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

emotional informative inspiring tense medium-paced

5.0

An incredibly unique book due to its combination of informative teaching and very immersive moments of true emotion. The book begins with Susannah introducing herself which allows you to create an attachment for when she goes through her “month of madness” where you can actually feel her emotions. I would highly recommend this to anyone looking for a nonfiction book that feels like fiction. Her writing technique is truly stunning and pushed me to finish this in 4 days (shamelessly)

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Content Warnings

Minor: Medical content, Medical trauma, Mental illness, and Schizophrenia/Psychosis

Susannah goes through a series of paranoia during her hospital stay that can be really traumatic as she goes through lots of anxiety specifically about the nurses and the hospital itself. She is also at several points diagnosed with schizophrenia and psychosis. She has a lot of trauma from this even after she is (mostly) recovered and returns to the hospital to get her records and interview people.