My Stroke of Insight

By: Jill Bolte Taylor

Narrated by: Jill Bolte Taylor

Length: 5 hrs and 43 mins

Publisher's summary

On the morning of December 10, 1996 Jill Bolte Taylor, a 37-year-old Harvard-trained brain scientist experienced a massive stroke when a blood vessel exploded in the left side of her brain. A neuroanatomist by profession, she observed her own mind completely deteriorate to the point that she could not walk, talk, read, write, or recall any of her life, all within the space of four brief hours.

As the damaged left side of her brain - the rational, grounded, detail and time-oriented side - swung in and out of function, Taylor alternated between two distinct and opposite realties: the euphoric nirvana of the intuitive and kinesthetic right brain, in which she felt a sense of complete well-being and peace; and the logical, sequential left brain, which recognized Jill was having a stroke, and enabled her to seek help before she was lost completely.

In My Stroke of Insight, Taylor shares her unique perspective on the brain and its capacity for recovery, and the sense of omniscient understanding she gained from this unusual and inspiring voyage out of the abyss of a wounded brain. It would take eight years for Taylor to heal completely. Because of her knowledge of how the brain works, her respect for the cells composing her human form, and most of all an amazing mother, Taylor completely repaired her mind and recalibrated her understanding of the world according to the insights gained from her right brain that morning of December 10th.

Today Taylor is convinced that the stroke was the best thing that could have happened to her. It has taught her that the feeling of nirvana is never more than a mere thought away. By stepping to the right of our left brains, we can all uncover the feelings of well-being and peace that are so often sidelined by our own brain chatter.

A fascinating journey into the mechanics of the human mind, My Stroke of Insight is both a valuable recovery guide for anyone touched by a brain injury, and an emotionally stirring ...

©2008 Jill Bolte Taylor (P)2008 Penguin Audiobooks

Critic reviews

"Transformative...[Taylor's] experience...will shatter [your] own perception of the world." (ABC News)

"[Dr. Taylor] brings a deep personal understanding to something she long studied: that the two lobes of the brain have very different personalities." (The New York Times)

"Fascinating...invaluable...fearless...This book is about the wonder of being human." (Robert Koehler, Tribune Media Services)

The Why of the Review

If you could sum up My Stroke of Insight in three words, what would they be?

Interesting , Informing, and Insightful

What was one of the most memorable moments of My Stroke of Insight?

The why of this review, My father, 85 years old suffered a stroke on Oct 20, 2011. He was and is still a mentally sharp individual. He was an independent business man, WW II naval veteran, hard working water well drilling contractor. With his own capital, managed his own multimillion dollar retirement and business assets, he was a self made man’s man. Shortly after the stroke my oldest sister started to exert undue influence over my mother and has convinced her that my father is basically dead, and they should not provide certain types of health care for my father. As far as they are concerned he is a vegetable .They made the comment that there was no need to waste any of ( their) money on his health care.
The other four siblings realized dad needed (help) in a big way. We also needed some answer about his health care, about his rehabilitation, and above all understanding his condition.
Thank God Jill Bolte Taylor, Ph.D. wrote the book (My Stroke of Insight). In this book, Jill explains the experience of going thru a stroke from a Medical professional’s perspective. She also tries to understand why certain things were happening to her own brain. She also explains the recovery, the feelings and thoughts of a recovering patient, from the perceptive of a very well educated doctor. Jill would be well served to do another book; she is very well educated in the medical field. Ph. D. And it would be very helpful for her to work with a lay person to communicate and connect with the non-medical community. I strongly recommend this book; we all need to learn more about our brain and how it functions, and multi- illnesses associated with strokes. Again I want to thank, Jill for this book we look forward to learning more about your vast experiences.

PS: The simple joys of hearing my father laugh after six months brought tears to my eyes. Please read this book and share it with others, it is very helpful.
PSS: We are not done with my sister and mother.
Thank You , Larry
Robinson , IL.

It's all in Your Mind or Mine

I had this Same Stroke and I find this Book to be Very Insightful ( Pun Intended ) !

Compelling and Inspiring

It begins with a brief, informative look at some basic neuro anatomy then moves on to a dramatic account of the day she had her stroke. Bolte Taylor lived in her right brain for a while which is a nice place to be and corresponds fairly closely to what Buddhists call nirvana. She made a steady recovery that is summarized followed by advice taken from her experience on how to reconnect to the peace and positivity of our right brain. Insightful and illuminating with an emphasis on how the neuroplasticity of our brains enables us at any age to change how we think and react. Will relisten and perhaps buy the print version. Highly recommended.

best audio book I ever listed to

What did you love best about My Stroke of Insight?

I loved the energy and enthusiasm with which the author told her story. It really brought the book to life. I loved that I learned so much about my own brain.

Which scene was your favorite?

Everything was great.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

when she talks about how her speech didn't matchup to her brain, and how people yelled at her to make her understand.

Any additional comments?

this book was SO great that I stopped listening half way through just to make it last longer. I started being more picky about when I would listen because I just didn't want it to end.
Finally, I went back on a normal schedule and realized I would just listen to it AGAIN!

Aptly Titled

Great book. Very educational. I wish I had this information in 2002 when my dad had his stroke.

loved it.

great connection to spiritual enlightenment and science. The author's narration intonation was rough but decent.

Fascinating

One of those books I just didn’t want to put down! Jill’s experience was amazing, and I gained a deeper understanding of how the brain works. Really easy to listen to, and enjoyable.

Inspiring

I listened to this book through the experiences of a behavioral scientist. The process she went through while experiencing the stroke made for a genuine page turner.

Thank you

Any additional comments?

Thank you for sharing your story. It gave me insight into my wifes brain injury & mental illness

A must read!

Unique insight into the mystery of being human that provides so many answers. Loved it!