There have been a few biographical books that have struck me with such force that I felt changed by them. Two I remember distinctly because I listened to the audio book versions. The first I remember was Tuesdays with Morrie, by Mitch Albom. I found the book fascinating, but what blew me away was hearing Morrie’s voice speaking some on his wisdom at the end of the book. Hearing an author read their own work or share their story seems to intensify the message. I felt this same way after listening to a more recent book by Jill Bolte Taylor, My Stroke of Insight: A Brain Scientist's Personal Journey.
Dr. Bolte Taylor woke up one morning in 1996 to discover that she was experiencing a rare form of stroke, an arteriovenous malformation (AVM). Three weeks later, she underwent major brain surgery at to remove a golf ball-sized hemorrhage that was placing pressure on the language centers in the left hemisphere of her brain. The first part of the book told who the author was prior to her stroke and then in great detail told what it felt like to have her stroke, made even more fascinating due to her training and career as a neuroanatomist. She watched her mind completely deteriorate to where she could not walk, talk, read, write, or recall any of her life. She than shared her experiences in recovery, from her initial time in the emergency room and eventual surgery to her years of rehabilitation. We learned the details of her recovery, designed primarily by her mother who basically repeated her childhood development. Finally, we heard some of her observations about right and left hemispheric differences.
I thought the book was very readable thanks to the compelling story and Dr. Bolte Taylor’s personality. I found something of value from every part of the book. The description of her stroke and deterioration was a profound explanation of the left and right brain functions. The tale of her rehabilitation highlighted ways we need to change our current methods of stroke rehabilitation. Her observation that her need for sleep was imperative in allowing her brain to heal really hit home how important sleep is to our brain functioning. I even found her observations of life without a left hemisphere made her a better person a good illustration for the benefits of cognitive behavioral therapy and used this in one of my recent discussions with my pain group. I highly recommend this book, and even recommend you try the audio book to hear the story in Dr. Bolte Taylor’s own voice.
Dr. Bolte Taylor woke up one morning in 1996 to discover that she was experiencing a rare form of stroke, an arteriovenous malformation (AVM). Three weeks later, she underwent major brain surgery at to remove a golf ball-sized hemorrhage that was placing pressure on the language centers in the left hemisphere of her brain. The first part of the book told who the author was prior to her stroke and then in great detail told what it felt like to have her stroke, made even more fascinating due to her training and career as a neuroanatomist. She watched her mind completely deteriorate to where she could not walk, talk, read, write, or recall any of her life. She than shared her experiences in recovery, from her initial time in the emergency room and eventual surgery to her years of rehabilitation. We learned the details of her recovery, designed primarily by her mother who basically repeated her childhood development. Finally, we heard some of her observations about right and left hemispheric differences.
I thought the book was very readable thanks to the compelling story and Dr. Bolte Taylor’s personality. I found something of value from every part of the book. The description of her stroke and deterioration was a profound explanation of the left and right brain functions. The tale of her rehabilitation highlighted ways we need to change our current methods of stroke rehabilitation. Her observation that her need for sleep was imperative in allowing her brain to heal really hit home how important sleep is to our brain functioning. I even found her observations of life without a left hemisphere made her a better person a good illustration for the benefits of cognitive behavioral therapy and used this in one of my recent discussions with my pain group. I highly recommend this book, and even recommend you try the audio book to hear the story in Dr. Bolte Taylor’s own voice.
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