A Molecule Away from Madness

Tales of the Hijacked Brain

By: Sara Manning Peskin

Narrated by: Ann Richardson

A neurologist regales listeners with extraordinary stories of the brain under siege.

Our brains are the most complex machines known to humankind, but they have an Achilles heel: The very molecules that allow us to exist can also sabotage our minds. Here are true accounts of unruly molecules and the diseases that form in their wake, from total loss of inhibitions to florid psychosis to compulsive lying.

Cognitive neurologist Sara Manning Peskin demystifies the most curious neurological phenomena through the perspective of patients, researchers, and science. She introduces us to a woman stuck in the Walking Dead, a family wracked with Alzheimer’s disease, and an entire region gripped by a baffling epidemic. By tracing the molecular causes for neurologic diseases, Peskin highlights cutting-edge developments in cognitive research, making the case that these are the stories that will one day teach us how to cure dementia and other diseases of the brain. A Molecule Away from Madness offers a captivating, singular view of the human brain.

©2022 Sara Manning Peskin (P)2022 Blackstone Publishing

very interesting

I loved this, the stories that went with each disease really help the author convey what they were saying and made it so easy to understand.

this book will make you cry and give you hope

this book will make you cry and give you hope 🙏 the brain is no longer a mystery

fascinating!

interesting information presented in a way non scientists can understand. The reader was lear and her pace was good. Definitely recommend to anyone curious about neuropsychology.

Fascinating and well told story

A Fascinating and well told about the super complex story of our genetic machine. And told so It could be understood by experts and as well as the rest of us. Go Penn Quakers Sarah!
JT ME 81’

Great book about neurological disorders.

Dr Peskin used several examples of actual patients, that made me easy to understand.
Also she concluded this book with a great hope for the future of these diseases.

Very informative and interesting

This book is a must for anyone interested in neuroscience, cognitive behavior, psychology or even the history of medicine.

A Molecule Away From Sadness

This is a good book. I was not prepared for the emotional tug. I planned to finish this in one day and instead dragged it out a week. I paused at every heart wrenching climax. Couldn’t take it. It’s too real and a sad reality I have seen play out in real time. It’s the kind of book that will keep you up at night praying that the stories never hit close to home.

Easy to follow

I’m new to studying these sciences and I was able to understand what the author was telling us. Absolutely fascinating!

The title exactly describes the content

I liked the combination of individual stories and overall medical and research dilemmas . And it was concise.

The narration was too robotic

Although I am a research chemist whose focus is on environmental contaminants that impact humans and wildlife, I just could not get into this book. I even tried skipping to other chapters, but still could not finish it. The main drawbacks were that the narration was far too robotic and the writing style felt more like reading over clinician notes rather than having a fluid and interesting storyline. I was at times unsure whether the book was read by a person or by the same AI voice technology used by Verizon when calling in for assistance. I had to stop listening after 30 or less of listening.