Brain On Fire: My Month of Madness - Likewise Book Reviews

"This book resonated with me for many reasons. But let’s start with the basics of what drew me in:<br/>Not only do I enjoy reading but I also love writing, so this being a book about a journalist from a major New York paper was especially intriguing.<br/>As I read about all of the symptoms she suffered from over such a short period of time and how she was being misdiagnosed after going from one doctor to another I felt a kinship of some sort. I was diagnosed with an autonomic disease and spinal disorder in high school and it took almost a year for me to be completely diagnosed. It also took years for my specialists to figure out what medication I should be on and how much (they themselves said it was a matter of trial and error). It took until I was about twenty for me to be on a consistent course of medication that was no longer changing in times of day or amounts anymore. I also was diagnosed with other things in the years that followed my initial diagnosis (not totally relevant).<br/><br/>But, while reading this book, I realized that though I did not have at all the same disease as she had, I had so much of the same experience with the medical community. I can’t remember the number of times I was tested for HIV and AIDS. I was tested for all sorts of things that are contagious or at the very least spread through bodily fluid and no one around me was sick. It was as if doctors were not listening.<br/>Something I learned during my experience and was readily reminded of throughout this book was that you and those who love you MUST advocate for yourself. Doctors are smart. But they do not know everything. If something is wrong and you think they are not doing anything about it, YOU are paying them, so you need to make sure that they are listening and helping you as much as possible.<br/>This book is an ode to those that need to advocate for themselves and also for those who have ‘invisible diseases’ or ‘look good diseases’."

"I just finished Love and Other Words. Decent, but I’m looking for something I love! "

"I remember liking it 🤔 The movie is on Netflix too!"

"One of my favorite books ever! Read it so quickly "

"Excellent read."

"Really enjoyed this read even though the reality those with this diagnosis face is so sobering. Can only imagine. <br/><br/>Informative, engaging, and heartfelt."

"This was definitely a compelling read, but ultimately I was disappointed. I thought the way she and her parents were so afraid of mental illness ( which it looked like she had) resulted in her almost completely ignoring that possibility. It meant that the writer missed an opportunity to show empathy and increase understanding for those who may not be so lucky to discover there is a clearcut cure for their disease. I would have even appreciated if she had elucidated WHY she was so terrified of mental illness (as many people are), rather than shuffling it under the rug of an otherwise fascinating book."

"Excellent read."

"I wasn’t a fan of this book. Personally, I feel I’m not a fan of biographies/autobiographies overall. Not too exciting:/"