June Book Report

Eight books, not all of them winners

Barbara Lipska (2018) The Neuroscientist Who Lost Her Mind. [Audible]. Emma Powell (narrator).

I loved this narrator. What could have been a dry retelling of a medical anomaly became a story that readers (listeners) can connect to. The content was a fascinating look at mental illness from the inside. The author suffered damage to her brain from a number of metastasized melanoma tumors. That she survived is a wonder; metastatic melanoma is notoriously deadly. For eight weeks, however, Lipska, whose life work was researching the brain regarding schizophrenia, experienced many of the symptoms of mental illness as tumors attacked every region of her brain, most destructively, the frontal cortex. After an astounding recovery, she was able to remember her emotions and feelings in the middle of a mental breakdown that was far more terrifying to her family than to her. It’s not a long book, and is definitely worth the listen, especially for people who are touched by any form of mental illness.

Heather Morris (2019) Cilka’s Journey. [Audible]. Louise Brealey (narrator).