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| My Stroke of Insight: A Brain Scientist's Personal Journey | 
 enlarge | Author: Jill Bolte Taylor
Publisher: Viking Adult
Category: Book
List Price: $24.95
Buy New: $13.45
You Save: $11.50 (46%)
New (58) Used (14) Collectible (1) from $13.45
Avg. Customer Rating:  106 reviews
Sales Rank: 184
Media: Hardcover
Edition: 1
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 192
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.8
Dimensions (in): 9.1 x 6.2 x 0.9
ISBN: 0670020745
Dewey Decimal Number: 362.196810092
EAN: 9780670020744
ASIN: 0670020745
Publication Date: May 14, 2008
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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| Customer Reviews:
 Valuable information about stroke; but the book has its flaws August 3, 2008
25 out of 31 found this review helpful
I debated over whether to give this book three, four, or five stars. The information that Dr. Taylor presents about the brain and stroke is worth five stars, without question. But I have a few complaints about how she presents this information; and lots of complaints about the "self-help" aspects of this book. I almost wish I could post two reviews of this book -- a five-star review for the information about the brain and stroke; and a two-star review for everything else about the book. I ended up giving the book a (somewhat charitable) compromise rating of four stars (but in some ways the four star rating is too low; and in others it is way too high).
Let's start with the positives: This book is a must-read for anyone who is interested in the human brain and how it functions, any health care professional or caregiver who deals with stroke patients, anyone who has a friend or family member who has had a stroke, and anyone who is concerned about the possibility that they might someday suffer from a stroke (a statistical possibility, since about 700,000 Americans will have a stroke this year). If you want to know about what it's like to have a stroke and to recover from it, this is the book to read. Dr. Taylor is a brain scientist who had a stroke and lived to tell her story of survival, recovery, and rehabilitation. The information she provides about her personal experience is priceless for anyone who wants to better understand what happens when someone has a stroke, and what is needed for recovery and rehabilitation. This information is also of extreme value for anyone who wants to better understand how the brain works to make us who we are. Five stars for the information on the brain and stroke.
But now I must deal with the negatives, and comment on the "two-star" aspects of this book. First of all, the writing style is a bit amateurish; but we can excuse Dr. Taylor for that, since she's a brain scientist, not a professional writer. But I do have a bit of a problem with how she tells her story. What bothers me about her account is her description of what was going on in her mind while she was having the stroke and during her recovery. She describes herself as having certain thoughts that just don't seem plausible given her description of the mental impairments she was suffering at the time. She makes a point of saying that the language centers of her left cerebral cortex had been impaired, silencing the inner voice in her head, leaving her mind in a state of peaceful quiet. Yet she goes on to describe thoughts that were running through her mind. (How could she have such thoughts without that inner voice?) I got the feeling that she was actually describing the thoughts that went through her mind years later as she was recalling her stroke experience. (But, given the fact that our minds actually "construct" our memories as we reflect on our past experiences rather than simply recording our experiences and playing them back for us with perfect accuracy, this sort of thing is to be expected.)
But what really annoyed me about this book was that, in the last few chapters, it turned into a sappy, shallow, self-help book of the "learn-to-love-yourself-and-think-happy-thoughts" variety; and includes what has to be the single corniest sentence ever written in the English language: "When my bowels move, I cheer my cells for clearing that waste out of my body." (p. 156) In these later chapters, the book even delves into "New Age" stuff like "energy dynamics", Feng Shui, and "Angel Cards". I felt that this seriously compromised the integrity of the valuable information that Dr. Taylor presented about brain science and stroke recovery. This information is so valuable that I would still recommend the book in spite of its many shortcomings; but I would encourage you to take the last few chapters of the book with a grain of salt.
 My Stroke of Insight March 8, 2007
22 out of 25 found this review helpful
An absolutely wonderful journey by a brain anatomist who suffered a stroke. Her resilience, her deep understanding of the condition and lessons to be learned by her and other health care professionals is outstanding. A must read for anyone whether faced with a health problem or not. Is a mind awakening experience!!!
 Who is telling this story? June 27, 2008
22 out of 47 found this review helpful
As a result of the stroke, the author's left cerebral hemisphere was severely impaired. The author tells us what this loss implies: "My left hemisphere had been trained to perceive myself as a solid, separate from others. Now, released from that restrictive circuity, my right hemisphere relished in its attachments to the eternal flow. I was no longer isolated and alone. My soul was as big as the universe and frolicked with glee in a boundless sea."
If you are a dualist, this story will make perfect sense to you. If you are not, you might find yourself asking, "Who is telling this story?" For example, "The now off-line intellectual mind of my left hemisphere no longer inhibited my innate awareness that I was the miraculous power of life." This is a story that must have been invented by the author's now-recovered left hemisphere, since it was "off-line" at the time. The story is told by a neuroanatomist but don't be misled; it has little to do with neuroscience. The story is as much an invention as it is a report. How much of the story is confabulation? Is there any way for us, or even for the storyteller, to know? If you are looking for a pleasant fantasy, you won't be disappointed. Look for your neuroscience somewhere else.
Great book May 5, 2008
19 out of 23 found this review helpful
How often do you get to hear a neuroscientist describe her own stroke?
This is an amazing story on three levels; physical, emotional, and spiritual. Dr. Jill description of her eight year recovery is both uplifting and powerful. But the spiritual aspect is alone worth the price of admission. (I won't spoil it for you.)
Dr. Bolte-Taylor is not a writer of prose. Her style is that of someone experienced in writing scientific papers; factual, concise and parsimonious. But the content! That is what makes this a great book in my opinion.
A quick read but a powerful story.
Danny
Very inspiring and educational January 7, 2008
18 out of 22 found this review helpful
Not only is this book an awe-inspiring story of a woman's complete recovery from a devastating stroke, but I learned more brain anatomy and function than I did in nursing school. A must read.
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