Tricks Of The Mind

One thing any book needs to be to win me over, whatever its subject, is well written. A few years ago I read several articles by Sam Harris on the web, and regardless of his message, his prose delighted me. I wanted to read more of his writing, so I bought a copy of "The End of Faith" and wasn't disappointed.Derren Brown's "Tricks of the Mind" isn't quite in Harris's class, but it is well written, its scope is definitely wider(!) plus there are more jokes. Brown relishes the literary trick (likely beloved of conjurors) of setting up a paragraph clearly pointing in one direction then entirely undermining it in the final sentence.Wry humour and amusing tricks aside, this is a serious book from a master illusionist, mentalist and showman. Brown not only tells how a trick is performed, but goes on to analyse its underlying psychology, explaining not just how it works, but why. Don't expect him to reveal the intricacies of more complicated tricks, but his discussion of the psychology of conjuring is revealing in itself. He includes personal anecdotes throughout the book, though how much of the "real" Derren Brown these truly reveal is impossible to know, considering the man's profession.Later on Brown explains memory systems, with many practical exercises that demonstrate they do actually work. He also covers hypnotism in depth, even inviting the reader to try it out. I've had my suspicions about the true nature of hypnotism, and was pleased to see them confirmed (though I appreciate that's hardly conclusive proof of what I suspected). After a diversion into self-help motivational techniques he moves on to unconscious communication and lie-detection, describing how it is possible for a skilled, practised and perceptive operator to tell whether or not someone is speaking the truth.In the last part of the book he looks at pseudo-science, alternative medicine and scepticism in general, including critical thinking, statistics and probability. From there he moves on to comprehensive and passionate coverage of psychic mediums and cold-reading -- laced, however, with irony and wit that make these serious chapters a pleasure to read. Finally we have a generously annotated reading list, plus references and an alphabetical index.My recommendation? Read it - you'll be entertained as well as informed.

This book is phenomenal and works on several levels.It's an introduction to the kind of mind trickery that Derren specialises in. It introduces basic concepts of magic, teaching a simple disappearing coin trick and a card trick. It teaches a variety of mnemonic techniques, together with practical demonstration exercises, which prove to be extremely effective if you can be bothered to put them to the test. It moves on to discuss subjects such as hypnosis and NLP, the curing of phobias and pain control, placebos, and culminates with cold reading techniques, exposing the tricks of fake mediums and psychics and the dangers of bad thinking and snake oil merchants in general.It is, as I say, an introduction to these subjects, because you surely didn't expect to learn all there is to know about these skills and deep topics from a single paperback, did you? But it's also just about the BEST introduction you could get, exposing the woolly thinking and smoke screens that make a lot of the literature on such things of limited value at best. This book prepares you to think properly and clearly if you wish to study the 'tricks of the mind' further; also, how to train yourself to recognise the tricks levelled against you by others.On another level, it's simply a delightful and hugely entertaining read, just like one of Derren's shows. It's an absolute pleasure to turn the pages and I often laughed out loud. Derren's wit and sarcasm are often very subtle and I'm sure a lot of the most hilarious gags will go right over the heads of many people. I recall one section where he was railing against pretentiousness and then proceeded to explain what pretentious meant for people who might not know. Utter comedy gold, sir.And on a yet further level, if you really stop to think about what you've just read, all of the core principles are actually revealed here very clearly indeed. Just don't expect to find them in bullet points.A charming, conversational, controversial and enormously satisfying read.

You don't have to like Derren Brown to love this book.It's witty, intelligent (much like the man himself) and very well written .It made me chuckle on a number of occasions and even reach for the dictionary a few times - which in itself became quite a pleasant experience; as learning new, frilly, frivolous words was most enjoyable in itself. The man clearly enjoys the English language.The content is both fascinating and practical, and I have certainly managed to learn some incredible 'tricks' from it's pages - although I don't think the term 'tricks' does them justice at all... 'tools' is far more appropriate word.The memory techniques are astounding and having suffered from a terrible memory myself for years, I now amaze myself, as I recite 100 word list of words, backwards and forwards, with ease.It also provides an intriguing view into the man himself; his childhood, upbringing, university years and some of the experiences that have made him who he is today. These stories alone are worth the cover price as some of them are hysterical, and having read them, they perhaps explains a bit about a man who seems himself slightly strange, if not inexplicable.A thoroughly intriguing romp of a write (romp is honestlyt the best word to describe derren's writing style), that I enjoyed reading and learning from immensely. It seems there's no end to this mans talents.If you found this review helpful please give it the thumbs up and if not, please comment on why, so I can improve and do a better job for you next time - Thanks :-).

If you are a fan of his performances. It’s a good read. If you’re keen to learn some tricks it’s very clear on how to do things. Good value for money. Would read again.