A General Theory of Love (Vintage)

Love explained from a neurological standpoint. On first read, I wondered about the language of the book - the poetic style sounded a bit odd. That said, this is a wonderful book not worth missing. It illuminated my mind with a new understanding of what love is, not only from a neurological perspective, but practical perspective too. Strongly recommend, especially for people with a scientific bent trying to understand love.

A General Theory of Love is an odd book. First, the title is somewhat misleading. The book is not particularly scientific, and it certainly does not provide a general theory of love, in any meaningful sense. (The book certainly is "general," in that it does not give details of the brain, for example.) Moreover, the authors -- three psychiatrists from UC San Francisco -- write in a very odd, pseudo poetic style that gets in the way of the message.That being said, it is a worthwhile book. Most people will enjoy reading it, and many will be informed and/or feel uplifted. The authors point out that the limbic brain, the part of the brain that we share with all mammals and that controls emotion, is a very important part of who we are. It cannot be ignored. The overall message of the book is certainly worth hearing.