Two Heads

 

Two Heads by Uta Frith, Chris Frith & Alex Frith (2022 Bloomsbury paperback 345pp)

 

Two Heads is a lively, engaging and ultimately satisfying graphic novel (although being non-fiction I’m not sure it fits the strict definition) about the lives and work of husband-and-wife neuroscientists Uta and Chris Frith.

Written largely by their son Alex Frith, this book follows three main story threads – The life history of the Friths themselves, how they perform their research and the science itself.

I was initially disappointed by Daniel Locke’s artwork, the stylised people he draws look a little too simplistic and rushed by my taste. However, he begins to shine when illustrating complex theories, experiments and anatomy.

We’re treated to a fun history of the couple’s relationship and the various fields of research they pursued before meeting and becoming a double act studying how the brain/mind behaves in assorted situations.

There are frequent breaks from the main narrative to illustrate key matters of psychology, biology and anatomy. The book is divided into chapters each of which describe a new concept related to the Firth’s discoveries and/or their current research.

For a comic-style book there’s a lot of information contained in its pages, with many of the ideas being new to me at least. Also, there’s a somewhat rare look at how science is done in the real world with things like the current ‘reproducibility crisis’ taking centre stage. It’s emphasized that science is hard and not all well-thought-out theories can survive a simple well-run experiment.

Many unanswered questions remain – matters of nature or nurture abound when it comes to the developing brain. Why do we seem to be born hardwired for some things yet have to learn other simple social skills the hard way? Do we truly learn anything deeply or simply imitate those around us? Are our minds primed for working with other minds and how did this develop? The Friths continue investigating these issues and others well into their retirement.

The book throws a lot of ideas at you and can get quite ‘busy’. Possibly its best read a chapter at a time with a break in between to consider what you’ve read. I enjoyed diving into the Friths’ life and the mysteries of the human brain and will highly recommend it to any other enquiring mind.