From a psychologist who has devoted himself to studying the secrets of the brain, you expect stories about tomograms, laboratory experiments, neural networks … But Kent A. Keel’s book begins with the clang of a prison lock and continues with a description of the life of prisoners. There is an explanation for this: the subject of Keel’s scientific interests is psychopathy, a personality disorder in which people are not able to empathize and feel guilty, they are heartless and deceitful. The psychologist collected materials for research, risking his life — endlessly interviewing and placing serial killers, rapists and other most dangerous criminals in tomographs. So there is still a tomograph there. As well as experiments and surprising conclusions that the brain of psychopaths is arranged abnormally. (The amygdala, for example, and the anterior and posterior cingulate cortex, which are responsible for emotions and empathy, are significantly less active in their brains.) But when combined with the almost diary style of describing work in prison, this has a powerful effect. Fantastically informative and engrossing read, a solid six out of five.
Centerpolygraph, 320 p., 2015.