Last month’s book club selection, My Stroke of Insight by Jill Bolte Taylor, PhD., was chosen by Liesl. A short book, My Stroke of Insight chronicles the experiences of a neuroscientist’s severe stroke and subsequent recovery. Dr. Taylor gives good background into the anatomy and physiology of the brain so that the reader can understand the science behind the ramifications of her stroke (though the diagrams could have been better, in my opinion). I found this book very informative, Dr. Taylor does an excellent job describing the warning signs of a stroke. For this aspect alone, this book would be a beneficial read for everyone, as strokes are a serious threat, often leaving victims who survive substantially incapacitated. The quicker a stroke is diagnosed and treated, the better the prognosis, so it would be good for all of us to know what could happen (Please go to this site by the Stroke Association to learn to recognize the signs). But this book is not all about the science, actually very little of it is (to my disappointment).
The majority of the book is spent describing what it was like to live in Dr. Taylor’s newly damaged brain, what it was like to loose oneself to this condition, and the struggle of recovery and becoming someone new. The bleeding was in the left side of Dr. Taylor’s brain, substantially impairing her language centers, and converting this formerly left brained scientist into a right brain-dependent person with the capabilities of an infant. The description of becoming right brain-centered definitely sung the praises of the more creative and empathetic side of our minds. Dr. Taylor describes a feeling oneness with the universe, a sensitivity to the emotions of others, and a heightened sense of aesthetics. One of the main points I took home from this book involved how we treat patients; in the hospital Dr. Taylor had difficulties with anyone who was stressed or hurried and found interactions with them very draining, she also found that many of those treating her failed to recognize that she needed their patience and she need them to have confidence in her ability to recover. Perhaps this is a reflection of our medical system, with nurses and doctors over-scheduled and needing to see dozens of patients a day, but it simply shows that we need to have compassion with those who are sick, no matter what the cause.
As scary as the descriptions of the stroke are, as disturbing as the prospect of loosing oneself is, this is a book of hope. The plasticity of the human brain is an amazing thing and well described by Dr. Taylor. The message of this book is uplifting and educational, and as it is so short, I would recommend this book. I particularly liked her description of our physiological response to emotions; when we experience an emotion a surge of chemicals influences our brain often eliciting unpleasant sensations that can lead us to act in haste. We need to realize that these chemicals are washed out of our system quickly (she says in 90 seconds) and if we can let the initial sensations pass we can regain control of our ability to respond to our emotions, rather than have our emotions control us.
I did have a couple issues with this book. There are a few sections that are a little “woo woo” for me, that is they dwell a bit too much in the “oneness with the universe” feelings Dr. Taylor experienced. I’m very left brained, I admit it, and I’m not ashamed of it; at times I felt like Dr. Taylor was selling the left brain short. My preference for the rational probably made it impossible for me to fully appreciate Dr. Taylor’s experience in her right brain, but I still found it interesting. My biggest complaint about was that My Stroke of Insight was pretty repetetive. Yes the phrase “my stroke of insight” is ironic and clever in this context, but it is over-used by the author. I hate to criticize the writing of a stroke survivor too much, but perhaps she could have had a better editor?
