a new perspective on ourselves in the context of biological evolution.”
The blurb for this book describes it very well. In fact, it is really an outline of the book. And the book is like a power point presentation of the author’s research and some of his other books. I studied neuroscience in college and grad school, so I was already familiar with some of the author’s work. The book jumps from topic to topic too much to provide more than the briefest glimpse into neuroscience. Since the book is so short, what I was expecting (and hoping for) here was more about how winning the Nobel Prize impacted him in ways beyond giving him more research opportunities. I received a free copy of this book from the publisher.
The blurb for this book describes it very well. In fact, it is really an outline of the book. And the book is like a power point presentation of the author’s research and some of his other books. I studied neuroscience in college and grad school, so I was already familiar with some of the author’s work. The book jumps from topic to topic too much to provide more than the briefest glimpse into neuroscience. Since the book is so short, what I was expecting (and hoping for) here was more about how winning the Nobel Prize impacted him in ways beyond giving him more research opportunities. I received a free copy of this book from the publisher.
March 5, 2022
Interesting and informative!
There Is Life After The Nobel Prize is written by Nobel Laureate Eric Kandel, who in 2000 won Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for his research on the sea slug Aplysia, which helped to uncover important molecular mechanisms that drive the processes of learning and memory.
The book talks about his journey and accomplishments after winning the Nobel Prize.
It is a short and interesting read. I have added a few books that have been mentioned to my reading list and I am also inclined towards watching Brain Series.
The book covers a lot of concepts with simple explanations that can be grasped by audience from non scientific community. If you're interested in the workings of the human brain and how we process things in short, do give it a try.
Thank you Netgalley, Columbia University Press and Eric R. Kandel for the ARC.
There Is Life After The Nobel Prize is written by Nobel Laureate Eric Kandel, who in 2000 won Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for his research on the sea slug Aplysia, which helped to uncover important molecular mechanisms that drive the processes of learning and memory.
The book talks about his journey and accomplishments after winning the Nobel Prize.
It is a short and interesting read. I have added a few books that have been mentioned to my reading list and I am also inclined towards watching Brain Series.
The book covers a lot of concepts with simple explanations that can be grasped by audience from non scientific community. If you're interested in the workings of the human brain and how we process things in short, do give it a try.
Thank you Netgalley, Columbia University Press and Eric R. Kandel for the ARC.
December 10, 2021
This short text of Kandel, lists in an amusing way, what he has done in terms of researches, books and divulgation after the year 2000, when he was awarded the Nobel Prize for medicine. Although I have read almost all of his books, starting with the fabulous "Principles of Neuroscience" that was used at the time at the Sapienza University in Rome for the exam of Anatomical and Pathological Foundations of Psychic Activity, I was not aware of the Charlie Rose: The Brain Series, for example, which you can easily watch online for free and is easier to follow than many of his books.
Questo breve testo di Kandel, elenca in modo divertente, quello che ha fatto in termini di ricerche, libri e divulgazione dopo il 2000, quando gli é stato, appunto, tributato il premio Nobel per la medicina. Per quanto abbia letto quasi tutti i suoi libri a partire dal favoloso "Principi di Neuroscienze" che era usato ai tempi alla Sapienza di Roma per l'esame Fondamenti anatomo-patologici dell'attivitá psichica, non ero per esempio al corrente della Charlie Rose: The Brain Series, che si puó tranquillamente guardare in rete gratuitamente é che é piú facile da seguire rispetto a tanti suoi libri.
I received from the Publisher a complimentary digital advanced review copy of the book in exchange for a honest review.
Questo breve testo di Kandel, elenca in modo divertente, quello che ha fatto in termini di ricerche, libri e divulgazione dopo il 2000, quando gli é stato, appunto, tributato il premio Nobel per la medicina. Per quanto abbia letto quasi tutti i suoi libri a partire dal favoloso "Principi di Neuroscienze" che era usato ai tempi alla Sapienza di Roma per l'esame Fondamenti anatomo-patologici dell'attivitá psichica, non ero per esempio al corrente della Charlie Rose: The Brain Series, che si puó tranquillamente guardare in rete gratuitamente é che é piú facile da seguire rispetto a tanti suoi libri.
