Into the Magic Shop

By the time I'd read the first few pages of Into the Magic Shop, by James R. Doty, I was hooked. It's the story of a neurosurgeon's personal and professional life, and the first chapter left me thinking, this is the compassionate, skilled, experienced man I'd want as my doctor if I had a serious medical issue.

Doty begins by telling us how he grew up: poor, with a chronically depressed mother and alcoholic father who neglected to monitor his school attendance or even basic needs like daily meals. One day, the boy wanders into a magic shop and meets the owner and his mother. The mother, Ruth, sees the child's potential and starts instructing him in meditation and other mind/body techniques.

The magic Doty recounts isn't about pulling rabbits out of a hat, but using his own inner resources to navigate a challenging, often harsh world as he applies to enter medical school, complete his coursework and a residency, and so on.

As Doty recalls his encounters with Ruth, the book leans toward a self-help manual, instructing the reader on how to duplicate the meditation skills and thinking patterns he learned. At times, I was surprised that such a young boy would give so much weight to these training sessions, but then again, he was clearly not getting enough attention and care at home. He really seems to have put Ruth on a pedestal for her contributions to his life, although I'm not clear on how much time they actually spent together.

As Doty grows up and goes on to be a successful physician, he starts investing, eventually earning, losing, and regaining large sums of money. Incredibly, he tells us he donated $75 million dollars to a charity, only to lose everything he had shortly thereafter. Two years later, still struggling to keep his financial head above water, he learns there's a legal loophole that would allow him to get his $75 million back--but he turns it down. Remarkable--yet he says he knew he could keep practicing medicine and make more money.

The book was a compelling read, and those who practice meditation and other self-help techniques will be inspired by his journey. I did feel, however, that the author is a much more complex person than this book reveals; I suspect readers are only scratching the surface of his life experiences. I wish Doty had drawn back the magician's curtain and told us more about himself, and perhaps spent less time sharing Ruth's lessons.

I received an advance review copy of this book from Netgalley, but my opinions are my own.

Very good book. It was interesting to read about this mans life and how he was able to look back and see what impacted him and how he got to where he is today. I liked how he took what he had learned as a child about the magic of positive thinking and made it real. I also learned a lot about how the brain works and how the brain is constantly changing. Every experience changes the pathways in your brain. The brain isn't a fixed thing. It is truly plastic. It can be re molded.

When young Jim ventures into a magic shop, he has no idea that his world is about to be changed by one woman. Ruth teaches young Jim how to calm the mind and body, to picture goals and make them happen but most importantly, to open his heart up. Jim now shares the techniques and lessons learned along with anecdotal stories. This book is well-written and succinct.

The power of positive thinking and mindfulness are nothing new, but this is the first time I have heard of a child learning such things. Jim Doty had a pretty poor childhood both financially and also in terms of nurturing. It almost seems as if HE was the adult in his family- caring and worrying about his mother, father, and brother, and then came that fateful day that he met Ruth. Ruth taught him all these magical things that helped him cope, not only with the life he'd been dealt, but also how to make the life that he wanted in the future. It's truly amazing that against all the odds, Jim became a neurosurgeon - but most of all, he became the caring and compassionate human being that he is today.

A very extraordinary book ! This is a very remarkable and compelling story. This author will astound you in his honesty, raw courage and inner strength in this personal hearwarming journey that is both uplifting and extraordinary. . . it is a unassuming story of a boy from a less then stellar background who meets someone in a magic shop that changes the way he thinks thus transforming his life through mindfulness and compassion. . The author tells his personal story with great heart from a very private place. Its truly wonderful in life to see someone reach their full potential and he accomplished now the pinnacle of his profession. Throughout his journey he has practiced mindfulness and compassion toward others, his work and for himself. he never lost sight of his integrity. . This author has given his readers a great gift in "Into The magic Shop". You will find that yourself inspired to realize you to can have courage, change your life and overcome great obstacles to reach your own potential. This book should be read in every middle school and high school in the country. it would provide young people with a great insight to fortitude and standing on their own two feet in life. It is wonderfully awe inspiring . Thank you for the advance reading copy Penguin Group and Net Galley. I found this one of the most remarkable books I have ever read , it truly touched this reader's heart and I thank you to the author for sharing his remarkable journey through life. from the heart. I find myself struck by the journey, inspired and grateful to have been gifted this advance reading copy. Well Done! This book deserves 100 stars recommendation. Its is quite simply put, the most inspiring and life changing book you will read this year.

