My Stroke of Insight [Paperback]

Since my brother had a stroke last year I've read several books in an attempt to understand what he's experienced and how best to help him up the long slope to recovery. This is definitely the best book I've read so far. It reads like a novel (even the two technical chapters are fascinating) and I can't put it down. It has a really good combination of science, an account of what happened to her, how she felt and what she needed in order to recover. I finally feel I have some understanding of what has happened to him and what he may need from the people around him. This book has really helped me to feel a little less helpless. I agree with other reviewers that a)the last section is very American, "touchy feely" and a bit spiritual which some people might find offputting and b) it would have been really useful to have more information on the nature of the care and therapy (speech, cognitive and physical) which enabled her to recover.

Disclaimer: I haven't had a stroke, or known anyone who has. My understanding of it is that of a person with a degree in Pharmaceutical Sciences, but no personal stories.

I have mixed feeling about this book. Although I can related to the difficulties she faced, the fact the book is set neither as straight personal nor as a guidebook makes it fail as both. Let me explain: when I look at it as a guide, there are so many things I would like to have asked her caregivers about her recovery, because the book is vague about it. When I look at it as a personal account, it seems that she praises her past self a bit too much.

The one thing she does very well is to communicate how she felt; people's (medical or otherwise) inability, in general, in dealing with a person that is hurt, confused and unable to communicate was striking (no pun intended). If I were to deal with a person that had had a stroke I would be much more prepared and understanding now, because of the book.

I had an irresistible urge to skim through the book and look for the parts with more content (i.e. actual problems and she and her caregivers faced them). Maybe it is my practical nature, I don't know.

Finally, she had a spectacular recovery, and I am sure that a big part of it was because she understood, even mentally wounded, what she needed to do to recover, and had caregivers that really 'cared' for her. This is probably why I feel the book could have been so much better, with more detailed information. If in doubt whether to read this book, search for her interview on NPR; it is very interesting and it will make you want to buy this book.

Overall, I think it is a worthwhile read.

Jill is a neuro-anatomist by training and began her working life determined to further our knowledge of what goes wrong in the brains of those with Schizophrenia. Her older brother was schizophrenic and she had often wondered what made his reality so very different from hers. However, the course of her life changed directions when she had a severe stroke in her late thirties leaving her severely incapacitated in many areas.

The book starts with a short section on the brain and her early pre-stroke career. The middle section describes the actual stroke and how it affected her on all levels, followed by her subsequent recovery and re-engagement with normal life. The final part of the book is a mixture of advice for others, her personal take on life and further information on how she used and uses certain techniques to rewire her brain and to control her state of mind.

I found myself feeling somewhat frustrated throughout this book because, although it is well written and in many ways delivers on its promise, she clearly has a religious belief that is not declared on the dust cover. At times I felt that I was reading a book written by a Buddhist monk and his Anglican friend. I am an atheist and found much of her interpretation of her stroke experience flawed, especially her belief that she can choose to live in a state of inner joy and peace at all times. Many people who have epilepsy, bipolar, and other brain disorders as well as those on drugs will have feelings of ecstasy, visions of heaven etc that they feel are proof of God. In reality, I believe that it is their brain chemicals and wiring or dying brain cells that are behind these feelings. By the end of the book it is clear that she feels, like a Buddhist, that we create our reality. Although she comprehends that if you damage a brain the reality changes, she then seems to contradict herself by believing that you can retrain the brain to become whatever you desire. She cites science, but it is selective. I found some of her views offensive to people who have mental and developmental disorders because there is already enough prejudice around such conditions. A belief that we can and should control our own brains and that we can consciously choose to rewire the brain, plays into the prejudice of those people who feel we can make ourselves whatever we wish. She fails to mention the research that demonstrates that neuro-plasticity is more available to some people than others. This explains why some people can re-learn not taking drugs and build new circuitry but others, despite trying as hard, cannot. To be fair she does at one point make it clear that we need to use a variety of tools to help people to change their brains which does include drugs and dietary influences.

In the final part of the book she mentions her belief in angels with which I have no problems but the book is marketed as a neuro-anatomist's observations of herself when suffering a stroke not as `my spirit beamed, free, enormous and peaceful' which is surely more `My Religious Awakening.' Many of the techniques she uses are from the Buddhist discipline but also draw on cognitive psychology which has its roots in the philosophers `I certainly am in charge of how I choose to perceive my experience'

I thoroughly enjoyed her descriptions of the brain and how the damage done to during the stoke affected her. It caused her to experience changes of perception, affected her ability to talk and perform many basic tasks leaving one in no doubt that we are our brains. I also liked her sense of observing herself as a scientific experiment ` It really was fascinating for me to watch and experience myself during those earliest stages of recovery...I intellectually conceptualized my body as a compilation of various neurological programs'. I think that this would help anyone who was feeling out of control as a result of their stroke take charge. By assuming an objective approach some of the frustration, fear and anger of the sufferer's predicament is dissipated. It also helps everyone to see what needs to be done and to get on and do it. There are some useful guidelines for family and friends of stroke sufferers as well as assessment questions.

If you are already religious then I have no hesitation in recommending this book and you will no doubt find it both interesting and inspirational. However if, like me, you are an atheist then one has to cherry pick the relevant bits. My biggest gripe is that I feel it is mis-marketed as the importance of religion in her experience is not declared on the cover.