LA Times Festival of Books: Notable Speakers & Hot Books

This past weekend of April 24-25 saw the LA Times Festival of Books on the UCLA campus. I was thrilled to meet some of my favorite authors and also get acquainted with some new ones. Here's a slide show with commentary of some memorable encounters: Buzz Aldrin, author of Magnificent Desolation: The Long Journey Home from the Moon; Dr Gary Small, author of iBrain: Surviving the Technological Alteration of the Modern Mind; Sebastian Junger, author of the upcoming War; and Dr. Dudley Seth Danoff, author of Penis Power; and Dr. Dan Siegel, author of Mindsight: The New Science of Personal Transformation.

• • • • • • Dr Dan Siegel, co-director of the UCLA Mindful Awareness Research Center, speaking about his book Mindsight: The New Science of Personal Transformation. Dr Siegel, a founder of the field of interpersonal neurobiology, related how mindfulness practices like meditation can rewire your brain in a relatively short time frame, creating positive change and more adaptive behaviors. He emphasized the importance of differentiation -- the flourishing of a unique self -- and integration -- the harmonious linkage of the various parts of the self. The end results of successful integration are kindness and compassion, the ultimate hallmark of a healthy mind. The approach Dr Siegel advocates has the potential to be revolutionary.

 

 

 

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