Dr Emma Yhnell

It can be all too easy to accidentally miss emails and in June of last year I nearly missed quite an important one! DK (formerly known as Dorling Kindersley) emailed me to invite me to contribute to a new book they were writing, it was called ‘How The Brain Works’.

I don’t make any secret of the fact that I’ll take up any opportunity to engage audiences in science, but I have to say that I was initially a little bit apprehensive. I have written bits and pieces before, but mainly academic papers, textbook chapters and informal blog posts, nothing on this scale. This provided an opportunity to contribute to a fantastic book aimed at helping the general public understand how the brain works, how brilliant!

Working with the publisher was an absolute delight. I was able to research the topics and suggest what I thought the pages that I was contributing to should look like. The book contains contributions from a range of brilliant writers and uses clear text, bold graphics, step-by-step artworks, and bite-size factoids to provide a visual and engaging introduction to the incredible world of the human brain. The book is extensive and covers a wide range of topics, including brain anatomy and physiology, sensory processing, emotions and communication, and consciousness and personality. There is also a guide to disease and disorders of the brain, ranging from tumours and strokes to autism and schizophrenia. It is an extensive guide to all things brain related, it is fab.

It was fantastic to work with the team in developing the ideas and content. The book was released on 5th March and I couldn’t hide my delight when my copy arrived in the post last week. The poor porter who took the delivery was a tad confused at my excitement and eagerness to open the package, right in front of him!

I am really chuffed with the finished product. I always knew that it would be great as I was working with such a prestigious publisher, but I think the book is even better in real life than I could have imagined, it is so cool to see the finished project and my name as a contributor inside the front cover. If I am honest I am a little bit sad that the process is over, but you never know what might be on the horizon next and what other opportunities might be around the corner.

The most important life lesson here, is don’t rush through your email inbox (guilty as charged!), you might accidentally miss out on brilliant opportunities!