I received from the Publisher a complimentary digital advanced review copy of the book in exchange for a honest review.
September 15, 2021
It's a bit hard for me to divorce my experience as a science graduate student for a similarly decorated advisor in how I view this book, but I'll try my best.
I'll start with the things I like about this book- the premise of trying to prove to your wife that you are not intellectually dead after your Nobel is cute. I found the writing to be clear for a general audience, and clearly Kandel has lived an interesting life and helped study a number of important topics.
The issues I hold with this book is it essentially reads as a more detailed CV for Kandel and his accomplishments. Every award is listed, and the notable famous people he's interacted with are name-dropped. Getting a Nobel prize gives you a tremendous platform to do public work, and sells books that maybe otherwise would have gone unnoticed. However, I don't think the public fully appreciates how much a Nobel prize is not truly individual, and reflective of the scientific team that a primary investigator has assembled. All the muck of science is dealt with by the graduate students, and the PIs get the kudos for the pristine final results. Money begets money, and once substantial prizes are achieved, it's a lot easier for that scientist to fund other notable research. However, all of this stands outside of Kandel's book. I wish Kandel spoke more to the role of his lab in his experiments, and the ways he mentored or came up with experimental ideas. Unfortunately, I think it's all too common for famous scientists to not acknowledge these topics.
Ultimately, I would have enjoyed this premise more if it felt more realized- instead, Kandel basically advertises for his other books that cover his work and life in further detail. Sure, he's been a part of scientific studies and public science work since his Nobel, but his actual role in these endeavors in terms of how much was probably delegated may actually support the opposite claim to the title of the book.
I'll start with the things I like about this book- the premise of trying to prove to your wife that you are not intellectually dead after your Nobel is cute. I found the writing to be clear for a general audience, and clearly Kandel has lived an interesting life and helped study a number of important topics.
The issues I hold with this book is it essentially reads as a more detailed CV for Kandel and his accomplishments. Every award is listed, and the notable famous people he's interacted with are name-dropped. Getting a Nobel prize gives you a tremendous platform to do public work, and sells books that maybe otherwise would have gone unnoticed. However, I don't think the public fully appreciates how much a Nobel prize is not truly individual, and reflective of the scientific team that a primary investigator has assembled. All the muck of science is dealt with by the graduate students, and the PIs get the kudos for the pristine final results. Money begets money, and once substantial prizes are achieved, it's a lot easier for that scientist to fund other notable research. However, all of this stands outside of Kandel's book. I wish Kandel spoke more to the role of his lab in his experiments, and the ways he mentored or came up with experimental ideas. Unfortunately, I think it's all too common for famous scientists to not acknowledge these topics.
Ultimately, I would have enjoyed this premise more if it felt more realized- instead, Kandel basically advertises for his other books that cover his work and life in further detail. Sure, he's been a part of scientific studies and public science work since his Nobel, but his actual role in these endeavors in terms of how much was probably delegated may actually support the opposite claim to the title of the book.
July 3, 2022
Книгите на Нобелови лауреати са от особен интерес. Ерик Кандел печели най-желаната научна награда за медицина или физиология през 2000 г. Той изучава невробиологичните основи на паметта и формирането на спомени. Кандел е предупреден от съпругата си, че животът на хора, получили ценни отличия, коренно се променя, но незадължително в добра посока. Съществуват убедителни данни, че след Нобеловата награда някои учени спират с академичната си кариера, не се интересуват от публикуването на нови статии и най-продуктивните години са вече зад гърба им. Неочакваната популярност променя светогледа на лауреатите и те започват да изпълняват чисто социални и церемониални функции.
Ерик Кандел ни "успокоява", че съществува живот и след Нобеловата награда. Той продължава да бъде научно продуктивен. Заедно със съпругата си изучава процесите на формиране на зависимост, като установява, че никотинът в цигарите често бива трамплин (gateway drug) към забранени психотропни вещества. Кандел става автор на няколко книги за невронаука и съвременните опити за обяснение на креативността, съзнанието и субективните емоции от произведения на изкуството. Славата дава възможност посланието да стигне до много по-широка аудитория. Известността трябва да бъде използвана мъдро, защото никой не иска да бъде обвинен, че е неусетно е станал жертва на Нобеловата болест.
