Jill Bolt Taylor is a Harvard neuroanatomist who had a stroke that shut down her left hemisphere. She wrote a book, Stroke of Insight, where she provides a unique perspective of the specialization of the left and right hemispheres of the brain. There is a real division of labor between the two cortices and each hemisphere has it's own distinct personality. Although we are whole-brained people, most of us feel more comfortable and adept with the characteristics of one hemisphere or the other -- much like handedness. We have a preference for which side kicks in first and carries the major share of the processing and organizing tasks. The way we are naturally, genetically hardwired contributes to our learning stye and impacts how we communicate, develop relationships, approach our work and our career choices. The blog by John Medina