Note: This program is a two-part book discussion, to be held on May 22 and 29. By registering, you’re signing up for both installments.

Join us on May 22 and 29 to discuss Spark, a groundbreaking and fascinating investigation into the transformative effects of exercise on the brain, from the bestselling author and renowned psychiatrist John J. Ratey, MD. The first five people to sign up will receive a free copy to keep. (By accepting a copy of the book, you agree to join us for both discussions.) We’ll also have plenty of copies available for checkout behind the first floor service desk. And Dr. Ratey himself will join our May 29 discussion via Zoom to answer your questions and update us on developments since his book was published. We’re bringing you this series in collaboration with Salud Family Health, and Chazz Glaze, Salud’s Community Health Educator, will be leading the discussions.

About the book

Did you know you can beat stress, lift your mood, fight memory loss, sharpen your intellect, and function better than ever simply by elevating your heart rate and breaking a sweat? The evidence is incontrovertible: Aerobic exercise physically remodels our brains for peak performance.

In Spark, John J. Ratey, M.D., embarks upon a fascinating and entertaining journey through the mind-body connection, presenting startling research to prove that exercise is truly our best defense against everything from depression to ADD to addiction to aggression to menopause to Alzheimer’s.

Filled with amazing case studies (such as the revolutionary fitness program in Naperville, Illinois, which has put this school district of 19,000 kids first in the world of science test scores), Spark is the first book to comprehensively explore the connection between exercise and the brain. It will change forever the way you think about your morning run–or, for that matter, simply the way you think.

About John J. Ratey, M.D.

John J. Ratey MD, is an associate clinical professor of Psychiatry at Harvard Medical School and an internationally recognized expert in Neuropsychiatry. He has published over 60 peer reviewed articles and 11 books, including the groundbreaking ADHD Driven to Distraction series, and Spark: The Revolutionary New Science of Exercise and the Brain. Honored by the Massachusetts Psychiatric Society for Advancing the Profession, Ratey lectures around the world in addition to maintaining a private practice in Cambridge, Massachusetts and Los Angeles, California. He enjoys running, weight training and hiking with his wife. You can learn more about Dr. Ratey and his work at his website, johnratey.com.

More about this program

This program is a two-part book discussion, to be held on May 22 and 29. We'll cover roughly the first six chapters in the first session, and the rest of the book in the second session. By registering, you’re signing up for both installments.

The first five people to sign up will receive a free copy of the book to keep. By accepting a copy of the book, you agree to join us for both discussions.

Update: We've given away all of our free books, but we have plenty of copies available for checkout at the first floor service desk.

We’ll also have plenty of copies available for checkout behind the first floor service desk.

Finally, if you'd like to get a head start on the discussion, see the attached discussion guide.

We’re bringing you this program in partnership with Salud Family Health.