Brain on Fire by Susannah Cahalan: Review

Hey everyone, Victoria here! Today I'm going to be reviewing Brain on Fire by Susannah Cahalan!

Brain on Fire

By: Susannah Cahalan

Rating: 4.5/5 stars

Synopsis: "When twenty-four-year-old Susannah Cahalan woke up alone in a hospital room, strapped to her bed and unable to move or speak, she had no memory of how she’d gotten there. Days earlier, she had been on the threshold of a new, adult life: at the beginning of her first serious relationship and a promising career at a major New York newspaper. Now she was labeled violent, psychotic, a flight risk. What happened?
In a swift and breathtaking narrative, Cahalan tells the astonishing true story of her descent into 

madness, her family’s inspiring faith in her, and the lifesaving diagnosis that nearly didn’t happen." (Goodreads)

----------------

My Thoughts: I absolutely loved this! Yes, chilling...even terrifying at times, this story pulled me in and did not let me go until the very last page. Let's dive more in-depth into what I loved about this book! 

-Audiobook: I purchased a physical copy of this book probably over 2 years ago but never really got into it. I tried to start it this year, but this book is filled with medical terminology that pretty much put me to sleep every time I attempted to read it. Once I discovered that my library had access to Hoopla, an audiobook and music website, I decided to give it another try. And I'm so glad that I did! I think the way for me to go personally on this one was with the audiobook. Though Susannah herself doesn't narrate it, I did really enjoy listening to the story. 

-Concept: Although this book isn't super plot driven, it was very interesting. I am personally very interested in learning about mental health and other diseases, so this book intrigued me.  There were many tangents about medical diagnoses and terms but they gave me a lot of information on Susannah's disease.

-This book is horrifying. To even imagine what Susannah went through is just impossible. The details are so descriptive, yet it is stated many times in the book that Susannah doesn't remember much from the time she was in the hospital for an extended period of time. I thought this book was beautifully written and gives people insight into the nightmare that people with her disease (which I won't mention because spoilers :)) have to deal with every day. 

-I would recommend this to everyone! I think it is a story that everyone needs to read because although many doctors didn't believe the severity of Susannah's condition, it shows that you are the only one that truly knows and understands your own body. Some passages are very hard to read (or listen to), but overall, this book is so so good!

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

That was my review for Brain on Fire! I hope you enjoyed it and seriously consider reading this book! Let me know in the comments below if you've read this book and your thoughts on it or if you plan to read it soon! See you all next week with another post! Hope everyone is having a great day! 

-xoxo Victoria