Brain on Fire

Cahalan, S. (2012). Brain on fire: My month of madness. New York, NY: Free Press.

Genre: Memoir 

I won this book as a first reads winner (GoodReads Giveaways) in the fall of 2012 from Free Press. Lots of life happened and kept me from reading and blogging as I once did. However, this past Friday (3/18/16), a friend and I were walking around a bookstore as casual therapy after a medical-related meeting and this cover caught my attention…

…after picking the book up off the shelf, I realized I had this book at home. I have an advanced reader’s edition of this book, so there might have been some minor tweaks and changes before it was officially published and released—but nonetheless, Susannah’s scary and incredible journey is still the same in either edition. For curiosity’s sake, here is what the ARC cover looks like…

My review…

Brain on Fire: My Month of Madness was impossible for me to put down. Susannah Cahalan is a journalist, so her writing is just as compelling as ground-breaking news. In this memoir, she shares with us the horrifying experience of what happened to her when her brain unleashed war on itself. Cahalan’s story is raw, absolutely frightening, and yet still thought-provoking and incredibly moving. From her fear of bedbugs to seizures to paranoia to incidents of rage to blackouts…she reveals her inner most fears, thoughts, and experiences as this incredibly rare condition completely took her away her out of herself. 

The insight she was able to piece back together from her loved ones, doctors, journals, medical records, etc. is just mind-boggling. It must have been so eerie for her to research herself to recapture what unfolded in the months of her unraveling. For me the most powerful take-away from this memoir is the frightening reality that hundreds (if not thousands) of people are diagnosed with mental illnesses or other conditions that potentially leave them imprisoned in psych wards or other facilities when it’s very possible they could have a similar rarity in their brain. As Cahalan argues in part 3 of this book, there is a great and growing need for fields to work together and for doctors of every kind to be up-to-date with recent literature and studies so people aren’t falling through the cracks of a system that just doesn’t work well together. This could happen to anyone. It did. It does. There has got to be a better way to quickly get people a correct diagnosis and treatment. 

I am amazed by the strength of Susannah Cahalan. Her ability to keep fighting to find herself again and then share her journey with the world is absolutely remarkable. She is raising awareness and saving lives. I cannot wait to see what she writes next. I’m sure she has much more to share with the world. 

I recommend this book for everyone. Seriously. Every single person. Do you really know yourself? Would you notice if your brain was distorting your thoughts, behaviors, and perceptions? I’m going to make a lofty statement and say that a people don’t and wouldn’t. This is why Cahalan’s story is so powerful. Read it…sooner than later. My only regret is having not read it sooner.

 

So...I guess I am not really back. This year have been working hard on my thesis to wrap up my Master's program...oh, and if that wasn't enough, I also began the coursework for my PhD program. I really miss blogging. I am on track to defend my thesis on May 12th. After that, I will be back to writing book reviews! YAY!

I'M BACK!!

Wow! I cannot believe it is 2014 already. Even more so, I cannot believe I FAILED all my reading and blogging goals for 2013. Life knocked me down…stress from grad school, death of a loved one, injuring my finger/hand and re-injuring my back, single-handedly raising my little monster man is challenging too BUT…

And even though many of those stressors won’t disappear anytime soon, I finally remembered that I am a strong, resilient woman who can handle many things and let go of the things that I can’t.

Yep…I’m back. Back being Randie. Back being an avid reader. Back being a blogger. Thank God, because I have certainly missed reading and blogging.

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To recap on 2013, here is a list of my 13 favorite reads from 2013.

All Dogs have ADHD by Kathy Hoopmann

Allegiant by Veronica Roth 

Champion by Marie Lu

The Dark by Lemony Snicket/Jon Klassen

Eleanor & Park by Rainbow Rowell

How to Love by Katie Cotugno

Immortals Series by Alyson Noel

Just One Day & Just One Year by Gayle Forman

Requiem by Lauren Oliver

Scarlet by Marissa Meyer

Shades of Earth by Beth Revis

Stuck by Oliver Jeffers

Wonder by R.J. Palacio

Froggy's Day with Dad!

London, J. (2004). Froggy's Day with Dad. Remkiewicz, F. New York, NY: Viking. 

Genre: Picture Storybook

I have always been a huge fan of frogs. I am not sure why, especially since I consider most slimy things gross but I love frogs. Sadly, this love does not transfer over to the Froggy books. I have come across a few while teaching in a 2^nd, grade class and I might have purchased one or two as the $1 choice of a scholastic book order but I do not care for the books. However, I am able to appreciate that the series is popular with children and the books contain a high concentration of sight words, which makes them great for younger readers.

In this particular book, it is Father’s Day, so Froggy spends the day with his dad. Froggy cooks him breakfast, they ride bumper boats, go to the batter’s cage, and play miniature golf. The facial expressions of the dad as they proceed through the wild antics of the day are somewhat amusing but the illustrations are not detailed and lack depth. I did not care much for this book but my almost-six-year-old LOVED it! He enjoyed all of the onomatopoeias (splat, zap, thump, etc.) that were scattered throughout the book. I think this particular feature is appealing to young readers because “sound” words are easy and fun to read.

I would have given this book two stars but because my son requested to read it twice at bedtime, I am going to give it three stars :- ).

Has Anyone Seen My Emily Greene?

Mazer, N. F. (2007). Has Anyone Seen My Emily Greene? Davenier, C. Cambridge, MA: Candlewick Press.

Genre: Picture Storybook

This is a very charming book. A father playfully looks around the house for his energetic, dancing, giggling daughter, Emily Greene. Having the text written as poetry adds to the playful tone of the book and the watercolor illustrations are lively too! I enjoyed how the cat appears to be playing along with the father and daughter. 

It is very sad that Norma Fox Mazer’s daughter passed away before she could illustrate this book but it is wonderful to see that the book was still shared with readers and Christine Davenier was able to capture some of the daughter’s artistic tastes. 

Another little note about this author, I read Mazer’s Babyface a million times during my childhood. It was like a pacifier to me, lol. That book also captures a father-daughter relationship, but the daughter is a teen and the relationship is much more complicated.