Brain on Fire: My Month of Madness

Product Description

NOW A MAJOR MOTION PICTURE STARRING CHLOË GRACE MORETZ

An award-winning memoir and instant New York Times bestseller that goes far beyond its riveting medical mystery, Brain on Fire is the powerful account of one woman’s struggle to recapture her identity.

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, Susannah 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. “A fascinating look at the disease that...could have cost this vibrant, vital young woman her life” (People), Brain on Fire is an unforgettable exploration of memory and identity, faith and love, and a profoundly compelling tale of survival and perseverance that is destined to become a classic.

Review

"Captivating...Cahalan's prose carries a sharp, unsparing tabloid punch in the tradition of Pete Hamill and Jimmy Breslin."-- "New York Times Book Review"

"Focusing her journalistic toolbox on her story, Cahalan untangles the medical mystery surrounding her condition...A fast-paced and well-researched trek through a medical mystery to a hard-won recovery."-- "Publishers Weekly"

"Swift and haunting."-- "Scientific American"

"This fascinating memoir by a young New York Post reporter...describes how she crossed the line between sanity and insanity...Cahalan expertly weaves together her own story and relevant scientific information...compelling."-- "Booklist (starred review)"


About the Author

Susannah Cahalan is a news reporter at the New York Post whose award-winning work has also been featured in the New York Times. She lives in Jersey City, New Jersey.