Into the Magic Shop: A Neurosurgeon's Quest to Discover the Mysteries of the Brain and the Secrets ofthe Heart
James R. Doty, MD
Dec 2023 · Penguin Random House Audio · Narrated by James R. Doty, MD
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6 hr 49 min
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About this audiobook
The award-winning New York Times bestseller about the extraordinary things that can happen when we harness the power of both the brain and the heart
“It’s Doty’s ability to describe his journey so lyrically, and then his willingness to share his methods, that make this book a gem.”—Abraham Verghese, MD, author of Cutting for Stone
Growing up in the high desert of California, Jim Doty was poor, with an alcoholic father and a mother chronically depressed and paralyzed by a stroke. Today he is the director of the Center for Compassion and Altruism Research and Education (CCARE) at Stanford University, of which the Dalai Lama is a founding benefactor. But back then his life was at a dead end until at twelve he wandered into a magic shop looking for a plastic thumb. Instead he met Ruth, a woman who taught him a series of exercises to ease his own suffering and manifest his greatest desires. Her final mandate was that he keep his heart open and teach these techniques to others. She gave him his first glimpse of the unique relationship between the brain and the heart.
Doty would go on to put Ruth’s practices to work with extraordinary results—power and wealth that he could only imagine as a twelve-year-old, riding his orange Sting-Ray bike. But he neglects Ruth’s most important lesson, to keep his heart open, with disastrous results—until he has the opportunity to make a spectacular charitable contribution that will virtually ruin him. Part memoir, part science, part inspiration, and part practical instruction, Into the Magic Shop shows us how we can fundamentally change our lives by first changing our brains and our hearts.
“It’s Doty’s ability to describe his journey so lyrically, and then his willingness to share his methods, that make this book a gem.”—Abraham Verghese, MD, author of Cutting for Stone
Growing up in the high desert of California, Jim Doty was poor, with an alcoholic father and a mother chronically depressed and paralyzed by a stroke. Today he is the director of the Center for Compassion and Altruism Research and Education (CCARE) at Stanford University, of which the Dalai Lama is a founding benefactor. But back then his life was at a dead end until at twelve he wandered into a magic shop looking for a plastic thumb. Instead he met Ruth, a woman who taught him a series of exercises to ease his own suffering and manifest his greatest desires. Her final mandate was that he keep his heart open and teach these techniques to others. She gave him his first glimpse of the unique relationship between the brain and the heart.
Doty would go on to put Ruth’s practices to work with extraordinary results—power and wealth that he could only imagine as a twelve-year-old, riding his orange Sting-Ray bike. But he neglects Ruth’s most important lesson, to keep his heart open, with disastrous results—until he has the opportunity to make a spectacular charitable contribution that will virtually ruin him. Part memoir, part science, part inspiration, and part practical instruction, Into the Magic Shop shows us how we can fundamentally change our lives by first changing our brains and our hearts.
The award-winning New York Times bestseller about the extraordinary things that can happen when we harness the power of both the brain and the heart
“It’s Doty’s ability to describe his journey so lyrically, and then his willingness to share his methods, that make this book a gem.”—Abraham Vergh...
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3 reviews
Sayeh Sahaie
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July 26, 2024
I really truly enjoyed this book and I'm sad that it's done. I loved it and def recommend it to everyone.
About the author
James R. Doty, MD, is the New York Times bestselling author of Into the Magic Shop and Mind Magic. An adjunct professor at Stanford University and the director of the Center for Compassion and Altruism Research and Education (CCARE), he served on the board of a number of nonprofits, including as the chairman of the Dalai Lama Foundation. Dr. Doty passed away in July 2025.
James R. Doty, MD, is the New York Times bestselling author of Into the Magic Shop and Mind Magic. An adjunct professor at Stanford University and the director of the Center for Compassion and Altruism Research and Education (CCARE), he served on the board of a number of nonprofits, including as ...
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