Reviews

Brain on Fire: My Month of Madness by Susannah Cahalan

daylightgate's review

4.0

Interesting in its journalistic, almost brass-tacks style, this is the sort of book that one is most likely to be enjoyed if the subject sounds intriguing. It's a brief, fairly terrifying look into what the human body is capable of, definitely worth the time.

shareen17's review

4.0

Pretty amazing story of a woman's experience with suddenly suffering from a rare disease and finding a diagnosis and treatment. The range and extremity of her symptoms - psychosis, seizures, language deficits, catatonia, among many others - along with the difficulty of finding a diagnosis makes it a gripping read.

makealongstorycourt's review

challenging mysterious

The audiobook was good! I was really intrigued by the entire medical mystery aspect of this. My only gripe is the last few chapters felt like they dragged on a bit too long to hit a page count. 

alidottie's review

4.0

4 and a half stars
What a story! It is so scary the crazy things that could happen to any of us. In this case the author, who was a journalist at the NY Post at the time this illness attacked her mind, was taken ill so quickly and thoroughly. She was very blessed to have the support and doctors that she did. I'm afraid if this kind of think happens to me (anti-NMDA receptor autoimmune encephalitis).

sksrenninger's review against another edition

3.0

Seriously gripping - I couldn't put this down. Her inexplicable seizures and psychosis will definitely get your adrenaline pumping. It was kind of weirdly shaped, though, maybe because the author couldn't remember anything that happened and had to rely on research. I wasn't really sure what she was building towards, and the short chapters sometimes gave it a very choppy feel. The writing never lost that over-dramatic tabloid feel, which was annoying. Just the same, an enlightening - and disturbingly compelling - read. Recommended to anyone interested in mental health, especially.

ptitirodactyle's review against another edition

challenging hopeful informative mysterious reflective medium-paced

4.25

As a future medical practitioner, it felt so refreshing to see a patient’s point of view. During our studies, we are taught to see patients more as cases than people. It was a privilege to be allowed a glimpse into how her condition affected her daily life and her relationships, not only her body.

The story is told as a sort of mystery at first, which allows the reader to live through the events as they happened to Cahalan. Her experience as a journalist really shines there. Her vulnerability and honesty were also strong-suits for the novel. In many memoirs, authors tend to avoid portraying themselves in anything but a good light. This choice from the author allowed her humanity to shine through.

I appreciated the balance between the objective theory (medicine, science) and her personal experience. 

I will definitely be recommending this book to my classmates! 😊

sarahbinari's review

emotional informative inspiring tense fast-paced

3.75

Soooo fascinating & engaging & heartbreaking & frustrating & beautiful & inspiring 

 I learned so much 

sarust7's review

4.0

A little long at times but overall a very interesting look at this disease.

nderiley's review

4.0

Wow what a read! From collecting diaries and videos, Cahalan is able to uniquely chronicle her descent into and recovery from a truly horrific disease. I also found the support and persistence of her loved ones nothing short of heroic.

lfera8's review against another edition

informative medium-paced

3.0