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highly recommended |
Great information 
I have a friend who has had a stroke, and it has given me good ideas of how to help instead of hurt in my dealings with her. It was also great information for me in how to spot a stroke.
The author unfailingly puts forth her experience so we may all learn with her expertise to make it even more impressive and insightful. I loved the way she explains what I've been hearing about for years - left and right brain functioning. I particularly loved hearing about the oneness and freedom when her right brain was primary. Great book!
good but disappointed 
excellent narrative about the event itself but I found the recovery aspect very light on fact and heavy on the resulting spirituality of her experience.
Read to my 11 year old - this should be required in school
I was reading this book and my 11 year old asked if I would read it aloud as her grandfather (whom she was really close to) had a stoke 4 years ago and has since passed. I had just finished the beginning portion of the book which discusses brain anatomy and was starting the authors description of what happened the day of the stroke. We found it fascinating.
We were on vacation and on one of the flights another child sat by us; he was equally enthralled by this book and wrote down the title so his mom could buy it and read it to him.
Not only does this book describe what happened to the author but gives practical advice which the reader can use to live a happier life. This is backed up by scientific understanding of brain function and anatomy.
Also, the language in this book is quite lovely...very poetic...and was a joy to read. The ending was awesome!
I highly recommend this book to everyone.
Who is telling this story?
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.
reviews: page 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8
"A brain scientist's journey from a debilitating stroke to full recovery becomes an inspiring exploration of human consciousness and its possibilitiesOn the morning of December 10, 1996 Jill Bolte Taylor, a thirty-seven-year-old Harvard-trained brain scientist experienced a massive stroke when a blood vessel exploded in the left side of her brain. A neuroanatomist by profession, she observed her own mind completely deteriorate to the point that she could not walk, talk, read, write, or recall any of her life, all within the space of four brief hours. As the damaged left side of her brain "the rational, grounded, detail and time-oriented side" swung in and out of function, Taylor alternated between two distinct and opposite realties: the euphoric nirvana of the intuitive and kinesthetic right brain, in which she felt a sense of complete well-being and peace; and the logical, sequential left brain, which recognized Jill was having a stroke, and enabled her to seek help before she was lost completely.In My Stroke of Insight, Taylor shares her unique perspective on the brain and its capacity for recovery, and the sense of omniscient understanding she gained from this unusual and inspiring voyage out of the abyss of a wounded brain. It would take eight years for Taylor to heal completely. Because of her knowledge of how the brain works, her respect for the cells composing her human form, and most of all an amazing mother, Taylor completely repaired her mind and recalibrated her understanding of the world according to the insights gained from her right brain that morning of December 10th.Today Taylor is convinced that the stroke was the best thing that could have happened to her. It has taught her that the feeling of nirvana is never more than a mere thought away. By stepping to the right of our left brains, we can all uncover the feelings of well-being and peace that are so often sidelined by our own brain chatter. A fascinating journey into the mechanics of the human mind, My Stroke of Insight is both a valuable recovery guide for anyone touched by a brain injury, and an emotionally stirring testimony that deep internal peace truly is accessible to anyone, at any time."
my stroke of, insight, stroke
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based on 38 reviews
