This book is a personal account of what happened to the author, a neuroanatomist, when she had a stroke at age 37. It covers a bit of brain science in an accessible manner, as well as offering a hopeful and optimistic outlook on recovery. She provides valuable information about how to interact with those who have experienced a stroke. It is a bit repetitive at times but was an interesting insight into the adaptability of the human brain. I appreciated the tips on how to quiet our "inner chatter" and redirect unwanted neurocircuits. ( )

Answered some questions that I had such as why do we have egos? ( )

This was a very interesting read. It is a rare observation of stroke from the victim's perspective, as experienced by someone who is knowledgeable in the workings of the brain. There are some fascinating insights to be found here. The last half of the book, however, leaves the science behind and has more of a new age feel to it. ( )

This book blew me away. For the first time, a stroke victim was able to describe in detail what it was like to rapidly lose function in the left brain hemisphere AS THE STROKE WAS HAPPENING, and then she was able to describe what it was like during the short- and long-term recovery process. And when the stroke victim is a brain scientist, the insight revealed is truly staggering. That Dr. Taylor was able to retain her memories of the stroke - before, during, and after - and regain the use of her left brain hemisphere to be able to WRITE about it in great detail years later, well, this was nothing short of a miracle.

My father suffered a hemorrhagic stroke - similar to, but not the same as, Dr. Taylor's - three years ago. I picked up this book, hoping it would give me some insight into what might have been going through his head at the time. I read the book, hoping it would give me reassurance that my mother - his full-time caregiver - was doing the right thing. I devoured the book, looking for pointers on how best to help him continue his healing process. This book did all of this and more: it gave me hope. I cannot wait to share with my father what I learned from this book and to hear from him whether he experienced some of the same thoughts and sensations that Dr. Taylor did. I cannot wait to share with my mother that she has been doing the right thing, to reassure her.

Dr. Taylor wrote this book in hopes that it would help caregivers and the medical community to better understand how to help stroke victims. I am forever grateful. ( )

This book was a 4 until I reached 3/4 of the way through the book, and then the last 1/4 was so awful I docked it a star.

So the good; a facinating account of what it's like to experience and recover from a massive stroke. Very easy to read; I could have taken some more hard science but I enjoyed it.

But the last quarter of the book is rambling nonsense. TFA tries to convince us all to be more "right-brained" which I guess involves feeling "at one with universe." Personally I avoid people like that; they tend to be barefoot dudes that smoke a lot of hash. Is it a valuable experience? Maybe... but I'm going to need more convincing besides, "I felt that way when severely brain damaged and liked it!" If anything that's an anti-recommendation. ( )