Brain on Fire: My Month of Madness

I sent this book as a gift however she didn’t receive it. The tracking number indicates that it was delivered so maybe the USPS delivered it to the wrong address….idk I read this book and loved it which was why I wanted to send one to my friend

I can see why this became a movie: a young, pretty, successful woman is struck down by an incredibly strange illness. Honestly, though, knowing that this book began life as a news article, I feel like it maybe could have just... stayed an article. The writing reminded me of daytime TV, or of a Reddit story where a snarky commenter adds, "And then everyone clapped." But hey, if that's your thing, you'd probably like this. What really wound up bothering me -- leading me to discard the book once the mystery is revealed -- is the author's treatment of the other people with similar illnesses. They seem really invested in making sure the reader knows they aren't one of "those people" they see in the hospital wards they're treated in. People with incurable or severe illnesses, I guess? People with bodily differences they were born with? It's reiterated by their family, friends, and inner monologue. It feels like they walked right up to an amazing point -- that illness can change a person dramatically, that it can happen to anyone and at any time, and so the only thing separating us from "those people" is luck -- and then ignored it, in favor of being self-congratulatory about how successful they are/were. Maybe I'm reading into it too much, but it felt really tone deaf in regards to chronic illness and disability. Sort of like disability tourism: "I was CrAzY for a month! Here's what happened!" My final critique is what nearly got me to pitch the book the moment I read it: the author mentions another patient by full (first and last) name, describes their illnesses, and chats about the experience of having them as their roommate. It is clear the author is disgusted by this person, or at least by their restrictions and experiences in the hospital. There was no reason to mention this person at all, as they don't add much to the story beyond fluffing up the good-person-status of the author for tolerating their existence. They DEFINITELY did not need to be mentioned by name, especially given the private nature of their hospital stay. I think it's gross that the author included this info. It was needless and salacious. After that bit, I had a hard time giving a pass to the rest of the thoughtlessness in the book.

I read this for a health humanities class and loved it! Cahalan is an excellent writer and expertly explores several topics in a short span of pages. The “medical mystery” was also super interesting. For more, find me on Instagram, GoodReads, and TikTok @bookswithgraceann

I found this book after watching the movie (Brain on Fire) made because of Susannah Cahalan’s story. People aren’t wrong when they say “books are better!” If you want a full, detailed, and well-written account of what Susannah went through, you HAVE to read this book! 10/10!