This is a memoir of a new adult (early 20s) who starts struggling with her mental and physical health. Her body is getting weaker and twitchy, her moods are out of control, she can't focus, her grasp on reality is slipping away.
Cahalan writes about her excitement for her job at the New York Post as a journalist. Her increasing struggle to get that job done, and then to get much of anything done. She shares the struggles of a month-long stay in a hospital and the support of her family and boyfriend during that stay. She talks about how she feels and what she experiences as a woman struggling with physical and mental difficulties. And she speaks about the medical professionals that cared for her through this struggle with a medical mystery. (Spoiler alert) It was not all in her head - which brings us to the hazy line between pyschology and neurology.
This is an astounding book about struggle, fear, awareness, memory, illness, support, identity and the evolution of the medical field.
I was going to say - if you are going into the medical field - read this. But I think that this is the type of book that everyone should read.
You can find this book on the shelf at both South and NPL. You can listen to it through Libby/Sora if you are connected to NPL.
