Brain on Fire is the memoir of Susannah Cahalan, a New York Post reporter who at the age of twenty-four began experiencing symptoms of psychosis. These ranged from episodes of paranoia to personality changes to more neurological findings such as grand mal seizures and visual changes. She was diagnosed with bipolar disorder and alcohol withdrawal by different professionals until finally being admitted to the hospital following a series of seizures. Cahalan herself has little memory of the time after this point; she reconstructed most of […]
“The girl who wouldn’t die hunts the killer who shouldn’t exist”
Note: This is the first of the ten (ten!) books that were finished while abroad or while adjusting from returning from abroad. The other reviews will be along shortly and will be mostly retrospective, so apologies for any gaps in my memory. First up…. Harper Curtis is down on his luck in 1931 Chicago when he discovers the House. Through the House, Harper is able to find and to follow what he calls “shining girls” – young women in different time periods who stand out […]
To understand the nature of a thing, it must be taken apart
In college, four artists named Tess, Henry, Suz, and Winnie began calling themselves the Compassionate Dismantlers whose motto was: “To understand the nature of a thing, it must be taken apart.” Moving to a reclusive lakeside cabin after graduation, they carry out elaborate pranks and escalating acts of vandalism with the intent to take things apart to reveal the underlying truth. The Dismantler schtick often comes off as pretentious and arrogant, but you don’t have to agree with them or even like them, you’re just […]
Golden Boy
I’ve been recommending Golden Boy to everyone lately but I’ve had a tough time coming up with a review that can do justice to the book. Here goes…. Golden Boy is about Max, an intersex teenager in present day England. When Max is taken advantage of by a childhood friend, he begins to question who he is and what intersexuality actually means for him. In addition, his parents, both trying to do the best for Max, weigh in with opposing opinions. There’s also Max’s love […]
Fever in the morning, fever all through the night
Fever tells a fictionalized story of Mary Mallon, better known as Typhoid Mary for being identified as one of the first carriers of typhoid fever. I’m a little wary of most historical fiction, but I was interested enough to learn more of her story (even fictionalized) that I picked it up. It really is a fascinating story – Mary worked as a cook for several years for several families and eventually the health department identified her as the cause for concurrent typhoid outbreaks at her […]
Hey, if you want someone to clean your house, hire a maid
I have to admit, I picked this book out because of the title; it tickles me to read it in public with a contemplative face. Anyway, it is not actually a self-help book, but as you might guess, Marta is a “good wife.” She cleans, prepares dinner for her husband, and takes care of all things domestic so that her husband does not need to worry himself with such concerns. However, Marta has recently stopped taking her pills (the actual reason for medication is left […]