Portugal has lifted today the emergency state regarding the COVID-19 pandemic and some people have returned to a "new-normal" everyday life. There are, however, still a lot of people at home and because we care for them and because we still have a ton of neuroscience-related suggestions, we will continue to provide you with things to do and get your mind off this pandemic. This is the 11th post of the Surviving the Quarantine with the Proaction Lab series. Today we have two books but one of them is very special.
Children are at home for some weeks now. The older ones are taking classes through video calls and the television and the younger ones are at home playing, driving their parents insane. Our first suggestion is for them: both the young kids and their parents (who speak Portuguese). Viagem pelo Cérebro para Pais e Filhos (A journey Through the Brain for Parents and Children) is an amazing tool for parents who want to show their children a bit about how the brain works. It covers different topics such as vision, language, memory, emotions and sleep, beautifully illustrated like a fairytale book by Isabel Abreu. The book was written by Luísa Albuquerque (neurology doctor) and her son with 9 years old. The book is available online for free, thanks to Sociedade Portuguesa de Neurociências and Ciência Viva.
The second title is for a more teenager or over. Before I Go to Sleep (Antes de Adormecer, in Portuguese) is a novel by S. J. Watson published in 2011. Although this was his first novel, the title was adapted to film in 2014 starring Nicole Kidman. Christine, the main character wakes up every day next to her husband, having no memory of him whatsoever. In the bathroom mirror, she doesn't recognise her own face. It is older than she remembers. Eventually, she learns she was a victim of a terrible accident many years before that left her with no capability of storing new memories - a condition called anterograde amnesia. Everything is wiped after she goes to sleep. She then tries to reconstruct her past and.. well, you should just read this!
