Psychology: Why We Smile, Strive, and Sing

Gr 7-10–This compact psychology book focuses on the science of human behavior, with an emphasis on issues relevant to teens. The text looks at how the brain plays a role in human behavior and how this knowledge can help readers “stay emotionally healthy.” Overall, Rubini handles the intricacies of the complex subject matter admirably. The relatively cursory treatment of phrenology (measuring the bumps on a person’s skull to determine personality traits) as a psychological discipline, however, arguably glosses over its place as a tool of racist, patriarchal hegemony from the 19th century through the present day. The discussion of epigenetics (the study of biological mechanisms that switch genes on and off during an organism’s lifetime), does not address its controversial history or the scientific racism of eugenics. Copious sidebars provide additional details and questions for deeper discussion, as well as multimedia content accessible via QR codes. Bright cartoon art in each chapter adds a lighter element to the subject matter.