As soon as I picked up this book I was hooked, the language used reaped me in. The mix of self help and biography drew me deeper into the book and my own mind. I do believe that we have a certain level of power that is based on our confidence and self belief and that is what this book is based on. The ability to medetate as directed in the writing is the key to finding ourselves. The amount of times I have told someone who keeps moaning they are unhappy - that only they themselves have the ability to change and without the effort nothing will change.
I liked this book a lot and I think some of it will stick with me for a long time.

Not knowing what to expect from this book I was so surprised to find it speaking directly to my own experiences and beliefs! I devoured this book all the while thinking "finally, someone who put this in simple understandable terms and a story!". It is hard to impart the karma of drawing energy from mental clearing and positive thinking. I especially loved the "foggy window" exercise. It made the a great visual for the mind.

Even though reading his story (that of course we all have our own stories) you find yourself wondering if all those are true, Anyone who has developed by accident or practice the art of centering and focus will attest to the uncanny way that things can be made to happen. It does feel like a touch of magic.

Thanks to the author for this great read that I will recommend to everyone!

Wonderfully told story of discovering the possibilities of the human mind. As a young boy, Doty is taught meditation and visualization techniques but it isn't until later in life that he learns the importance of taking responsibility for the outcomes of the power of the mind. This book not only teaches the techniques he learned but also the importance of using them wisely. I found this to be a very enlightening read.

Honestly, great book. It is well written and engages the reader. There are instances where the author explains things in some technical medical terms; but, he goes on to explain so that the layman will understand. There are parts of the book that brought me to tears. It is a memoir as well as an instructional guide on how to become a better you. I wouldn’t say, for me, that there is anything particularly profound in the book, unless you are just like the author was. For him, there was that “aha” moment in his life, and his journey, struggles, and enlightenment were profound to him. This is a very personal book, both for the author and the reader and superbly well written and edited.

This book wasn't like I expected it to be. I thought it would focus on the 'Neurosurgeon' part of the title, so I expected it to be a story about how we can discover the mysteries of the brain through academic research or something like that. However, it was a spiritual story and when I discovered that, I almost stopped reading. I am so glad that I didn't, though! Although I am not big on spirituality, this story was still extremely interesting and worth the time it takes to read. It gave me lots of brain food and I can't stop thinking about it. I most certainly recommend it to everyone that loves spirituality or is open to it.

(Note: Review is a "reviewaka.")

Into the Magic Shop: A Neurosurgeon's Quest to Discover the Mysteries of the Brain and the Secrets of the Heart /
by James R. Doty, MD /
c2016 //

memoir and science /
energy of mind & heart /
making dreams come true //

bold, exceptional primer /
to shape your life step-by-step //

MM

Into The Magic Shop, a "neurosurgeon's quest to discover the mysteries of the brain and the secrets of the heart" was for me an unexpected journey. Firstly I was expecting to read a book primarily about the plasticity of the brain, whilst in effect it was, but it was so much more. This book was truly a gift, part memoir, part self help book. But a self help book like no other I have read. Relaxation, more recently and popularly known as mindfullness, visualisation and openness shown in an accessible way rather than what might be for some a mysteriously long and difficult process. Doty writes in an informal manner, giving his account of his childhood, his meeting with Ruth and the way that meeting changed his life. This book should be on everyone's reading list.