Not very new information here. I may change the rating in the time to come. Thank you the author, the publisher, and Netgalley for sending me this e-ARC.

This is my favorite type of non-fiction read. The clinical case examples are grouped and paired seamlessly with the neurobiological explanations. A very complex subject parsed down into an easily comprehensible dive into the extremes and norms of psychological being.

4.5 stars. One of the most fascinating nonfiction books I've read in a long time. Dingman is able to explain hypotheses that may explain some extremely uncommon human behavior without being disrespectful to the patients. I think more time could've been spent on each case - there's no chance of anyone getting bored reading this.

I was very pleasantly surprised with this one. I expected a lot of anecdotes and unsubstantiated claims given for the purpose of a fun reading experience, perhaps because of the cover and blurb. BUT I was so wrong! This book gives you a lot of intricate case studies and scientific exploration, at points, it feels like a neuroscience crash course - but it's put on the page so neatly that it doesn't matter if the reader doesn't understand the jargon, everything is explained. This has made it into my top 5 books of this year so far.

"Bizarre" by Marc Dingman is a fascinating look at our extremely complex brain--and the many and often unbelievable things that happen when it malfunctions. He covers a wide range of abnormalities (for example: living people who are certain that they are dead; the variety of sexual fetishes; suddenly thinking a part of your body belongs to someone else; and the feeling that you are suddenly growing or shrinking like Alice in Wonderland).

It's well written and describes the science so that a layman like me can understand, and left me with an appreciation for just how fragile our "normality" is.

To my surprise, the only topic that wasn't included was phobias, so I don't know what explains my irrational fear of spiders.

Highly recommended.

The book that was reviewed is an advance review copy (ARC) and was about 240 pages in length. Thank you to NetGalley for the opportunity to review the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Bizarre by Marc Dingman was fascinating! I had no idea what to expect and am very interested in the brain since I have a neurological disorder. Dingman writes about all kinds of disorders I had no idea even existed. His writing was totally accessible and I learned so much.

Bizarre is a great example of a book about neuroscience that's made for the everyday person vs the scientist! With everyday language, easy to understand explanations of anything scientific, and real case studies, Bizarre explains various topics on brain blurps and how they affect people. The "blurps" discussed are fascinating and all left me wanting to use the related footnotes to read more. I wish for more books like this!

Bizarre by Marc Dingman is a fascinating book about one of the most complex and interesting , as well as one of the least understood, organs in the human body - the brain. The author explores the relationship between brain function and human behaviour, often using bizarre and peculiar cases to illustrate his points, and this makes for intriguing reading, even though the author admits that in many of these cases the full link between the two is not fully understood. By using unusual case studies to illustrate the concepts the reader is entertained while being informed in a way that is designed to be easily understood by those without a scientific background. The book is broken down into sections like identification, physicality, obsessions and personality and within each of these broad categories more specific conditions are discussed, so that there is a natural progression in the information the reader is given to build upon. Despite having a background in medical sciences I learned a lot while reading this, and I will admit it sent me down more than one rabbit hole.
This is an accessible, entertaining and informative book and one that I would highly recommend.
I read an ARC courtesy of NetGalley and the publisher, all opinions are my own.

"Patients often see more imposters in their lives over time, and in some circumstances, imposters take over their whole environment. One patient had the idea that his dog was a fake. The hallucination may even affect animals. Patients with Capgras often lament that they do not have an emotional connection to others, and researchers have discovered that they do not experience the normal emotional reaction when they encounter someone they know. Nonetheless, their memories are usually intact, they have clear minds, and they often recognize how ridiculous their hallucination sounds."

This book literally exposes the reader to many health implications that arise from some stated conditions and more expecially the complicated nature of the human brain, it's a cool and educative book to read, the author explained in details some important things to look at in the human body.

Thanks so much Netgalley for giving the ARC.

The book has my 4 stars review.

This book is so interesting with lots of little nuggets of information about the brain. However, I couldn't help comparing it to the great Oliver Sacks so it falls a bit short.
I felt like the people were presented as quite a simple overview without getting to know much about them as people. Perhaps a result of not wanting to identify them . However, the author did describe their bizarre issues with sensitivity. With less considerate writing it could have been more of an uncomfortable study.
Its also a nice book for picking up and reading small chunks of rather than needing to read in one sitting.

Thank you to Nicholas Brealey Publishing and Netgalley for this advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

The brain is the most fascinating organ in the human body, and this is a very well written examination of the many ways in which its dysfunction can manifest. Marc Dingman writes about these dysfunctions in a very easily accessible and interesting way. I especially appreciated the different examples he gives of each condition as well as the very detailed explanations for why they might be occurring. It is also very well-sourced.

