My Stroke of Insight: A Brain Scientist's Personal Journey

"Transformative...[Taylor's] experience...will shatter [your] own perception of the world."—ABC News

The astonishing New York Times bestseller that chronicles how a brain scientist's own stroke led to enlightenment


On December 10, 1996, Jill Bolte Taylor, a thirty-seven- year-old Harvard-trained brain scientist experienced a massive stroke in the left hemisphere of her brain. As she observed her mind deteriorate to the point that she could not walk, talk, read, write, or recall any of her life-all within four hours-Taylor alternated between the euphoria of the intuitive and kinesthetic right brain, in which she felt a sense of complete well-being and peace, and the logical, sequential left brain, which recognized she was having a stroke and enabled her to seek help before she was completely lost. It would take her eight years to fully recover.

For Taylor, her stroke was a blessing and a revelation. It taught her that by "stepping to the right" of our left brains, we can uncover feelings of well-being that are often sidelined by "brain chatter." Reaching wide audiences through her talk at the Technology, Entertainment, Design (TED) conference and her appearance on Oprah's online Soul Series, Taylor provides a valuable recovery guide for those touched by brain injury and an inspiring testimony that inner peace is accessible to anyone.

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Published May 26, 2009

224 pages

Average rating: 7.26

23 RATINGS

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Community Reviews

Anonymous
Apr 19, 2025
8/10 stars
Such a fascinating book on so many levels.
E Clou
May 10, 2023
6/10 stars
Interesting to see what it's like to have a stroke from the perspective of both an expert and a person who experienced it herself. Unfortunately, the writing isn't very good- possibly this is a consequence of the stroke itself?

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