A helpful guide to staying mentally sharp as we age with techniques and suggestions anyone can add to their life. Well researched and documented.

Having watched beloved family members suffer through the degradation of their thinking abilities, I am very interested in trying to keep my mental faculties sharp as I age. This book was a treasure trove of many different ideas for doing just that. Reading a book written by a man who is intimately familiar with the Bible was a bonus. I consider the Bible the user’s manual for humanity, authored by the Creator of humanity, and Who ought to know more about humanity and how it functions best than the Creator? Readers who do not acknowledge God’s creation of man may have a bit of difficulty with some of the things Dr. Minirth writes. It makes perfect sense to me to include the Bible, discussion of sin, and the Gospel in a book discussing the workings of the mind, for the Bible has a great deal to say about how to think, what to think about, and how to prevent mental problems. However, Dr. Minirth in no way shoves his religion down the reader’s throat. In fact, there are only a handful of references to the Bible or God at all in the book.

The first part of the book begins by addressing the issues that may affect mental acuity at any age – poor diet, physical activity level, television, stress levels, general physical health, and amount of sleep among others. He addresses the power of personal will power (and “won’t power”) as well as the benefit of aiming to develop lifelong habits of exercising the brain and not aiming for perfection. Dr. Minirth discusses the differences between dementia and Alzheimer’s and how both can be delayed and/or prevented. I found the chapters on stress and anxiety and their effects on the brain to be particularly interesting, and they have motivated me to seriously consider how to lower my stress and anxiety levels, which have been particularly high the past few years.

The second part of the book discusses various ways to protect one’s mind. These ways include specifically spending time recalling memories and creating new ones as well as creating purpose in one’s life. Dr. Minirth reviews the negative physical impacts on the brain and addresses various ways to treat the body well so the brain is well nourished, hydrated, and rested. He encourages readers to become life-long learners of whatever interests them, to explore various learning styles, and to challenge one’s brain by learning something new (memorizing lists, learning new vocabulary, working puzzles, etc.) or doing a familiar task in a new way (like brushing one’s teeth with the non-dominant hand). But ultimately, Dr. Minirth emphasizes that each person has the power to make good (or better) choices, all of which will influence their mental abilities in the years to come. He encourages readers repeatedly to slowly but surely develop good physical habits and to practice regular mental stimulation. The accompanying appendices (research, glossary, and answers to brain boosters) support much of what Dr. Minirth has written about all through the book. Interspersed in each of the chapters are various quizzes (Choose Well) and trivia (Brain Boosters) to absorb and help the mind stay sharp (answers are given at the end of the book).

There is very little in this book that I haven’t read before. It’s really all about common sense. But it was refreshing to read it all together in one place, supported by Dr. Minirth’s years of experience and applicable research. Overall, the book was very interesting to read, and I will definitely be putting into action much of what I read.

I gratefully received this book as an eARC from the author, publisher, and NetGalley in exchange for my unbiased review.

I did not get as much out Strong Memory, Sharp Mind as I thought I would have, judging by the summary alone. Many of the tips in listed in this book are simplistic and obvious, nothing much of what you can find out by simply watching television, or a quick google search. However, I did enjoy the section that focused upon the caregiver of a dementia patient, not only focusing on their own self-care but how they can improve the life of whom they are caring for. That was very moving – and to be honest a very unexpected part of this book.

Now what I really did not like was the mentioning of spirituality – specifically the reference to God. I don’t think it would have mattered that much to me if the fact that this book is written from an Abrahamic world view was mentioned in the book summary. That way, I would have either have had the choice to skip it or choose to accept it (as I do often) and read it anyway.

But, I should have the choice to be preached to – and in a book that is supposed to be about the brain and memory, I am expecting a rational and logical approach to the subject matter – unless specified otherwise.

I posted this review on my book blog at https://withinthepagesofabook.com/book-review-strong-memory-sharp-mind-by-frank-minirth/

This is the first book by Frank Minirth but it will not be my last. I will keep this book as a reference and I will add it to our collection in our library .

I am from the UK and English history at school bored me to tears so questions on American history to test my memory was completely lost on me and a waste of time. Also why bring god and the bible into this book? I could not finish this book. There might be some good advice and exercises for the brain but I could not continue to wade through stuff on dementia etc to get to it.

