Dr. Taylor was a 37-year-old Harvard-trained brain scientist when a blood vessel exploded in her brain. Through the eyes of a curious scientist, she watched her mind deteriorate whereby she could not walk, talk, read, write, or recall any of her life. Because of her understanding of the brain, her respect for the cells in her body, and an amazing mother, Jill completely recovered. In My Stroke of Insight, she shares her recommendations for recovery and the insight she gained into the unique functions of the two halves of her brain. When she lost the skills of her left brain, her consciousness shifted away from normal reality where she felt "at one with the universe." Taylor helps others not only rebuild their brains from trauma, but helps those of us with normal brains better understand how we can consciously influence the neural circuitry underlying what we think, how we feel and how we react to life's circumstances. To sum it up: informative, fascinating, repetitive. I liked the beginning chapters of the book where she described (simply) the workings of the brain. I really enjoyed the part about the actual occurrence of the stroke and her descriptions of what she went through immediately following it. Then it kind of went downhill for me because I think I expected something different from the book. I assumed it would be more like a memoir, but it actually read like a self-help book.
Listen to her speak:
