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4.12 AVERAGE
4.12 AVERAGE
It wouldn't have taken me three days to finish if I had started it earlier the first day. A simply riveting novel!
Very interesting read. With a neuropsychologist as a husband, I found myself reading parts aloud to him to get his "expert" opinon. I kept turning the page, wanting to know what would happen next on her medical roller coaster. Worth reading!!
I thought this was a very interesting tale about a woman's experience with an extremely unique illness. There's something in the writing style, though, that made it feel less engaging and personal, maybe it's all the technical jargon? I liked hearing all of that stuff, too, all the medical information, but maybe I just wanted more of a narrative rather than facts and figures? Lots of good content in here, the emotions described when they officially release her from the hospital was so relatable with the amount of time I've spent in and out of hospitals with my parents lately, definitely a highlight in the book. All in all, good story, just needed a little more oomph on the personal side? I think?
This was a very fascinating true story about a rare brain disease. I couldn’t imagine going through what the author experienced. I find neuroscience extremely interesting. I watched the movie first, so I knew what would happen in the book. I would recommend reading the book first so it is more of a mystery. I still think the book was better than the movie but I’d recommend both!
Susannah is living her stressful but fulfilling life as a journalist when she starts having a lot more insecurities and paranoid thinking. Slowly she starts deteriorating even more until she realizes that maybe it isn’t natural what is happening but something might actually be wrong with her. After testing and testing in the hospital they can’t seem to find anything wrong with her. But she’s getting worse, her language is getting worse, she’s having seizures, her body is becoming more frigid. But still there doesn’t seem to be a physical cause. Her parents and friends are striving to figure out what is happening to her before all hope is lost and she is sent to a psychiatric ward for care.
I thought this book was super interesting and informative. At some points I felt it was slow but overall I felt it was really well written. I did get super frustrated though when the doctors wouldn’t believe her or would act like she wasn’t as bad as she was it was so annoying.
I thought this book was super interesting and informative. At some points I felt it was slow but overall I felt it was really well written. I did get super frustrated though when the doctors wouldn’t believe her or would act like she wasn’t as bad as she was it was so annoying.
emotional
informative
reflective
fast-paced
This was recommended to me years go, so I'm glad I finally picked it up. It was a wild ride and definitely created some new fears for me. Cahalan is a solid writer (I mean she's a journalist by profession, so that's probably expected), but her ability to reflect on this time period is impressive. Her use of different sources to piece together what happened made for a really impactful book. It was hard to read this knowing that this was a true story. I really appreciated the ending where Cahalan discussed other people with the same condition and how fortunate she had been to have the resources and access to medical care that she did.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Mental illness, Medical content
A memoir of encephalitis: the gradual experience of going mad through the course of disease; wrestling with lost identity and time, and the luck by which the author's case was treated rather than dismissed as mental illness. I appreciate the addictive readability of memoir framed by larger issues: insight into a rare disease that stands at the fragile intersection between physical illness and mental health, illustrating systemic problems in treatment. I liked this.
But also, wow, everyone has their own valid relationship with their body and relationships with bodies altered by outside forces are exceptionally complicated, but the fat-shaming makes for a sour end note. I suppose it speaks to the flaws in the framing of memoir-as-social-issue, because it's also just one single person's story and thus comes laden with the baggage that person may carry.
But also, wow, everyone has their own valid relationship with their body and relationships with bodies altered by outside forces are exceptionally complicated, but the fat-shaming makes for a sour end note. I suppose it speaks to the flaws in the framing of memoir-as-social-issue, because it's also just one single person's story and thus comes laden with the baggage that person may carry.
Really interesting read. This memoir seamlessly blends Susannah's personal struggles and neurology while also pulling in the heart-breaking experiences of those who supported her. I mean, this disease is the embodiment of my worst fears, so it's eye-opening to read Susannah recount how it feels to observe a version of herself she doesn't recognize. But also, I was surprised at how well she manages to illustrate how her family felt during this time.
Well written & explains the intense fears that come home with health anxiety after a scary and traumatizing health crisis.
4.5⭐
Joya de libro!!!
Me habían hablado mucho de este libro, y a pesar de todo lo bueno que había oído, lo empecé sin expectativas porque ya había leído otros libros de este tipo y pensé que no me iba a encontrar nada nuevo. Todo este análisis lo hice partiendo de la suposición de que este sería un libro donde la protagonista nos cuenta cómo lidió con su enfermedad mental, no había leído la sinopsis, pero al leer el título eso fue lo que me imaginé.
Pero adentrándome en la historia me topé con un testimonio super bien escrito y super interesante.
Esta chica no padecía ninguna enfermedad mental, esta chica simplemente un día perdió el control de su mente y su cuerpo hasta llegar a perderse por completo.
Esta es una historia de desesperación, de miedo, de dolor por parte de ella y su familia, porque nadie sabía que era lo que estaba pasando. Iban de doctor en doctor buscando respuestas pero nadie tenía la solución. Es un relato de la angustia que se siente al ver a tu hija empeorar día a día sin poder hacer nada porque no sabes lo que le pasa.
La autora nos brindó un panorama bastante completo y detallada para que pudiéramos tener verdadera noción de lo que experimentó auxiliándose de los testimonios de quienes estuvieron a su lado durante el curso de su enfermedad, de las declaraciones de los doctores que la atendieron, de los diarios que llevaron ella y su familia durante la época, de grabaciones y de las investigaciones que ella misma realizó, estas últimas resultaron muy informativas y me han nutrido de un gran arsenal de conocimientos sobre neurología. Ha sido una lectura muy instructiva y muy amena.
Joya de libro!!!
Me habían hablado mucho de este libro, y a pesar de todo lo bueno que había oído, lo empecé sin expectativas porque ya había leído otros libros de este tipo y pensé que no me iba a encontrar nada nuevo. Todo este análisis lo hice partiendo de la suposición de que este sería un libro donde la protagonista nos cuenta cómo lidió con su enfermedad mental, no había leído la sinopsis, pero al leer el título eso fue lo que me imaginé.
Pero adentrándome en la historia me topé con un testimonio super bien escrito y super interesante.
Esta chica no padecía ninguna enfermedad mental, esta chica simplemente un día perdió el control de su mente y su cuerpo hasta llegar a perderse por completo.
Esta es una historia de desesperación, de miedo, de dolor por parte de ella y su familia, porque nadie sabía que era lo que estaba pasando. Iban de doctor en doctor buscando respuestas pero nadie tenía la solución. Es un relato de la angustia que se siente al ver a tu hija empeorar día a día sin poder hacer nada porque no sabes lo que le pasa.
La autora nos brindó un panorama bastante completo y detallada para que pudiéramos tener verdadera noción de lo que experimentó auxiliándose de los testimonios de quienes estuvieron a su lado durante el curso de su enfermedad, de las declaraciones de los doctores que la atendieron, de los diarios que llevaron ella y su familia durante la época, de grabaciones y de las investigaciones que ella misma realizó, estas últimas resultaron muy informativas y me han nutrido de un gran arsenal de conocimientos sobre neurología. Ha sido una lectura muy instructiva y muy amena.