Reviews tagging 'Cancer'

Brain on Fire: My Month of Madness by Susannah Cahalan

11 reviews

fkshg8465's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional informative mysterious reflective sad medium-paced

4.0

After reading this book, the hypochondriac in me is grateful to know the existence of this disease, in case it happens to me and I need a doctor to look into it.

I’m sorry she had to go through this. My mom was misdiagnosed for a long time, and by the time we finally got an accurate diagnosis, we had only three weeks left together. So I know a little about this, even though my mom’s disease was something entirely different. As such, my compassion meter was very high on this one.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism, Alcoholism, Body shaming, Cancer, Confinement, Drug use, Eating disorder, Fatphobia, Panic attacks/disorders, Self harm, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Vomit, Medical content, Grief, Medical trauma, Death of parent, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail

elvahn's review

dark informative mysterious tense medium-paced

5.0

This book highlights the importance of empathy in the medical profession and calls attention to the grave harm of misdiagnoses that can result from lack of information or simply not taking the time to dive deeper into a parent's case.

By the end, there is also some hope in that though sharing her story, others get access to real help, and medical science is furthered. Even the doctor who had decided she was simply "partying" too hard rather than take her symptoms more seriously (my rage boiled over reading about this man) eventually refers to her experience to direct patients to help.

Part memoir, part call to action, part humane medical text(??), the author weaves us through her month of madness, using interviews, journals, and hospital footage to help complete the story. Engaging, well-done.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Terminal illness, Blood, Medical content, Medical trauma, and Schizophrenia/Psychosis

Moderate: Cancer, Death, Mental illness, Excrement, Vomit, and Dementia

thirdtimesacharm's review against another edition

dark hopeful mysterious reflective sad slow-paced

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Mental illness, Medical content, Medical trauma, and Schizophrenia/Psychosis

Moderate: Cancer

guessgreenleaf's review against another edition

dark emotional hopeful informative inspiring mysterious sad tense fast-paced

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Cancer, Chronic illness, Confinement, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Medical content, and Medical trauma

iamastraythought's review against another edition

emotional informative inspiring reflective tense fast-paced

4.0

Admittedly I did read this because she is suffering from the same disease that Will Graham has in Hannibal, and I wanted to read more about it. Her story is both horrific and inspiring.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Medical content, Medical trauma, and Schizophrenia/Psychosis

Minor: Body shaming, Cancer, Confinement, Self harm, Dementia, and Dysphoria

maddiearthur's review

emotional informative inspiring tense fast-paced

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Cancer, Chronic illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Medical content, Dementia, and Schizophrenia/Psychosis

Moderate: Fatphobia, Forced institutionalization, and Blood

lex_y's review against another edition

challenging emotional hopeful informative mysterious reflective tense fast-paced

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Medical content, and Medical trauma

Moderate: Ableism, Cancer, Chronic illness, Confinement, Cursing, Fatphobia, Forced institutionalization, Dementia, and Injury/Injury detail

mxpringle's review against another edition

challenging emotional informative inspiring medium-paced

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism, Alcoholism, Cancer, Chronic illness, Confinement, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Terminal illness, Medical content, Medical trauma, and Schizophrenia/Psychosis

alphacenterin's review against another edition

emotional hopeful informative fast-paced

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Mental illness, Medical content, and Schizophrenia/Psychosis

Minor: Cancer and Injury/Injury detail

indyemmajones's review against another edition

dark emotional hopeful reflective fast-paced

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Cancer, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Medical content, Medical trauma, and Schizophrenia/Psychosis

Moderate: Death

Minor: Alcoholism, Drug use, Excrement, Vomit, and Alcohol