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Brain on Fire (10th Anniversary Edition): My Month of Madness
An anniversary edition of the award-winning memoir and instant New York Times bestseller that goes far beyond its riveting medical mystery, Brain on Fire is the powerful account of one woman’s struggle to recapture her identity—with a new note to readers by the author.
When twenty-four-year-old Susannah Cahalan woke up alone in a hospital room, strapped to her bed and unable to move or speak, she had no memory of how she’d gotten there. Days earlier, she had been on the threshold of a new, adult life: at the beginning of her first serious relationship and a promising career at a major New York newspaper. Now she was labeled violent, psychotic, a flight risk. What happened?
In a swift and breathtaking narrative, Susannah tells the astonishing true story of her descent into madness, her family’s inspiring faith in her, and the lifesaving diagnosis that nearly didn’t happen. “A fascinating look at the disease that...could have cost this vibrant, vital young woman her life” (People), Brain on Fire is an unforgettable exploration of memory and identity, faith and love, and a profoundly compelling tale of survival and perseverance that is destined to become a classic.
When twenty-four-year-old Susannah Cahalan woke up alone in a hospital room, strapped to her bed and unable to move or speak, she had no memory of how she’d gotten there. Days earlier, she had been on the threshold of a new, adult life: at the beginning of her first serious relationship and a promising career at a major New York newspaper. Now she was labeled violent, psychotic, a flight risk. What happened?
In a swift and breathtaking narrative, Susannah tells the astonishing true story of her descent into madness, her family’s inspiring faith in her, and the lifesaving diagnosis that nearly didn’t happen. “A fascinating look at the disease that...could have cost this vibrant, vital young woman her life” (People), Brain on Fire is an unforgettable exploration of memory and identity, faith and love, and a profoundly compelling tale of survival and perseverance that is destined to become a classic.
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Community Reviews
I could relate to this memoir on so many levels. Susannah begins having unexplained symptoms that leave her doctors puzzled and her family very worried. Her symptoms seem to be more psychiatric than physical but her family and boyfriend hold out hope and continue to ask questions and seek medical care. Once the doctors unravel the mystery she describes her treatments and her feelings about how she has changed since the onset of the illness. Highly recommend.
It was very well written and I felt as if I was going through it with her. Hope the movie is the same
4.5 stars! As someone who is super interested in neuropsych and psychosis, this book was incredibly fascinating, as it brings together these fields and is told from someone who suffered through psychosis and recovered. That isn't often something that happens, so we don't know very much about what it is like, making the author's perspective particularly interesting. I also really enjoyed the medical explanations for how the brain goes wrong, and the underlying message that there is a thin line between sanity and insanity. In our daily life, it's so easy to think that we have a firm grasp on reality, but as this book illustrates, that is a lie.
The book was well written and very accessible for people who aren't in the field. The author is able to convey both the science and her own personal experiences eloquently without having to use jargon or other complicated descriptors, which not only allow for good reading, but provides psychoeducation to doctors and patients about a disease that not many people know about.
The book was well written and very accessible for people who aren't in the field. The author is able to convey both the science and her own personal experiences eloquently without having to use jargon or other complicated descriptors, which not only allow for good reading, but provides psychoeducation to doctors and patients about a disease that not many people know about.
“The existence of forgetting has never been proved: we only know that somethings do not come to our mind when we want them to.” Scientific discoveries are ever-changing, a breakthrough could just be on the horizon that might save millions of people. It is extremely interesting to think about missed diagnosis: such as autism or schizophrenia, and that they may have a treatable disease that could render them their “normal” selves. This book opens up so many other questions regarding how the brain works. The more that the brain is tested the more we will know as ‘fact’ (until additional information is discovered); I wonder how significant the discoveries may end up being.
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