Ерик Кандел ни "успокоява", че съществува живот и след Нобеловата награда. Той продължава да бъде научно продуктивен. Заедно със съпругата си изучава процесите на формиране на зависимост, като установява, че никотинът в цигарите често бива трамплин (gateway drug) към забранени психотропни вещества. Кандел става автор на няколко книги за невронаука и съвременните опити за обяснение на креативността, съзнанието и субективните емоции от произведения на изкуството. Славата дава възможност посланието да стигне до много по-широка аудитория. Известността трябва да бъде използвана мъдро, защото никой не иска да бъде обвинен, че е неусетно е станал жертва на Нобеловата болест.
July 20, 2021
In August 1996, Eric R. Kandel, one of the most decorated neuroscientists of all time, was busy helping his wife hanging the laundry out to dry in the quaint town of Wellfleet on Cape Cod, when he received a call from Stephen Koslow, a program officer from the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH). Koslow informed Kandel about the successful approval of a grant, and also added in a matter of fact manner that many at the NIMH campus were of the opinion that Kandel would bag the Nobel Prize in the field of medicine.
Much to Kandel’s surprise, and chagrin even, his wife Denise, when informed about his conversation with Koslow, remarked, “I hope not soon.” Denise’s view was that once a distinguished luminary in any field was bestowed with an award representing the pinnacle of its profession, his or her future contribution towards furthering the cause of such profession tended to take a dip. This fact was borne out by a research conducted by Denise herself, in tandem with Robert Merton (a Nobel Laureate incidentally) and Harriet Zuckerman.
Kandel not only managed to win the coveted Nobel Prize (in the year 2000), but also paid immense heed to the warning sounded by Denise. Going about his work in an unrelenting and indefatigable manner, Kandel distinguished himself no end by churning out seminal works in the fields of psychiatry and neuroscience in the years following his achievement. “There Is Life After The Nobel Prize” dwells on some of the cutting edge research conducted by Kandel and his collaborators post 2000. Drawing on the pioneering research done by Aaron Beck, a psychoanalyst at the University of Pennsylvania, Kandel discovered key issues surrounding mental disorders. Also working with Denise on the pernicious ‘gateway effect’, a phenomenon that posited that young people became addicted to drugs in a sequential manner, for example from nicotine and alcohol to cocaine, Kandel using a ‘mouse model’, identified that substances such as cocaine embellished the expression of a gene called “FosB”. This gene resulted in excessive production of the hormone dopamine which in turn exacerbated the addiction phenomenon.
Kandel also collaborated with Scott Small and Elias Papadopoulos, worked on the aspect of normal age related memory loss in trying to understand what differentiated such a memory loss from other related disorders such as Alzheimer’s etc. The trio found that normal age related memory loss took place in the dentate gyrus and that a modification of a specific molecule associated with cognitive aging, the RbAp48 could mitigate memory loss.
But Kandel’s greatest contribution in the world of neuroscience however lay in the manner in which the doctor communicated to a layman the peculiarities of the human brain. At the behest of television commentator, Charlie Rose, Kandel agreed to appear on PBS for a three part series dubbed the “Charlie Rose Brain Series.” The series was broadcast for 8 years beginning 2009. The series, amongst others, explored the various esoteric features associated with the brain, such as consciousness, free will, perception, cognition, and memory.
In an important segment of the book that resonates with socio cultural ramifications, Kandel writes that injuries to the brain are not restricted to the physical category alone. “In some cases, early social and psychological adversities such as loss of a parent, parental abuse, parental neglect, poverty, or bullying can cause more severe damage to the brain than a physical injury.”
