Book Review: The Nurture Revolution by Dr. Greer Kirshenbaum

The book ‘The Nurture Revolution’ is a parenting book written by Neuroscientist Dr. Greer Kirshenbaum. She describes how nurturing children can alter their brain development and protect them from adverse mental health outcomes.

This book is definitely not a light read. It goes into detailed descriptions of brain development and genetic and environmental factors that impact infant mental health. However, I believe that it is important for parents to understand how their baby’s brain works and why their toddler, for example, simply can’t help but have a tantrum when their banana breaks in half.

Dr. Kirshenbaum’s claims are all substantiated by research. The book features an extensive list of sources, which adds to Dr. Kirshenbaum’s credibility.

In addition to providing insight into infant brain development, Dr. Kirshenbaum illustrates how parents can nurture their babies’ brains in real life.

While the book emphasizes the importance of being a responsive and nurturing parent, Dr. Kirshenbaum speaks about the limitations that parents face in today’s society: pressure from others ‘not to spoil’ your baby, lack of support for parents, and parents dealing with their own mental health challenges.

My rating: 10/10

Recommended for: New parents, expecting parents, parents of toddlers

Not recommended for: Parents in an acute crisis - they should seek help first and read this later when they can digest information that may trigger feelings of guilt

LGBTQ+ friendly? Yes