The title of this book is definitely fitting. All of the stories and their explanations kept me interested because of how different they were but at the same time knowing they were all linked by one common organ: the brain. This book is informative without reading like a scientifically published research paper. I know a few of my students will enjoy this and the fascinating oddities it presents.

This book is like the tv-program " Bizarre bodies' but then for the brain and more respectful. The author does a great job at show casing "bizarre" cases of changes in behaviour that have happened in the past and how they can be explained neurologically. By doing so the author does not only tell you more about interesting behavioral cases, but also about the basic brain functions and how the brain normally works. He really did so in an easy writing style, he managed to make a difficult topic understandable for readers that are not experts on this topic. I also think he did it in a very respectful and inclusive way, showing that behaviour that we might call "bizarre" is actually not that far from regular behaviors.

Thank you netgalley for giving me the chance to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

Bizarre by Mar Dingman is an intimate look at what happens when different parts of the brain are damaged or affected by outside influence.

The field of neuroscience is a wide-open frontier. The brain is only beginning to be understood. Even the mechanisms of modern drugs to treat psychosis, depression and anxiety are often little understood. From OCD and Hoarding to Alien Hand Syndrome and Alice-in-Wonderland Syndrome, Dingman explores the possible causes in the brain for these disorders.

For all that we DO know about the brain, there seem to be hundreds more things we do not know. The brain is an extraordinary organ with amazing abilities. I found this book somewhat terrifying. It’s a scary idea that a change in brain chemistry or a concussion could lead you to behave in a way you never would have before. I like to think that I am who I am because of genetics and what I’ve done to improve myself. The idea of losing part of myself to a brain injury is particularly terrifying.

I enjoyed this book; it was written in an engaging and thoughtful manner. I recommend it to anyone interested in psychology or neuroscience.

Bizarre was a fascinating look at some unusual cases where the brain goes a bit haywire. From obsessions, to personality changes, to perception of reality Dingman helps us to see the possible reasons behind different brain disorders. He also introduces some of the ways that the brain functions. I loved that the author mentions aphantasia (a lack of a "minds eye" or mental imagery) as this is something that I have and not many people know about. Overall, I found it very interesting and informative. Individuals without a background in psychology would be able to read and understand most of this book.

The premise of this book really piqued my interest, though I was quite concerned that the cases and people were going to be used as a means of entertainment and for a laugh - I'm very happy to say that I needn't have worried.

The author is professional and presents each case in a compassionate and intelligent way, leaning more towards scientific curiosity in trying to understand the endless complexities of the human brain.

I received a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. Thank you NetGalley.

I have to admit I'm surprised which how much I enjoyed this book. Bizarre is about human behavior and how the brain works. It was educational, but also quite fun to read.
Each section of the book had an interesting / rare case of human behavior was quite cool to read about.

The human body is fascinating and scary at times. I really did enjoy this book, and I'd recommend it to others as well!

I loved this book. The writing style is entertaining and conversational, while respectful to the individuals discussed. Dingman writes with some humor and gives great, clear explanations of this fascinating subject. The illustrations of brain anatomy were also very helpful. This is great science writing. Thank you to Netgalley and Nicholas Brealey Publishing for the advance reader copy.

An interesting exploration of odd cases of human behaviour and how the brain works. I found this an enlightening read that held my interest throughout and I definitely felt like I learnt a lot from it.

Thank you to Nicholas Brealey Publishing and Netgalley for this E-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This was an incredibly fascinating (and accessible!) look at how deviations in neurobiological processes can impact human behavior, sometimes resulting in rare outcomes.

Each section began with the author describing a "peculiar case of human behavior." Next, he would explain several theories as to how the behavior came about (in other words, what was the preceding event and how did it impact the brain?) Additionally, he was also careful to note which parts of the brain correspond with particular processes and behaviors.

The book was extremely educational, and the cases were interesting to read about. The author's passion for neuroscience really shone through (so much voice in his writing!) Plus, the author's introduction and closing thoughts were incredibly compassionate, especially important while writing about the experiences of real people.

My main critique is about a portion of the text from the "Intimacy" section of the book. While the author explains that a paraphilia (unusual sexual interest) does not necessarily equal pathology, I would have liked more discourse on when and why certain interests are considered "paraphilias" in the first place. He distinguishes the scientific definitions of paraphilias, paraphilic interests, and paraphilic disorders, but I would have enjoyed additional perspectives on these topics.