Ratey (psychiatry, Harvard Medical Sch.; A User's Guide to the Brain: Perception, Attention, and the Four Theaters of the Brain) presents much of the hard science documenting how the brain works and how exercise stimulates and strengthens neurochemical brain functions. Ratey aims to "deliver in plain English the inspiring science connecting exercise and the brain and demonstrate how it plays out in the lives of real people." He intersperses some lackluster, brief personal narratives with the latest brain research supporting the thesis that exercise throughout one's life stimulates neurogenesis, or the formation of new brain cells. Exercise, in addition to maintaining muscle tone and cardiovascular health, is thus "simply one of the best treatments we have for most psychiatric problems," helping to beat stress, panic attacks, and anxiety; sharpen intellect and cognitive skills; and combat the effects of aging and such related mental disorders as Alzheimer's. The book is especially useful as a layperson's guide to the brain and its neurochemistry; recommended for consumer health collections. (Glossary not seen.) [See Prepub Alert, LJ9/15/07.]
—James Swanton

"This book is a real turning point that explains something I've been trying to figure out for years. Having experienced symptoms of both ADHD and mild depression, I have personally witnessed the powerful effects of exercise, and I've suspected that the health benefits go way beyond just fitness. Exercise is not simply necessary, as Dr. Ratey clearly shows, it's medicine."

"Bravo! This is an extremely important book. What Cooper did decades ago for exercise and the heart, Ratey does in SPARK for exercise and the brain. Everyone--teachers, doctors, managers, policy-makers, individuals trying to lead the best kind of life--can benefit enormously from the utterly convincing and brilliantly documented thesis of this ground-breaking work. People know that exercise helps just about everything, except anorexia, but it will surprise most people just how dramatically it improves all areas of mental functioning. So, get moving! You're brain will thank you and repay you many times over."

"SPARK is just what we need-a thoughtful, interesting, scientific treatise on the powerful and positive impact of exercise on the brain. In mental health, exercise is a growth stock and Ratey is our best broker."

"At last a book that explains to me why I feel so much better if I run in the morning! This very readable book describes the science behind the mind-body connection and adds to the evidence that exercise is the best way to stay healthy, alert, and happy!"

"SPARK is just what we need. In mental health, exercise is a growth stock and Ratey is our best broker."

"This book is a real turning point that explains something I've been trying to figure out for years. Exercise is not simply necessary, as Dr. Ratey clearly shows, it's medicine."

"At last a book that explains to me why I feel so much better if I run in the morning!"

"Bravo! An extremely important book. What Cooper did decades ago for exercise and the heart, Ratey does in SPARK for exercise and the brain. An utterly convincing and brilliantly documented ground-breaking work...So, get moving! Your brain will thank you and repay you many times over."

At last a book that explains to me why I feel so much better if I run in the morning! This very readable book describes the science behind the mind-body connection and adds to the evidence that exercise is the best way to stay healthy, alert, and happy!
— Dr. Susan Love's Menopause and Hormone Book and Dr. Susan Love's Breast Book

"I enthusiastically recommend this book...If your goal is to live a long and healthy life to the fullest then Spark should be required reading."

"This is my self-help book for the season."

"SPARK is mercifully short on Ivy League med-school-speak. And it may just spell the end of all dumb-jock jokes."

"Ratey has culled the latest science and found that a regular workout can help build a better, faster brain."

"This is my self-help book for the season."—Houston Chronicle

"At last a book that explains to me why I feel so much better if I run in the morning!"—Dr. Susan M. Love, author of Dr. Susan Love's Menopause and Hormone Book and Dr. Susan Love's Breast Book

"SPARK is just what we need. In mental health, exercise is a growth stock and Ratey is our best broker."—Ken Duckworth, M.D., Medical Director for the National Alliance on Mental Illness

"This book is a real turning point that explains something I've been trying to figure out for years. Exercise is not simply necessary, as Dr. Ratey clearly shows, it's medicine."—Greg LeMond, three-time winner of the Tour de France

"SPARK is mercifully short on Ivy League med-school-speak. And it may just spell the end of all dumb-jock jokes."—Outside Magazine

"I enthusiastically recommend this book...If your goal is to live a long and healthy life to the fullest then Spark should be required reading."—Kenneth H. Cooper, M.D., M.P.H., "Father of Aerobics"

"Bravo! An extremely important book. What Cooper did decades ago for exercise and the heart, Ratey does in SPARK for exercise and the brain. An utterly convincing and brilliantly documented ground-breaking work...So, get moving! Your brain will thank you and repay you many times over."—Edward Hallowell, M.D., The Hallowell Centers

"Ratey has culled the latest science and found that a regular workout can help build a better, faster brain."—USA Today