Kandel, in an aesthetic fashion conflates the science of the brain to the field of art. The congruence of neuroscience and art as Kandel illustrates is not a concept that is contemporaneous. Expressionist artists such as Gustav Klimt, Oskar Kokoschka, and Egon Schiele were all influenced to some degree or the other by the works of Carl von Rokitansky, a pathologist at the University of Vienna School of Medicine. In fact abstract artists such as Vassily Kandisnky, Piet Mondrian, and Kasimir Malevich, uniformly resorted to methodologies similar to those employed by scientists. Abstract art challenges our brains to create and interpret an image that is ‘fundamentally’ against the kind of images that they have evolved to usually reconstruct. “The abstract artist dismantles many of the building blocks of the brain’s visual processing system.”
The most wistful and poignant section of the book deals with the author’s ‘reconciliation’ with Austria. Kandel and his family fled Austria when he was aged 9 and ultimately settled down in the United States. Kandel, soon after winning the Nobel received a call from the then president of Austria, Thomas Klestil. Klestil in congratulating Kandel, expressed his delight at the fact that yet another Austrian was now a proud Nobel Laureate. Politely demurring, Kandel responded that he was no longer an Austrian but a happy Jewish American. This conversation led to the organizing of a symposium at the University of Vienna. “Austria and National Socialism: Implications for Scholarship in Science and the Humanities” was held in June 2003. This event purveyed to the public, the deleterious impact of the Nazi Rule and the unfortunate complicity that Austria played in the catastrophe. Anton Zeilinger, a renowned quantum physicist and Friedrich Stadler, of the Institute Vienna Circle were appropriated for the symposium.
Kandel was also instrumental in changing the name of the street where the University Platz is located in Austria. Originally named Karl Lueger Platz, the name was subsequently changed to University Platz. Karl Lueger was not only a former mayor of Vienna from 1897 to 1910 but also an avowed anti-Semite. Kandel is a busy scientist whose work is carried out within the confines of the breathtakingly built ‘The Jerome L. Green Science Centre’. Designed by Renzo Piano, the building is spread across 450,000 square feet and houses 56 laboratories, including the Mind Brain Behaviour Institute.
“There is Life After The Nobel Prize” is Kandel’s undying commitment to his chosen profession. It is a classic testimony to the drive and dedication of a man who never allowed neither fame nor glory to usurp a much higher purpose. His intellectual thirst continues unabated and it is this insatiable urge that benefits mankind as a whole.
(There is Life After The Nobel Prize is published by Columbia University Press and will be released on the 18th of January 2022)
Thank You Net Galley for the Advance Reviewer Copy
Much to Kandel’s surprise, and chagrin even, his wife Denise, when informed about his conversation with Koslow, remarked, “I hope not soon.” Denise’s view was that once a distinguished luminary in any field was bestowed with an award representing the pinnacle of its profession, his or her future contribution towards furthering the cause of such profession tended to take a dip. This fact was borne out by a research conducted by Denise herself, in tandem with Robert Merton (a Nobel Laureate incidentally) and Harriet Zuckerman.
Kandel not only managed to win the coveted Nobel Prize (in the year 2000), but also paid immense heed to the warning sounded by Denise. Going about his work in an unrelenting and indefatigable manner, Kandel distinguished himself no end by churning out seminal works in the fields of psychiatry and neuroscience in the years following his achievement. “There Is Life After The Nobel Prize” dwells on some of the cutting edge research conducted by Kandel and his collaborators post 2000. Drawing on the pioneering research done by Aaron Beck, a psychoanalyst at the University of Pennsylvania, Kandel discovered key issues surrounding mental disorders. Also working with Denise on the pernicious ‘gateway effect’, a phenomenon that posited that young people became addicted to drugs in a sequential manner, for example from nicotine and alcohol to cocaine, Kandel using a ‘mouse model’, identified that substances such as cocaine embellished the expression of a gene called “FosB”. This gene resulted in excessive production of the hormone dopamine which in turn exacerbated the addiction phenomenon.
Kandel also collaborated with Scott Small and Elias Papadopoulos, worked on the aspect of normal age related memory loss in trying to understand what differentiated such a memory loss from other related disorders such as Alzheimer’s etc. The trio found that normal age related memory loss took place in the dentate gyrus and that a modification of a specific molecule associated with cognitive aging, the RbAp48 could mitigate memory loss.
