Pat's September Staff Pick

My Stroke of Insight
By Jill Bolte Taylor, Ph.D

RC 388.5 .T387 2009

Book Description from Amazon:

Publication Date: May 26, 2009

The astonishing New York Times bestseller that chronicles how a brain scientist's own stroke led to enlightenment

On December 10, 1996, Jill Bolte Taylor, a thirty-seven-year-old Harvard-trained brain scientist experienced a massive stroke in the left hemisphere of her brain. As she observed her mind deteriorate to the point that she could not walk, talk, read, write, or recall any of her life-all within four hours-Taylor alternated between the euphoria of the intuitive and kinesthetic right brain, in which she felt a sense of complete well-being and peace, and the logical, sequential left brain, which recognized she was having a stroke and enabled her to seek help before she was completely lost. It would take her eight years to fully recover. 

For Taylor, her stroke was a blessing and a revelation. It taught her that by "stepping to the right" of our left brains, we can uncover feelings of well-being that are often sidelined by "brain chatter." Reaching wide audiences through her talk at the Technology, Entertainment, Design (TED) conference and her appearance on Oprah's online Soul Series, Taylor provides a valuable recovery guide for those touched by brain injury and an inspiring testimony that inner peace is accessible to anyone. 

This book was passed on to me by a friend in Lander and I passed it to a friend visiting from Wisconsin.  The CWC library has 2 copies.  It is a must read if you or someone close to you is dealing with a brain injury or dementia.  It also gives some ideas for calming your brain if you can't sleep at night due to all the lists your left brain is sending through.  Pat Morgan