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)

Poignant and beautiful

Great book! Narration good too.
Not only do you hear first hand the experience the author (a neurologist) had during her stroke, step by step, and her long recovery, but you learn a lot about how the brain works from both a scientific and spiritual standpoint. Breaking down in simple terms how thoughts and emotions produce chemicals in our bodies and how we actually have control of these processes was interesting. The author certainly has had a unique experience, but one of the most fascinating aspects is how on the other side of recovery, she has a greater understanding and appreciation for the unknown/unexplainable, even as a scientist.

fantastic. want to read it again

This is the most interesting story about a doctor of neurology who had a stroke and recovered. Her journey is powerful and eye-opening for any of us who might either experience something similar or witness it with family members. I learned a lot from this book and would definitely recommend it to anyone.

Incredible story!

Would you consider the audio edition of My Stroke of Insight to be better than the print version?

While I loved the book, I loved hearing the words in her own voice.

What did you like best about this story?

Ms. Taylor's incredible ability to realize and talk about what was going on in her brain.

Any additional comments?

Definitely recommend this book to anyone, especially anyone dealing with someone with stroke or brain disease.

Great for helping to understand brain injury

This book was wonderful in many ways, I'm an anatomy nerd and loved hearing how the brain affects so much and hearing how a stroke can affect the different functions and different areas of the brain. It was also a big help for me, I have family with some severe brain injuries from repetitive brain surgeries and seeing how Jill's mother took care of her and helped her recovery was inspiring to help me be patient with understanding and be a better support for my family during their recovery from brain surgery and the changes that have come with the surgeries.

One of my favorite books of all time.

Recovering from a stroke over the period of a decade as told by the patient herself, a neuroanatomist. Amazing book.

great book

loved it and will listen againl.,,,,,,,,,,.......... ,..,,,, ,,
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Inspiring incredible story

The story of Dr Taylor as told by the neuroscientist herself is most inspiring! It is amazingly what she learned from her harrowing experience. But the best is that she recovered and was able to tell it here in her book. Loved it! I am going back into therapy to do more exploring of what I could recover of the remaining deficits from my stroke 20 months ago. She teaches don’t give up!

Read this book and you will have tools to be happier.

I'm a practicing Buddhist and my teacher told me to read this book. Everyone needs to read this book. The world would be a happier place for it.

Insightful

Amazing insight, not only for stroke carers, but for all people. Understanding the two sides of the Brian, and why we should make it our life’s mission to listen to the Right side of our Brain.

Great

Insightful, learned a lot from the patient perspective which will help in my professional career