Comments (62)

Brain on Fire

My Month of Madness
What did you think about this title?
1 to 25 of 62 items
Apr 06, 2023Paul Turner rated this title 5 out of 5 stars
I prefer reading the book, before watching the movie. This is a great read.
Jan 12, 2023kwulfekuhl rated this title 5 out of 5 stars
I absolutely love this book! Not only does the author share her side of what happened, but she does a great job of portraying that her parents, friends, and loved ones also had an incredibly hard time through this process. She told the…
Aug 11, 2022JCLJenV rated this title 5 out of 5 stars
An extraordinary memoir of the author's mental illness and recovery. Very compelling and well written.
Aug 10, 2021LisaMoore1985 rated this title 4.5 out of 5 stars
We've all heard the old cliché "Life can change in the blink of an eye" and if you are like me, you have probably rolled your eyes, sighed, and said a remark that was a half hearted response to the saying. Also if you're like me, the…
Mar 23, 2021jessegabriel rated this title 4 out of 5 stars
I think "Brain on Fire" is a crucial read in gaining mental health - and general health - awareness overall. Cahalan's journalistic abilities created a book that's well-written, engaging, and packed with research that I could tell was…
Mar 02, 2021BraveNOTPerfect rated this title 4 out of 5 stars
https://youtu.be/oqrzvYnrI9A
Nov 18, 202023305016881787ccc rated this title 4.5 out of 5 stars
I had to read a memoir for my creative writing class, and i'm glad I read it. This is a fascinating book, when people say they are sick, you assume they have a stomach ache, but a human brain can get sick too. it is indeed terrifying, a…
Oct 25, 2020NANCY ELIZABETH WHITLATCH rated this title 3 out of 5 stars
When it came to explaining the illness she had, it was in laymen terms that I could understand. What I appreciated most about Ms Cahalan telling the story of her experience was that it brought attention this mysterious illness that is…
Dec 03, 2019
This is a fascinating and somewhat terrifying memoir of a young woman who comes down with a rare auto-immune disease that attacks her brain. Susannah Cahalan is a healthy young women in her 20’s who is building a life and a career for…
Nov 23, 2019
I read this book quickly because I wanted to find out why she was having seizures and erratic behavior. Even though she admits that the details of her story are reconstructed from family's recollections, medical files, and her memory, she…
Sep 12, 2019nmgillybean rated this title 4.5 out of 5 stars
I thought this book was probably one of the most terrifying things I have ever read. Terrifying because this really happens, probably far more often than we will ever know. This book is incredibly well-written, especially considering what…
htliang
Aug 29, 2019htliang rated this title 4.5 out of 5 stars
Riveting true story of a young woman who suffered from a rare autoimmune disease that attacked her brain leading to symptoms of psychosis. Fortunately, her family and doctors did not give up on her and condemn her to a mental institution…
heyfunboy
Jun 14, 2019heyfunboy rated this title 1.5 out of 5 stars
Interesting story and I am glad that the author has recovered from this horrible disease. However expanding an essay that was written for a newspaper article into a 270ish page book has its drawbacks. I found myself bored and at times…
Mar 20, 2019
Simultaneously an interesting and frightening read considering it could happen to anyone. One day, out of the blue, Cahalan becomes someone else because of a neurological autoimmune disease :O. This memoir illustrates the importance of…
Jan 11, 2019RustyReader9 rated this title 4 out of 5 stars
I had never heard about this story before until someone recommended this book to me. Her story is terrifying; one day a normal 24 year old, a month later, unrecognizable.
Nov 28, 2018cannotbeheard rated this title 4 out of 5 stars
I liked this book but I don't think I would recommend it to anyone. Which is hard to say. It is extremely well written and Susannah did an excellent job describing what she and her family went through. Her story is so sad and I wish things…
Aug 03, 2018d2013 rated this title 4 out of 5 stars
Such a frightening ordeal to go through. Quite a mystery from the beginning to end of this true story. Glad she was able to recover from this. Interesting read!
Jul 23, 2018
I absolutely loved this book. I read it in a couple days because it did not feel like reading a biography, it felt like reading fiction. Not only could you not believe that this could happen to someone, but also because of her accessible…
Jul 10, 2018jade310 rated this title 5 out of 5 stars
Really great storytelling (you can tell she's a trained journalist), and she is so generous with such a deeply personal experience. Her story is inherently important--being that not many others have been so thoroughly documented for the…
Jul 06, 2018irenelaf rated this title 4.5 out of 5 stars
What a terrifying experience and a fascinating read imho! All of it...even the occasional medical explanations (the book would be weak without them) maybe especially because of them. I couldn’t even imagine being the 217th person diagnosed…
Mar 22, 2018mulhollandca rated this title 4.5 out of 5 stars
I really enjoyed this book, I have some training in the immune system and I felt it was wonderfully explained. I really enjoyed the science and then the story!
Mar 08, 2018neesa11 rated this title 5 out of 5 stars
Wow an amazing book! Probably one of the best I've read... the subject is really interesting and scary all at the same time... I would definitely recommend to anyone who suffers or knows someone that suffers from mental illness, etc. I…
Feb 21, 2018
The author woke up after a month in the hospital unable to move or speak. She was eventually diagnosed with an autoimmune disorder that mimics schizophrenia and autism, and could be the root of “demonic possessions” in history.
Sep 19, 2017ArapahoeHollyR rated this title 4 out of 5 stars
A gripping, frightening medical mystery. Fast-paced and well-written memoir.
Sep 18, 2017
Wow! I was completely sucked in. Can you imagine having your whole future in front of you and then being struck down by a scary mystery illness that barely had a name? If you like medical history and memoirs, pick this up. You won't be…