I won BookPage Magazine's reader survey sweepstakes last year. One of the prizes was four books a month for a year. This book was part of this month's shipment.

What a harrowing story. I can't imagine what it would be like to go through the experience of having a disease that is incorrectly diagnosed for so long. And to have it be a disease that presents as mental illness is even scarier.

The book is now on its way to emmejo in New York as part of the wishlist tag game in the forums.

Got this book today. Thank you, it looks really good.

I tore through the book in a single day. It's the kind of horrifyingly compelling tale you just can't put down. Cahalan takes the reader through every step of her illness, from the initial headaches and anxiety through to her returning to work and researching this book. Some parts are emotionally hard to read, less out of sympathy for Cahalan, who doesn't remember most this period, than her family and friends, whose records and recollections make up the bulk of the info here. I can't imagine having someone I care for in the hospital, out of the mind with fear and pain, while the doctors have no idea what is going on.

Cahalan also speculates on how many people may have had this illness and been incorrectly hospitalized as mentally ill, never receiving treatment for the actual infection. I would have been interested to know more about this too, although I realize it would be difficult to get info on.

Added to The Authoress Bookbox

Taking from the box.