We had some new people attend the October book club which was great to see! The diverse backgrounds bring new perspectives to our discussion. Only around half of the members actually finished the book, but we still had a great meeting. Brain on Fire is Susannah Cahalan’s memoir of her struggle with a brain disorder. It started innocuously – with mood swings and lights and colors that seemed too bright. When she sought help, doctors told her not to party, that it was caused by alcohol withdraw or a mental breakdown. The symptoms quickly turned to seizures, hallucinations, paranoia and catatonia. Cahalan was hospitalized, and she has no memory of the first month. Her behavior in the hospital was described as like a zombie or the girl in the Exorcist movie. One million dollars’ worth of testing did not lead to any answers. Then, Dr. Najjar joined the team. Considered a real life “Dr. House,” he performed a simple test – he asked Cahalan to draw a clock. Her clock was drawn with all the numbers compressed on one side. This pointed to a neurological cause and she was quickly diagnosed with a rare auto immune disease. This book sparked so much conversation that we barely looked at the discussion questions. The group talked about other auto immune diseases, the unreliability of memory, how patients are treated by medical professionals, how you need to advocate for your own health; we could have talked for several more hours! One thing that really stood out is how lucky Cahalan was. She had medical insurance, a family and boyfriend to advocate for her and not give up on her, and a doctor who looked at her as a whole person, not just as a set of test results. It’s possible that many people with this disorder are locked away in institutions, declared as mentally ill, when they actually have a disease that can be cured.
The Chestermere Public Library’s book club is a relaxed group of readers who meet on the third Thursday of the month at 7:00pm to discuss the current book selection. The only requirement is that you have a Library membership. The book is available to check out from the Library about month before the meeting, and will usually include a discussion guide. This guide is a list of questions for the group to discuss during our meeting, and it’s helpful to read them over a few times before and while you are reading the book. Book suggestions are always welcome!
The next meeting is on November 21 at 7:00pm to discuss “Defending Jacob” by William Landay. Pick up the book at the Library and come join us!
