Mind Sculpture: Unleashing your Brain's Potential, by Ian Robertson (Bantam, £7.99 in UK)

Fortunately, or disappointingly for those prone to vanity, all that we amount to is a brain. It is this brain which seeps up stimuli, allowing one neurone to connect with the next. The more stimuli that occur, the more intricate the web of our brains become. But what if the connections are severed? The brain will repair the damaged part, or allow an unaffected area of the brain to assume its duties. In this, psychologist Ian Robertson offers a hopeful and valuable insight into the rehabilitation of those recovering from stroke and brain damage. In Robertson's world view, genes don't determine everything. Emotional difficulties are the subject of the latter half of the book: fear can be conquered, while education, love and confidence are antidotes for depression and stress, which can permanently shrink your brain. Here's a book which will be of real benefit to anyone bent on self-understanding, personal development - or just sheer self preservation.