Care & Feeding of the Brain

Readers are well advised to avoid this oversimplified and unreliable book. In chapters covering such topics as brain function, memory and emotions, Maguire ( What Does Childhood Taste Like? ) raises attention-getting questions: ``How Can I Tap into My Brain's Creative Potential?'' and ``Why Can Alcohol Give Me a Hangover, and How Can I Cure It?'' This latter section provides a satisfactory chart on blood alcohol concentration but also inaccurately claims that ``alcohol kills vitamins'' and offers a brainless hangover ``cure'': rolling naked in the snow. Elsewhere Maguire reveals that seafood may appear to be an aphrodisiac because it is ``a bladder excitant'' and that geniuses are ``almost hyperactive'' compared to regular folks. Discussing intelligence in old age, he cites Winston Churchill's last prime ministership as performed with ``admirable skill''--a point that conflicts with historical facts. In this case, Maguire clearly improvised rather than researched his findings. Illustrated. First serial to National Enquirer and Woman magazine; Macmillan Book Club selection. (Sept.)