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Brain on Fire: My Month of Madness

Susannah Cahalan

Start date: February 1, 2021

Finish date: February 16, 2021

Discussion: Monthly Bonus Reads

Why we're reading this: February Bonus Read- Rare Disease Day

Brain on Fire My Month of Madness by Susannah Cahalan
[close] February Bonus Read- Rare Disease Day

Brain on Fire My Month of Madness by Susannah Cahalan

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Sep 24, 2016 Cheryl rated it really liked it

Shelves: memoirs

"Maybe it's true what Thomas Moore said," Susannah Cahalan writes,"it is only through mystery and madness that the soul is revealed." How else does one solve the puzzle of the devastating effects of illness, specifically illness of the brain? Some survive, maybe even thrive, while others remain in despondency. The true soul emerges through despair.

The healthy brain is a symphony of 100 billion neurons, the actions of each individual brain cell harmonizing into a whole that enables thoughts,
"Maybe it's true what Thomas Moore said," Susannah Cahalan writes,"it is only through mystery and madness that the soul is revealed." How else does one solve the puzzle of the devastating effects of illness, specifically illness of the brain? Some survive, maybe even thrive, while others remain in despondency. The true soul emerges through despair.

The healthy brain is a symphony of 100 billion neurons, the actions of each individual brain cell harmonizing into a whole that enables thoughts, movements, memories, or even just a sneeze. But it takes only one dissonant instrument to mar the cohesion of a symphony.

I'll admit, I picked up this book because I thought the phrase, brain on fire, alluded to pain. if you've been my GR friend for some time, at some point you've seen me mention the debilitating pain I live with; it sometimes feels as if my brain is literally on fire. I won't go into the medical terminology for it, but some refer to it as "the suicide headache." I choose to ignore the colloquial name for it because…well, you can imagine. I quickly realized the phrase brain on fire doesn't allude to those particular moments of electrical shock waves of pain and burning in the head, but the idea that I picked up this memoir based on that thinking, achieves a goal: it showcases the richness of Susannah Cahalan's shared memories of illness because this is what she wanted, to use her story to start a discussion around illnesses affecting the brain.

Cahalan's story helps the victims of the unknown "foggy consciousness" called encephalitis, an "inflammation of the brain" that results in a victim's change of personality; an ailment which mimics mental illnesses like schizophrenia and bipolar depression.

I would soon learn firsthand that this kind of illness often ebbs and flows, leaving the sufferer convinced that the worst is over, even when it's only retreating for a moment before pouncing again.

How does one encapsulate the results of a normal life gone awry when "one blown bulb" in the brain makes "the whole strand go dark?" This memoir is also part-meditative exploration of the American healthcare system and it culminates in a room at New York University's Langone Medical Center, where Susannah Cahalan lays helpless and fragile, her mind distorted, her cells attacking her brain. This read distills the process of testing and makes one wonder about the victims of this disease who were never properly treated or healed and perhaps later thrown into psychiatric wards instead, those who didn't survive. If you're interested in lyrical or elegant prose, you won't find it here; however, what you'll find is compelling story, medical terminology elucidation, and great reporting. ...more

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Oct 28, 2018 Lisa rated it it was amazing

Shelves: non-fiction, memoirs, medicine

What an amazing and scary book. One day Susannah is a young, smart reporter. The next day she becomes paranoid and progressively gets worse. She gets to the point where others diagnose her as schizophrenic who can no longer function in the real world. All of this because of a bacteria in her brain. She is one of the lucky ones and the doctors figured it out before it was too late. Makes you wonder how many people who are thought to crazy may not be. Fascinating read.

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Nov 27, 2017 Amie's Book Reviews rated it it was amazing

Shelves: biographies-auto-biographies, non-fiction-mental-health, diversity, best-sellers, non-fiction-psychology, must-read-i-highly-recommend-this-b, drama, non-fiction, mental-health, health-medical-books

This memoir was brilliant and also terrifying. Readers who do not feel sympathy and empathy for this woman must be made of stone.

I saw a documentary where another girl was afflicted by the same disease and who likely would have died if not for the fact that this book has brought this issue into the light.

I rate this as 5 out of 5 Stars ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

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May 08, 2016 Kaytlin rated it really liked it

Shelves: auto-and-biography, scribd-read, read-2016

This is one of those books that makes you a compulsive reader determined to keep reading to find out what happens. Susannah Cahalan's account of her illness and recovery was brutally honest and eye-opening on so many levels. ...more

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