Brain Fitness Is a Ticket to a More Vital Life

For readers who may not know, the author, Dr. Frank Minirth, passed away in January, 2015. STRONG MEMORY, SHARP MIND is jammed with tons of ideas. That’s both strength and a weakness. Yes, there is a LOT of good information here, but it takes a good amount of time to absorb the ideas.

The theme of the book is to encourage the reader to develop their own, personal, “Brain-Care Action Plan.” The first part of the book, “Threats to Cognitive Health,” is dedicated to convince the reader of the need to take proactive action to keep your brain healthy. Dr. Minirth explains, “Don’t take your brain for granted. I wrote this book for those who want a basic understanding of the brain’s strengths and vulnerabilities and what can be done to reduce the risk of mental decline.”

The author cites one sobering statistic: “An estimated 6.8 million Americans currently have dementia and 5.4 million suffer from Alzheimer’s disease.”

Here’s a good tip, which actually applies to reading any work of non-fiction: “Keep a Pen and Highlighter Handy I encourage you to mark meaningful passages for frequent review and to highlight the action tips and how-to lists.”

Each chapter of this book concludes with a Choose Well section that will help you enjoy more confidence and success throughout your adult years.

“It’s encouraging to know that brainpower can be increased at any age— through childhood, adolescence, young adult, adult, and even in the senior years.”

There is a large section entitled, “Tips for Caring for Someone with Dementia,” devoted to helping the caregiver. I found the suggestions useful. For example, “Read and play memory games do crosswords and puzzles socialize with friends…” For safety, “Install safety latches high on doors limit choices to avoid confusion remove tripping/ fall hazards…”

PART 2 is called, “How to Protect Your Mind.” This latter half of the book is jammed with ideas—many of which I found excellent. For example, on getting proper sleep, “Avoid long-term use of sleep aid medications because they may disturb stage IV sleep, making sleep less productive. . . Set a regular sleep routine for bedtime and wake-up time.”

Some tips are simple, but still valuable. For instance, “Use your time wisely. Find spare moments each day for mental exercise.” Another, “What is your best biological time of day?”

school (grade school, junior high, high school, college, medical school, rotating internships, psychiatry residency, board certifications, seminary, and PhD), I used the following learning techniques.

Towards the end of the book, the author reveals his personal “Easy Learning Plan.” When studying a book, follow these steps:
1) Scan the entire material as quickly as possible;
2) Then read it through slowly. (Read important parts out loud to help you remember.)
3) Finally, study the material and write down a brief outline for review.

This process is very similar to the method espoused by the late Dr. Mortimer Adler, which I have personally used for 20 years.

So all in all, I found STRONG MEMORY, SHARP MIND to be a meaty book full of practical ideas on keeping our minds sharp well into our senior years. The rear of the book has some detailed appendices:

Appendix A The Brain and Memory
Appendix B Alzheimer’s Disease, Dementias, and Cognition
Appendix C Vocabulary Words
Appendix D Answers to Brain Boosters

The author provides an encouraging note, which I think sums up his message: “The good news is that your mental health responds to nurturing.” I found this book to be full of wise advice. I wish the author were still alive, and I regret never meeting him.


Advance Review Copy courtesy of the publisher.

Dr. Frank Minirth provides a bunch of scientific evidence as to the many ways damage is caused to your brain over time. He explains the differences in dementia, Alzheimer’s and cognition, all of which can be slowed down by following his advice. Throughout the book he provides many mental brain exercises as examples to show you how to keep your mind sharp. This is a great book to read if you are worried about keeping a strong memory and sharp mind.

As a clinical psychotherapist I have read many books about the aging brain and how to preserve its functions, but this is the first time that I've read a self-help book related to the Gospel So I have to admit it is not my topic to discuss.

Come psicologa clinica e psicoterapeuta, ultimamente ho letto tantissimi libri su come conservare le capacità del cervello anche con l'invecchiamento, ma questa é la prima volta che leggo un libro che correla il tutto anche con le sacre scritture. A questo punto é ovvio che non sono in grado di scrivere una recensione veritiera.

THANKS TO NETGALLEY FOR THE PREVIEW!

Not only does this book give some good detailed scientific explanations but it also gives you practical ways to improve your brain power. That's my kind of book!