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4.13 AVERAGE
4.13 AVERAGE
Amazing story. Great writing. Just a fascinating book.
challenging
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
Just WOW. I watched the 2016 film produced by Netflix many years ago and I remember thinking how incredible Susannah's journey was so, obviously, when many years later I found out it had been written as a memoir I had to read it. Whilst the film showed how much a healthy, young woman's life changed over the course of a few months and some of the issues within medical centers of assumption and exaggeration this book delved even deeper. Susannah has such a good job detailing her journey in the best way she can I now feel as if I was on that path with her, taking every step as she did. This is a book I would recommend to everyone, in part because it is such a gripping read, but also the more people that aware of this story the better chance there is of other people facing the same issues being properly diagnosed and treated.
Wow
Incredible story. There is a lot of medical terms but I found that to be the most compelling part as it was educational as well as engaging.
As someone who has been bounced with different diagnosis it's great to hear of a positive result and even better to hear of recovery. It's also scary how easy a wrong diagnosis can be pounced upon and something so serious can be missed and misunderstood
Incredible story. There is a lot of medical terms but I found that to be the most compelling part as it was educational as well as engaging.
As someone who has been bounced with different diagnosis it's great to hear of a positive result and even better to hear of recovery. It's also scary how easy a wrong diagnosis can be pounced upon and something so serious can be missed and misunderstood
emotional
informative
reflective
medium-paced
dark
informative
reflective
tense
fast-paced
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
medium-paced
"But recognizing myself in pictures, of course, does not signify a full return; um different than I was before. When I try to pinpoint all the subtle ways that I have changed, my hand instinctively sneaks up to that raw, bumby bald spot on the front of my scalp that will never grow hair again. It is my permanent reminder that no matter how 'normal' I feel, I will never be the same person that I was before."
Brain on Fire tells the overwhelming and frightening journey of a young woman and her family's search for answers in an unknown medical drama. It's scary to to read this and realize that it's a memoir - this happened to Susannah Cahalan in real life, and that it happened to so many others before there was a proper diagnosis.
This was an incredible book to experience. It surrounded a world (the medical world and hospitals) that I'm relatively unfamiliar with, but Cahalan explains so clearly that it's easy to follow her story. The text is not bogged down with medical jargon - instead the language is easy to grasp and the more complicated procedures and tests are explained clearly. I appreciate how this style choice makes the book accessible to many readers. And it's clear from examples given inside that the book has helped many people in their own healing journeys.
One of the most inspiring and touching things was the support system created by Susannah's family and friends. I loved that even though they didn't understand what was going on, they didn't abandon her. They are the definition of the phrase "I don't understand but I love you."
I truly do believe that that support is such an important pillar for patients going through any type of medical treatment.
Brain on Fire tells the overwhelming and frightening journey of a young woman and her family's search for answers in an unknown medical drama. It's scary to to read this and realize that it's a memoir - this happened to Susannah Cahalan in real life, and that it happened to so many others before there was a proper diagnosis.
This was an incredible book to experience. It surrounded a world (the medical world and hospitals) that I'm relatively unfamiliar with, but Cahalan explains so clearly that it's easy to follow her story. The text is not bogged down with medical jargon - instead the language is easy to grasp and the more complicated procedures and tests are explained clearly. I appreciate how this style choice makes the book accessible to many readers. And it's clear from examples given inside that the book has helped many people in their own healing journeys.
One of the most inspiring and touching things was the support system created by Susannah's family and friends. I loved that even though they didn't understand what was going on, they didn't abandon her. They are the definition of the phrase "I don't understand but I love you."
I truly do believe that that support is such an important pillar for patients going through any type of medical treatment.
This book was absolutely fascinating. The illness itself was new to me, but the biology of the brain and the symptoms that arise when something goes wrong was basically a review from several classes I have taken recently. I think the author does an incredible job at explaining the things that happened during her illness, why they happened, and how she felt about it and how it affected her loved ones, who were an incredible support to her during her month of illness and the years of recovery. It's a memoir, but it's also an education tool. It's scary and uplifting all at the same time. Highly recommend.
informative
medium-paced
dark
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
sad
slow-paced
Content Warnings
Graphic: Mental illness, Medical content, Medical trauma, Schizophrenia/Psychosis
Moderate: Cancer
informative
medium-paced