Tricks of the Mind | Paperback

Yes, he does condemns religion for a small part. Really, what he does is that he asks you to read this book with an open mind. he asks you to actually take time to challenge the religion you believe in, and not just to "believe it because you were born with it", but rather to investiagte it. He gives reason and fact throughout the book, and adds some of his own opinion too.

Although the book centers on hypnosis, thats not what it's all about. Of course there's a whole 100pages devoted to hypnotism, but he shows you how to catch a liar, read someone's unconcious movements so that you can tell what they're really feeling, even if they were to put on a brave face for you. he also shows many ways to improve your memory to the extent that you can learn 20 words in 30 seconds and recite them in order, or to memorize a deck of cards.

The book also demonstrates how an Ouja board works, how musle reading works and even how the pendulum works. These parts of the book may lead some people to feel uncomfortable whilst reading the book, but he shows the real way of "contacting the spirits", and how it works on people.

I believe that even the memory chapter alone would cost you at least £10/€15 if you were to purchase it alone. This book is well worth the read even if you didn't agree with what he said, but the one thing that is required to read the book is an open mind....

Be sure to check out "You need to scratch" on page 157.

I would definetley recommend this book.

This book has changed my life. That sounds totaly ridiculous, but read this book with an open mind and it will. It's Hillarious, Very Controversial and makes you mad at what you see around you. It teaches you to hypnotize, spot a liar, do imense card tricks, and a tonne of other things, but those ( to my own shock ) are not the highlight of the book.
This gets you thinking, really really hard, about everything and will stick with you for years. For example, I read this a year ago or more and still can mesmorize the 20 words in the memory exercise.

"Ah...erm thanks" was my response to a well meaning relative after opening the wrapping surrounding this book on my birthday.

For a start I'm not really sure if I even like Derren Brown all that much! - However reading is a great passion of mine - so on one dreary afternoon - and for lack of anything better to read - I took the plunge and began!

Firstly I was surprised by the wit and charismatic form the writing took. Derren is truly a gifted writer. This book is both enjoyable and well informed (Derren sights a wide range of references including Dick Taverne & Sam Harris - no less!).

Essentially the book is quite a bizarre mix of insights into how memory can be trained, the power of suggestibility, unconscious communication and other techniques employed by magicians, charlatans and Derren alike.

Part six of the book is, for me, arguably the most compelling section - in which Derren reflects on the current trends of anti and pseudo science. This was not at all what I was expecting from this book, and therein is why I feel it firmly deserves the 5 stars I'm going to award it.

I have no doubt that fans of Derren's shows will find plenty of material within they enjoy (and can impress their mates with) while people such as myself, who until reading this had no real opinion of the man, will be won over by his wit, story telling ability and (in the case of part 6 of the book) cool logic and respect for scientific process.

Right, I'm off to thank my aunt for such an (unexpectedly) brilliant gift.

This is definitely an interesting and easy read. There are essentially three sections, although the first two are mixed up somewhat. The beginning of the book deals with card tricks and "mindreading" plus an autobiographical account of how Derren got into magic. Towards the end, the book is more about religion and the evils of mediums. There's also a brief look into what exactly hypnosis is, and a few pages on how you can improve your own memory. At the end is a long list of further reading, if you really feel the need. So long as you're not expecting a manual on how to control other people's minds, you'll find this a very worthwhile read.

A really great read, especially for those who have even a passive interest in the workings of the human mind and how it can be influenced. It covers a surprisingly large amount of ground and topics include: the paranormal and why much of it is a load of rubbish; showing the true cause and effects of hypnotism and my personal favourite the amazingly effective memory techniques which others have testified to in their reviews. Sometimes the topic areas require an effort on your part to stay engaged, however, Brown's wit, skill and knowledge throughout ensure that evn if you don't learn anything from it, you'll almost certainly have an enjoyable read. Tricks of the Mind gets a deserved 5 stars.