A brilliant beast of a book. A wide ranging synthesis pulling together disparate stands from philosophy, science, literature, personal experience and speculation - this latter being the most exciting for me, despite some proposals being as yet unproven. Seth proposes to explain not just what and how we are, but probably provocative for some folks, why we are the way we are. Why do we have the feeling of continually being the same person? (when obviously I, at least, am not) Why do we have this feeling of being self aware? What is it for? Hugely inspirational - I filled up 10 pages with exuberant notes. Keep a pencil handy. -- David Byrne

Insightful and profound. The nature of consciousness is still one of the hardest problems in science, but Anil Seth brings us closer than ever before to the answer. This a hugely important book. -- Jim Al-Khalili

Anil Seth thinks clearly and sharply on one of the hardest problems of science and philosophy, cutting through weeds with a scientist's mind and a storyteller's skill. -- Adam Rutherford

Seth provokes us to think about thinking. And he offers what the interested reader always needs - a book which makes complex ideas readable, relatable, and gripping. If you want to understand his subject better - he'll help you. And who wouldn't want to better understand consciousness? In our lives, there is nothing weirder or more fundamental. -- Alex Garland - director of EX MACHINA

Amazing . . . a brilliant read. -- Russell Brand

Masterly . . . deftly weaves the philosophical, biological and personal with a lucid clarity and coherence that is thrilling to read . . . This much-anticipated book lays out his radical theory of our invented reality with accessible and compelling writing . . . meticulously researched . . . Being You is an exhilarating book: a vast-ranging, phenomenal achievement that will undoubtedly become a seminal text. -- Gaia Vince - Guardian

A pioneering neuroscientist takes readers to the edge of what is known, how scientists know it, and, most importantly, how that knowledge could be made useful in medicine and psychology. - The Economist (Books of the Year)

Fascinating. -- Clive Cookson - Financial Times (Books of the Year)

If you only read one book about consciousness, it must be [Seth's] . . . Being You is an impressive work that handles complex issues with exceptional insight and beautiful clarity . . . Seth is meticulously precise in his use of language . . . it shows how hard-nosed science can also be deeply humane. -- Julian Baggini - Wall Street Journal

In an engaging and accessible manner, [Seth introduces] important theoretical frameworks, reporting cutting-edge experimental work and sensitively recounting real-life case studies . . . Being You depicts the brain as a creative artist, restlessly conjuring a world of meaning and opportunity from the raw data it receives. It is a compelling picture, and a salutary corrective for those who think of consciousness as a disembodied process, whether psychic or computational. -- Keith Frankish - Times Literary Supplement

Being You is an outstanding book. It explores one of the most difficult and perplexing topics, consciousness, in an accessible way without sacrificing scientific rigor. Amazingly, each chapter is better than the previous chapter, leading the reader to a crescendo by the end of the book . . . fascinating and revelatory. . .a very satisfying read and well worth your time. -- John A. Johnson - Psychology Today

On the one hand we find joy, love, light. On the other we find billions of tiny cells interacting in the dark. How are these related? Few people are as well positioned as Anil Seth to tackle the question of consciousness. Beautifully written, crystal clear, deeply insightful. -- David Eagleman - Pulitzer Prize-nominated author of LIVEWIRED: The Inside Story of the Ever-changing Brain

A fascinating book. A joy to read. Anil Seth explores fundamental questions about consciousness and the self from the perspective of a philosophically-informed neuroscientist. Highly recommended. -- Nigel Warburton

Reality is real, but how our brains construct a picture of reality - perceiving, integrating, predicting - is far from direct. It's a complicated, fascinating mess, which neuroscientists are just beginning to piece together. Anil Seth's Being You is a wonderfully accessible and comprehensive account of how our minds capture the world, and how that makes us who we are. -- Sean Carroll - author of SOMETHING DEEPLY HIDDEN: Quantum Worlds and the Emergence of Spacetime

Being You offers us a new cause for astonishment and wonder. Through expert science writing and engaging personal narrative, Anil gives us a new perspective on everything we perceive, down to space and time itself. Being You is a must read for anyone seeking a better understanding of the brain and how nature sculpts the human experience. -- Annaka Harris - New York Times bestselling author of CONSCIOUS: A Brief Guide to the Fundamental Mystery of the Mind

Prepare to have you mind opened up and examined, your self broken down into its constituents, your consciousness blown, and your notions of what is real stood on their head. But don't fear: you'll enjoy it. If Anil Seth's book doesn't change the way you think, you need to read it again. It's a tour de force exploration of what mind is, what it can be, and how it creates all we can ever know. -- Philip Ball

An incredible, mind-expanding book. Understanding consciousness is one of humanity's biggest questions-Anil's book takes you right to the edge of what we know (and don't know).
-- Alok Jha

In this lucid and thought-provoking exploration of the nature of consciousness, Seth takes us closer than ever to making sense of our experience of being conscious selves. A must-read. -- Anil Ananthaswamy - award-winning journalist and author of THROUGH TWO DOORS AT ONCE and THE MAN WHO WASN'T THERE

When you start to think about how "mere" electrical impulses in your brain turn you into the unique individual you are, it's pretty mind-blowing . . . [Seth's] extraordinary debut sets out his theory about how we experience the world. - The Bookseller (Editor's Choice)

An accessible, unfailingly interesting look inside the workings of the human brain, celebrating its beguiling nature. -- Kirkus

Sidles cunningly towards the notoriously impossible task of understanding consciousness by examining the neurological background of some of its more approachable practical applications, and showing how we use them to construct a world in which we can take the actions we need to survive. -- Michael Frayn

What makes you, you? What explains your consciousness and sense of self? In this remarkable and ground-breaking work, Anil Seth offers a surprising answer, rooted in the new science of the predictive brain. Compulsory reading for anyone who wants to better understand their inner 'beast machine'. -- Andy Clark - author of SURFING UNCERTAINTY: PREDICTION, ACTION AND THE EMBODIED MIND

Truly compelling . . . The treatment of consciousness on offer is eclectic and delivered with a particular kind of generosity . . . A potent account of embodied sentience and selfhood. An account that is rendered irresistible by the author's gentle and inclusive arguments. -- Professor Karl Friston, Institute of Neurology, University College London

Anil Seth is one of the world's leading consciousness researchers - his take on the subject is unique and refreshing, and his talks and writing always exciting, accessible, and engaging. -- Christof Koch - President and Chief Scientific Officer of the Allen Brain Institute, Seattle

Seth is uniquely placed to truly advance our understanding of one of humanity's deepest riddles. -- Chris Anderson - Curator of TED