A review by msrosereads
Brain on Fire: My Month of Madness by Susannah Cahalan

4.0

I really enjoyed the journalistic style of writing for the first 60% or so of this book. Cahalan really transports you into her world of paranoia and trauma and makes you want to keep reading. She does this with extreme objectivity and resists passing judgement far more than most of us would be able. Interestingly, the reason I love the first half(ish) of the book, is the reason I enjoyed the second half(ish) less. Because Cahalan is so objective and journalistic in her writing style, her recovery seems to be more a recitation of events rather than a true reflection with broader themes or lessons intertwined. Her observations and research is stunning, especially considering how little she remembers from this time in her life, but I would've like a bigger take away from the author at the end. One final note, this book pushed me to think a lot about what would have or DOES happen to individuals without Cahalan's support network and social/capital resources. I shudder to imagine what happens when instead it is a poor, isolated single mother without medical coverage. How would this be different if it were a man? How would this be different if nobody has your back? This book really made me think...