Brain on
Fire: My Month of Madness
by Susannah
Cahalan
Description
A gripping
memoir and medical suspense story about a young New York Post reporter’s
struggle with a rare and terrifying disease, opening a new window into the fascinating
world of brain science.
One day,
Susannah Cahalan woke up in a strange hospital room, strapped to her bed, under
guard, and unable to move or speak. Her medical records—from a month-long
hospital stay of which she had no memory—showed psychosis, violence, and
dangerous instability. Yet, only weeks earlier she had been a healthy,
ambitious twenty-four year old, six months into her first serious relationship
and a sparkling career as a cub reporter.
Susannah’s
astonishing memoir chronicles the swift path of her illness and the lucky,
last-minute intervention led by one of the few doctors capable of saving her
life. As weeks ticked by and Susannah moved inexplicably from violence to
catatonia, $1 million worth of blood tests and brain scans revealed nothing.
The exhausted doctors were ready to commit her to the psychiatric ward, in
effect condemning her to a lifetime of institutions, or death, until Dr. Souhel
Najjar—nicknamed Dr. House—joined her team. He asked Susannah to draw one
simple sketch, which became key to diagnosing her with a newly discovered
autoimmune disease in which her body was attacking her brain, an illness now
thought to be the cause of “demonic possessions” throughout history.
With sharp
reporting drawn from hospital records, scientific research, and interviews with
doctors and family, Brain on Fire is a crackling mystery and an unflinching,
gripping personal story that marks the debut of an extraordinary writer.
My Review:
This story, which
really happened, catalogues the horrific illness that befell the author some
years ago. It played out just like an episode of House, as mentioned in the
description, though the real life House in this didn’t come on the scene until
Susannah’s team of doctors realized they had nothing left to give. Particularly
terrifying and heartbreaking is the fact that Susannah lost a part of who she
was from this. It seems that she’ll never quite be the same, despite that her
recovery in itself is miraculous.
What I
really liked about this book was how thorough it was in portraying the
progression of the disease. I found the snippets of Susannah’s notes, the
catalogues of her behaviors and footage of videos taken while she was
hospitalized, and the documented points of view of her friends and family
fascinating. What’s even more amazing is that she had to turn to these. The disease
pretty much warped or wiped her memory during the worst of it.
That being
said, this reads more like a journal or extended account of facts, rather than
a story. It isn’t a narrative. The timeline unfolds, the disease’s symptoms
emerge, and Susannah battles her way through to the other side and beyond, but
it still reads like someone else’s account. There’s also some jumping around.
It isn’t quite a chronological timeline, and certain data and interview results
are sprinkled in much later in the book than their related events, sometimes
repeating from another perspective. Still, it’s a gripping read.
Overall, I
really liked this story. It was a chilling account of a real life medical
mystery that very nearly could have sent Susannah into a mental institution for
the rest of her life, which likely would have been short due to the progression
of the disease. Folks who enjoy non-fiction or stories where someone overcomes
great odds will likely enjoy this one.
I borrowed
the review copy of this book from the local library so that I could read it for
my book club.
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