But Kandel’s greatest contribution in the world of neuroscience however lay in the manner in which the doctor communicated to a layman the peculiarities of the human brain. At the behest of television commentator, Charlie Rose, Kandel agreed to appear on PBS for a three part series dubbed the “Charlie Rose Brain Series.” The series was broadcast for 8 years beginning 2009. The series, amongst others, explored the various esoteric features associated with the brain, such as consciousness, free will, perception, cognition, and memory.
In an important segment of the book that resonates with socio cultural ramifications, Kandel writes that injuries to the brain are not restricted to the physical category alone. “In some cases, early social and psychological adversities such as loss of a parent, parental abuse, parental neglect, poverty, or bullying can cause more severe damage to the brain than a physical injury.”
Kandel, in an aesthetic fashion conflates the science of the brain to the field of art. The congruence of neuroscience and art as Kandel illustrates is not a concept that is contemporaneous. Expressionist artists such as Gustav Klimt, Oskar Kokoschka, and Egon Schiele were all influenced to some degree or the other by the works of Carl von Rokitansky, a pathologist at the University of Vienna School of Medicine. In fact abstract artists such as Vassily Kandisnky, Piet Mondrian, and Kasimir Malevich, uniformly resorted to methodologies similar to those employed by scientists. Abstract art challenges our brains to create and interpret an image that is ‘fundamentally’ against the kind of images that they have evolved to usually reconstruct. “The abstract artist dismantles many of the building blocks of the brain’s visual processing system.”
The most wistful and poignant section of the book deals with the author’s ‘reconciliation’ with Austria. Kandel and his family fled Austria when he was aged 9 and ultimately settled down in the United States. Kandel, soon after winning the Nobel received a call from the then president of Austria, Thomas Klestil. Klestil in congratulating Kandel, expressed his delight at the fact that yet another Austrian was now a proud Nobel Laureate. Politely demurring, Kandel responded that he was no longer an Austrian but a happy Jewish American. This conversation led to the organizing of a symposium at the University of Vienna. “Austria and National Socialism: Implications for Scholarship in Science and the Humanities” was held in June 2003. This event purveyed to the public, the deleterious impact of the Nazi Rule and the unfortunate complicity that Austria played in the catastrophe. Anton Zeilinger, a renowned quantum physicist and Friedrich Stadler, of the Institute Vienna Circle were appropriated for the symposium.
Kandel was also instrumental in changing the name of the street where the University Platz is located in Austria. Originally named Karl Lueger Platz, the name was subsequently changed to University Platz. Karl Lueger was not only a former mayor of Vienna from 1897 to 1910 but also an avowed anti-Semite. Kandel is a busy scientist whose work is carried out within the confines of the breathtakingly built ‘The Jerome L. Green Science Centre’. Designed by Renzo Piano, the building is spread across 450,000 square feet and houses 56 laboratories, including the Mind Brain Behaviour Institute.
“There is Life After The Nobel Prize” is Kandel’s undying commitment to his chosen profession. It is a classic testimony to the drive and dedication of a man who never allowed neither fame nor glory to usurp a much higher purpose. His intellectual thirst continues unabated and it is this insatiable urge that benefits mankind as a whole.
(There is Life After The Nobel Prize is published by Columbia University Press and will be released on the 18th of January 2022)
Thank You Net Galley for the Advance Reviewer Copy
January 13, 2022
What a bore. I got the book because it was interesting and short but holy moly did it feel like a humble brag sprinkled with bits of information regarding neuroscience and the like
January 10, 2022
Originally posted on my blog: Nonstop Reader.
There Is Life After the Nobel Prize are some of the ideas and intellectual ruminations of Nobel laureate Dr. Eric R. Kandel. Released 7th Dec 2021 by Columbia University Press, it's 112 pages and is available in paperback format.
It's widely said that scientists don't produce much after they've been awarded the Nobel and this is Dr. Kandel's rebuttal. It's an accessible and interesting collection of short essays on various subjects in and around neurology and brain biology and he delivers salient points with a surprising amount of wit and warmth.
