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.
"Following life-saving treatment for a rare form of encephalitis, she turns her investigative eye to the episode, searching for the events and medical facts comprising her missing month of life, and answers about how one’s identity can be lost, and found."
Singer-songwriter @keepshellyinath (2016-2021), Singer-songwriter with Mongoa, & @brunomusicnews; Publisher @VineLeavesPress; Graphic designer & author.
@CharifShan Brain on Fire: My Month of Madness by Susannah Cahalan.
An independent literary publisher since 1917. Imprints: Grove Press, Atlantic Monthly Press, Black Cat, Roxane Gay Books. We can’t go on, we’ll go on.
BRAIN ON FIRE author Susannah Cahalan writes, “ALSO A POET contains multitudes… This extraordinary book, full of wisdom, beauty, and generosity of spirit, proves that we can be ‘good’ and also great.”