At HCSC, we’re focusing a lot on reading. Yes, reading books, for fun. If you aren’t sure you’re into it, check out our first article in our “Weekly Reads” column, to see why reading is the key to succeeding in college, and in life.
College is stressful. Life is hectic. Relationships are messy. So there’s a good chance that you might have thought you were losing your mind at one point, or two, during your lifetime.
In this week’s weekly read, we are dishing on New York Post journalist, Susannah Cahalan’s book, Brain on Fire, which tells the candid story of the brief year she essentially lost her mind.
And we’re not talking her-boyfriend-broke-up-with-her-and-she-failed-her-last-exam-lost-her-mind, no, we’re talking hospitalization-taking-serious-meds-lost-her-mind.
If you love to read suspenseful, investigative books that keep you flipping pages, then this should be your next read. But if that hasn’t sold you, then maybe the fact that it’s becoming a movie will. Cahalan will be played by Chloe Grace Moretz, so you know you’re already definitely seeing that. Here’s your chance to actually read the book before you see the movie; go ahead, impress your friends and fam!
The novel begins as Cahalan describes her descent into psychosis, seeing and hearing things that aren’t there, losing grip with reality, and her diminishing cognitive thinking capacity.
To the reader, it seems as though Cahalan has gone psychotic, and may never regain her “old self” again. Tales from friends, family, professional associates and doctors accompany her personal tale, which you’ll quickly learn is necessary to tell this story accurately.
As you read, you’ll become connected to Cahalan’s story. Suddenly you’ll be there in her apartment as she describes bugs that aren’t there, or in the cubicle next to her at the New York Post, where she confides in you that she has been seeing bright lights and excruciating noises that affects her ability to focus and do her job. Most importantly, you’ll feel a connection to Cahalan’s family as you read journal entries of what it was like for her parents to watch their daughter’s deteriorating mental state.
Lastly, you’ll feel for Cahalan as she depicts what it was like after her diagnosis, the steps it took for her to get back to “normalcy” and the loss of independence she suffered. You’ll begin to imagine yourself in her shoes and imagine what it was like to live in her mom’s house, or how she had to rely on her boyfriend and parents for everyday things. Suddenly, the book will become more than just a story and act as a turning point, enlightening you about a much larger phenomenon.
If you are reading or have recently finished reading Brain on Fire, shoot us an email at south-carolina@hercampus.com to tell us what you thought. You might be featured in our next column!