It's a short read, only 112 pages and the chapter notes and references alone are likely worth the price of admission just for the hours of further reading they will provide. I was quite surprised how much I understood, and how well he explains the complex concepts. He's an engaging writer and I can well imagine that he's that rarest of birds, a truly gifted mind with a facility for teaching, and a willingness to do so.
Four stars.
Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.
There Is Life After the Nobel Prize are some of the ideas and intellectual ruminations of Nobel laureate Dr. Eric R. Kandel. Released 7th Dec 2021 by Columbia University Press, it's 112 pages and is available in paperback format.
It's widely said that scientists don't produce much after they've been awarded the Nobel and this is Dr. Kandel's rebuttal. It's an accessible and interesting collection of short essays on various subjects in and around neurology and brain biology and he delivers salient points with a surprising amount of wit and warmth.
It's a short read, only 112 pages and the chapter notes and references alone are likely worth the price of admission just for the hours of further reading they will provide. I was quite surprised how much I understood, and how well he explains the complex concepts. He's an engaging writer and I can well imagine that he's that rarest of birds, a truly gifted mind with a facility for teaching, and a willingness to do so.
Four stars.
Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.
July 29, 2022
The first thing that caught my attention from this book is the witty title, which I consider great, but I didn’t imagine that I would enjoy this book so much as I did.
My three takeaways from this book:
First, you don’t need to write a 500-1000 page book to tell a great story, teach, and inspire others. Kandel achieves this in such a clear, concise and fun way, writing about his work, childhood, and experiences.
Second, in every profession you will find a person that loves his/her work and finds joy in every task and challenge. I loved reading that he was passionate about explaining complex concepts to others, and how he explored other fields of interest, like art, to further his own knowledge, and enhance his research.
And third, there has been a lot of research done about the mind and the brain, to which Kandel has contributed significantly, but it still remains a great mystery. All studies and books provide such wonderful insights about how we think, react, grow, interact, etc., but there is still much more to explore, how amazing!
Kandel manages to summarize his amazing work, contributions to science, experiences , and life in this delightful book, reminding us all that if you enjoy what you do, even if you win a Nobel Prize, there is so much more to look forward to!
My three takeaways from this book:
First, you don’t need to write a 500-1000 page book to tell a great story, teach, and inspire others. Kandel achieves this in such a clear, concise and fun way, writing about his work, childhood, and experiences.
Second, in every profession you will find a person that loves his/her work and finds joy in every task and challenge. I loved reading that he was passionate about explaining complex concepts to others, and how he explored other fields of interest, like art, to further his own knowledge, and enhance his research.
And third, there has been a lot of research done about the mind and the brain, to which Kandel has contributed significantly, but it still remains a great mystery. All studies and books provide such wonderful insights about how we think, react, grow, interact, etc., but there is still much more to explore, how amazing!
Kandel manages to summarize his amazing work, contributions to science, experiences , and life in this delightful book, reminding us all that if you enjoy what you do, even if you win a Nobel Prize, there is so much more to look forward to!
January 22, 2024
The book "There is life after the Nobel prize" by Eric R. Kandel was not particularly interesting to me.
It is about - "My aim in writing this book is to affirm that winning the Nobel Prize does not presage one’s intellectual demise. Quite the contrary! It can spark new and unexpected creative endeavors and experiences that coexist in harmony with continued progress in one’s scientific work. In the following pages I describe the post-Nobel years of my life—my very enjoyable and, I like to think, productive research years in neuroscience at Columbia University (...)".
The thing that was more interesting to me is that a school in Germany is named after him:
"I have been honored with many awards over the years, but in September 2015 I received a particularly unexpected honor: a high school in Ahrensburg, Germany, was named after me. I was told that I was chosen not only because I had won the Nobel Prize for my work in science but also because I was a refugee born to Austrian Jewish parents who had fled to the United States in 1939. This was seen as a wonderful fit for the school’s stated goals of high achievement, social responsibility, and diversity."
