Jane's Reviews > How We Learn: The Surprising Truth About When, Where, and Why It Happens

I could go 3.5 stars easily, but not four as much of the book was review, not surprising (although my parents never, ever suggested when, where or how I should study!) I wanted to retitle the first half of this book "How We Memorize" as Carey dealt, in an engaging way, with studies on how we retain factual information. This is not the heart of my interest in deep learning -- and I think the topic is covered better and with better, useful techniques for memorization, in Moonwalking with Einstein.

HOWEVER, in the second half of the Book, Carey delves more into applying what we learn and his findings are far richer. Yes, taking breaks is good. Yes, starting a project early allows for percolation of ideas. Yes, pausing before you finish lets your mind refresh and perchance unearth better ideas. Yes, taking a break when you're stuck and doing something else frequently lets solutions to complex problems surface; you stop thinking of the obvious and think differently. And yes, sleep is huge in the learning process.

So keep reading -- like me, you'll most likely stumble on new and helpful information. In fact, as I finished the pages I put together a quiz for a parent group I'll be speaking to which they'll take before I begin. I can then show them the studies on how quizzes on information you haven't studied, and quizzing in general, helps learning!

Thanks, Netgalley, for making a copy available in exchange for an honest review.