This is the first of four book review series about the brain which I am using to mark the publication of my second book…
SURFING THE BRAIN
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In this first series, we will hear from or about people with diverse disorders that afflict our most important organ.
Because this theme is teeming with books, my shortlist came up with at least 60 books.
Because I had limited myself to 10 books for review, I had to employ a few devices to trim the list down.
The first ploy was easy – I have already featured 6 of the books in previous review series…and these are:
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MY STROKE OF INSIGHT
THE NEUROSCIENTIST WHO LOST HER MIND
by Barbara K. Lipska
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THE MIND OF A MNEMONIST
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PERMANENT PRESENT TENSE
by Suzanne Corkin
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THE WORLD I FELL OUT OF
by Melanie Reid
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PATIENT H. M.
by Luke Dittrich
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The second tactic was also not too hard… I have already reserved 26 excellent mental health memoirs for a future review series on the convolutions of mental illness.
Their names will remain hidden until then.
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The third plan was inevitable – I am forced to exclude promising memoirs that I have come across but I have not read, and these are:
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A GEOGRAPHY OF MEMORY
by Jeanne Murray Walker
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TELL ME WHO I AM
by Alex and Marcus Lewis and Joanna Hodgkin
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THE THEFT OF MEMORY
by Jonathan Kazol
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THE ANSWER TO THE RIDDLE IS ME
by David Stuart McLean
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I FORGOT TO REMEMBER
by Su Meck
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TRAPPED
by Fran Macilvey
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ONE MORE STEP
by Bonner Paddock
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SOMEONE LIKE ME
by John W Quinn
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ONE HUNDRED NAMES FOR LOVE
by Diane Ackerman
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And below are books recommended by Azma Samadani since this blog was posted:
by Drew Magary
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BEEN DEAD, NEVER BEEN TO EUROPE
by John Johnston
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But even after all these manoeuvres, I still had 26 books on the list to whittle down to 10.
The fifth stratagem was therefore the hardest – I regretfully had to leave out these great memoirs on my bookshelf.
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THE BEAUTY OF DUSK
by Frank Bruni
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THE DIVING BELL AND THE BUTTERFLY
by Jean-Dominique Bauby
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FIXING MY GAZE
by Susan Barry
THE GHOST IN MY BRAIN
by Clark Elliott
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THE ICEBERG
by Marion Coutts
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IDENTITY THEFT
by Debra Meyerson and Danny Zuckerman
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A JOURNEY ROUND MY SKULL
by Frigyes Karinthy
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KAREN
by Marie Killilea
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LOSING MY MIND
by Thomas DeBaggio
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A MIND UNRAVELLED
by Kurt Eichenwald
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OVER MY HEAD
by Claudia Osborn
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A SMELL OF BURNING
by Colin Grant
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SO FAR, SO GOOD
by Kathy Beecham
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A STITCH OF TIME
by Lauren Marks
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THE UNMAPPED MIND
by Christian Donlan
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YOU DON'T LOOK LIKE ANYONE I KNOW
by Heather Sellers
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PHINEAS GAGE
by John Fleischman
So which are the 10 profoundly inspiring books I picked for review?
Which are the memoirs that brilliantly demonstrate how brain diseases affect patients and their families?
Which are the ones that show how brain doctors and scientists work to demystify and treat neurological diseases?
Here then are my…
10 incredibly moving patient memoirs about the brain.
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10. A RETURN TO DUTY
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9. GHOST BOY
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8. LIFE IN THE BALANCE
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6. A TATTOO ON MY BRAIN
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5. FINDING THE RIGHT WORDS
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3. BRAIN ON FIRE
by Sussanah Cahalan
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by Anne Fadiman
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So stay tuned as we kick off next weekend with A Return to Duty.
The Doctors Bookshelf 
Wow! I’m excited toread about the ones I’m not familiar with, based on your inclusion of several of the best books on the subject that I have read. The Spirit Catches You is a longtime favorite and This Is Not a Pity Memoir is remarkable! Of the ones you are leaving out, The Iceberg is the one that moved me most deeply, and I hope that many who would not have otherwise read it will pick it up due to your mention here.
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Thanks Jane. Indeed the shortlist is phenomenal, a shame I had to limit myself
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