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Fun cognitive psychology book!

All about fixed vs. growth mindset. A little too reductive maybe; in many of the given scenarios it feels like a lot of other factors are being subsumed into one or the other category without acknowledging the added complexity. But, it's still early in the book and this isn't so unusual for the self-help style.

Reasons for optimism in the global village

Softer science writing (feels like more time spent on anecdotes than "How We Decide", e.g.), but thankfully also consistent interludes of the hard science to undergird.

Much more religion than Ender's Game, both explicit and allegorical. The fundamental discussion of empathy extends from the first book and is driving these religious themes.

I've been to one of the places he spends a chapter on! (Mauna Kea on Hawaii and the observatories there.)

Excellent summary case. Not merely a case against the illusory notion, but a case for responsibility and progress in light of the increased self-awareness that dispelling the misconception affords. Nearly perfectly aligned with the logical extension of cognitive science and my personal philosophy of mind. Gives a concise summary of what I feel to be the correct moral framework.

Starship Troopers-esque (thus far), with touches of religious sentiment, and an army infantry mentality (experience?) coming through from the author to ground the characters. Unfortunately characters aren't especially differentiated and dialogue is pretty straightforward. Makes development a bit slow. And besides the military tactics, the sci-fi backdrop is a little hackneyed, not much new.

Last chapter thankfully deals more directly with the themes around Theory of Mind, which was often skirted over in the preceding bulk of the book's play with consciousness. (Though with fresh comparison I think Blindsight by Watts does a better job of probing at consciousness.) While I do think the last chapter is among the best in the book, I don't think it made a great plot conclusion (bit flawed plot overall).

Ambitious scope here. Perhaps to be forgiven for the inconsistencies and muddled clarity. Tone of the writing is generally cyberpunk, often flippant and sarcastic (even if the cat wasn't an ever-present reminder). I wonder if this book isn't a cat-lover's view of the future.

Fast-paced suspense, driven by deep philosophical quandary and thought-provoking psychology, and the maddening desire to understand.

Lots of overlap with Malcolm Gladwell's "Blink" early in the chapters (at least in the core case studies), but Mlodinow has the advantage of the most recent science to add.

Also a great history refresher, putting the evolution of the language to use in fleshing out the historical context

Great for picking out patterns in English word etymologies

Strong notes of Self-help in the later chapters. Some good advice in that, but the rest is a little trite.

A mix of business and psych perspectives interleaved with anecdotes about particular introverts.

Interesting tidbit: "The English labored, the French feasted" during the years of Norman occupation, thus farm animal names in English stayed English words, but the names for the processed meat equivalent are French derived (e.g. cow - beef; deer - venison; calf - veal; sheep - mutton; pig - pork).