It is about - "My aim in writing this book is to affirm that winning the Nobel Prize does not presage one’s intellectual demise. Quite the contrary! It can spark new and unexpected creative endeavors and experiences that coexist in harmony with continued progress in one’s scientific work. In the following pages I describe the post-Nobel years of my life—my very enjoyable and, I like to think, productive research years in neuroscience at Columbia University (...)".
The thing that was more interesting to me is that a school in Germany is named after him:
"I have been honored with many awards over the years, but in September 2015 I received a particularly unexpected honor: a high school in Ahrensburg, Germany, was named after me. I was told that I was chosen not only because I had won the Nobel Prize for my work in science but also because I was a refugee born to Austrian Jewish parents who had fled to the United States in 1939. This was seen as a wonderful fit for the school’s stated goals of high achievement, social responsibility, and diversity."
February 19, 2024
1/100
Eric R. Kandel is a Nobel Prize-winning neuroscientist, so I was surprised when in his book
started talking about gender identity.
Seriously, not what I am interested in or expected in a book about neuroscience.
The book says “experts” think denying medication to trans youth under 16 is unethical and
that stopping them from using the bathroom of their identity is wrong.
"Denied basic human rights" – in what country, with which specific rights?
This felt out of the blue , and it's just annoying this topic jumps up over an over again.
The book also pushes hard against restricting hormone therapy for minors. Fine, it's an opinion, but don't frame it as cruelty.
The whole thing ends up being full of fluff to pad out the word count.
Too many repetitions, and stuff a good editor should have removed.
There are bits about how the brain works, but it's 10% real research, the rest is stories, opinions, and unnecessary CV bragging. If you've followed Kandel and care about his life, maybe go for it.
But if you want groundbreaking neuroscience, look elsewhere.
I started optimistic, ended bored.
This unnecessary book is not his best work, cant recommend it.
Eric R. Kandel is a Nobel Prize-winning neuroscientist, so I was surprised when in his book
started talking about gender identity.
Seriously, not what I am interested in or expected in a book about neuroscience.
The book says “experts” think denying medication to trans youth under 16 is unethical and
that stopping them from using the bathroom of their identity is wrong.
"Denied basic human rights" – in what country, with which specific rights?
This felt out of the blue , and it's just annoying this topic jumps up over an over again.
The book also pushes hard against restricting hormone therapy for minors. Fine, it's an opinion, but don't frame it as cruelty.
The whole thing ends up being full of fluff to pad out the word count.
Too many repetitions, and stuff a good editor should have removed.
There are bits about how the brain works, but it's 10% real research, the rest is stories, opinions, and unnecessary CV bragging. If you've followed Kandel and care about his life, maybe go for it.
But if you want groundbreaking neuroscience, look elsewhere.
I started optimistic, ended bored.
This unnecessary book is not his best work, cant recommend it.
Read
January 25, 2022A short, pleasant documentation about all of Dr. Kandel's achievements post-Nobel prize: discovering the brain receptions and neural makeup that directly cause or link to addiction, schizophrenia, gender identity and preservation of memory; writing several books on topics ranging from brain research to Viennese history and culture; producing a PBS series on the brain for a general audience; reestablishing links with Austria after fleeing with his family after Kristallnacht.
March 1, 2022
Dr. Eric Kandel, Nobel Laureate and seemingly all-around good guy encourage us to never stop striving for success or knowledge and most importantly to contribute to the betterment of one's community. We may not all be Dr.'s or neuroscientists let alone recipients of the Nobel Prize in Medicine but we can strive for a better community.
March 19, 2022
Note: the illustration is for an e-book. I read it in hard cover.
Essays on projects undertaken after he was awarded the Nobel prize, and his broad-ranging interests. Of particular interest to me were his recognition that Viennese artists such as Schiele and Klimt were very much influenced by the spirit of their time and the exploration of the human psyche by Freud and others in their milieu.
Essays on projects undertaken after he was awarded the Nobel prize, and his broad-ranging interests. Of particular interest to me were his recognition that Viennese artists such as Schiele and Klimt were very much influenced by the spirit of their time and the exploration of the human psyche by Freud and others in their milieu.
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