A Mind Unraveled: A Memoir
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The compelling story of an acclaimed journalist and New York Times best-selling author’s ongoing struggle with epilepsy – how, through personal resilience and the support of loved ones, he overcame medical incompetence and institutional discrimination to achieve once unthinkable success.
“REMARKABLE…inspirational in the true sense of the word.” (The New York Times Book Review)
This is the story of one man’s battle to pursue his dreams despite an often incapacitating brain disorder. From his early experiences of fear and denial to his exasperating search for treatment, Kurt Eichenwald provides a deeply candid account of his years facing this misunderstood and often stigmatized condition. He details his encounters with the doctors whose negligence could have killed him, but for the heroic actions of a brilliant neurologist and the family and friends who fought for him.
Ultimately, A Mind Unraveled is an inspirational story, one that chronicles how Eichenwald, faced often with his own mortality, transformed trauma into a guide for reaching the future he desired.
Praise for A Mind Unraveled
“An intimate journey…bravely illuminating the trials of living inside a body always poised to betray itself.” (O: The Oprah Magazine)
“Poignant and infuriating…merges elements of medical drama, anti-discrimination fable, and coming-of-age memoir.” (The New Yorker)
“One of the best thrillers I’ve read in years, yet there are no detectives, no corpses, no guns or knives.” (Minneapolis Star-Tribune)
“Terrific…. Eichenwald’s narrative is a suspenseful medical thriller about a condition that makes everyday life a mine field, a fierce indictment of a callous medical establishment, and an against-the-odds recovery saga.” (Publishers Weekly, starred review)
“Riveting…. Eichenwald has created a universal tale of resilience wrapped in a primal scream against the far-too-savage world.” (Booklist, starred review)
“An extraordinary book.” (Harriet Lerner, PhD, New York Times best-selling author of The Dance of Anger)
Cogito Ergo Sum –
One of the Best Books I Have Ever Read
A Mind Unraveled is a beautifully written book, which is outstanding on so many levels. This book is more than a book about epilepsy. In fact, it is one of the best books I have ever read. As other reviewers have noted, it is one of those volumes that I could not put down. First, the book inspires us to take charge of our own medical care instead of ceding our power to physicians who don’t always know best. It exposes the ugly side of medicine and encourages us to “question authority.” For too long, people have trusted the experts and let them run rampant with their destructive ways. Second, the book is about Kurt’s journey with epilepsy and how he overcomes its associated challenges. Third, A Mind Unraveled speaks to the amazing power of beautiful and supportive relationships, including family, friends, roommates, and a handful of talented doctors and other caring providers. Fourth, one of the major themes reveals Kurt’s fight against the establishment as he works for what is right and just. Finally, the book carries an existential message about life and living it to the fullest extent possible.I bought A Mind Unraveled after seeing Kurt on Book TV, where he eloquently shared his story. I am not a person with epilepsy, so this book provided a great deal of education in that regard.After visiting Kurt’s Twitter account, the only suggestion I might offer would be to establish two separate accounts, one for his book and one for his political views. As an Independent who is fed up with bipartisan vitriol, that was a big turn-off and could potentially take away from the positive message of the book. Other than that, I would highly recommend A Mind Unraveled, as it holds something for everyone.
Kathy –
Amazing!
This book drew me in because of it’s parallels with my own struggles. I’ve got neurologic problems of my own; I’ve dealt with doctors and medical professionals who’ve told me that “it’s all in my head” (no SH!T, folks, it’s a neurologic condition); that xx couldn’t have possibly caused my strokes; that xx DEFINITELY caused my strokes; that I needed to stop referring to my strokes as 0, 1, and 2 but instead 1, 2, and 3; that I would never improve more than a year post-stroke; that they had no idea why I suffered from post-stroke fatigue. I had one wacko of a neurologist, when asked if there were any side effects of a medication he prescribed, check the wrong book (the one that describes drug interactions, not side effects). I was violently upchucking everything I ate for the next week. (He resigned not two years later, and if I had to guess, it was because he’d gotten dementia.)I think that this book is a wonderful illustration of the dangers of taking medical advice at face value. Go, Kurt, for looking a neurologist in the face and telling him that you weren’t going to mess around with your medication just because HE thought controlling your seizures was the most important thing! Way to go for preventing yourself from becoming lost in a haze of the Latest and Greatest Danger of a drug just because the doctor was investigating its efficacy!Thank you for providing me an example to follow.
Robert B. Lamm –
A Profoundly Upsetting Book that MUST Be Read
I have read all of Kurt Eichenwald’s books, and for my money he is the best business author ever; I have long thought that at least one of his books, “A Conspiracy of Fools” (about the collapse of Enron), should be required reading at law schools and business schools. In fact, I probably do him a disservice by referring to him as a “business author” — he’s a brilliant writer who has particularly excelled in the business arena.However, i knew nothing of his life or background, and I certainly had no reason to think or expect that he is a brilliant memoirist. I also had no idea that he has epilepsy, much less that he suffered so greatly from the horrendous treatment accorded to him in his early years as a result of his disease.The book is simply riveting; i read its nearly 400 pages in two days, and literally couldn’t put it down. His writing has its customary lucidity blended with incredible passion. It is profoundly upsetting, to the point that I found myself losing it in anger at his doctors, the administration at his college, and more. It is also moving, as when his parents begin to realize what he is going through or when he meets the caring woman who becomes his wife.This is not a “pretty” story, but it commands our attention and must be read.
science writer –
A brave account
This is a hair-raising page-turner about the author’s experiences as a young man who is trying to manage and get help for his intractable epileptic seizures. Most of the book deals with the incompetence, insensitivity and outright abuse he receives from various medical and academic authorities along the way. This part of the narrative is chilling and believable.But an honest memoir is hard to write. Distortions often creep in when authors depict their family and friends. Because Mr. Eichenwald is writing about survival issues for much of the book, he’s a bit self-absorbed. Other people emerge mostly as foils or props in the author’s life-and-death drama. If you look closely, though, you’ll find hints of things being left out. For example, Mr. Eichenwald’s sister, Kathie, is mentioned only twice, and it’s easy to forget she exists altogether.Mr. Eichenwald only partially explains the motivation of the bad actors. He, at times, seems unreasonably volatile, and it’s hard for the reader to tell how much of this is due to the effects of the epilepsy and/or the medications and how much is just his own personality.Still, this is a fascinating, engrossing account of someone dealing creatively and bravely with a poorly understood disease.
epidoc –
Das Außergewöhnliche an diesem Buch ist, dass es nicht einfach ein weiterer Bericht über eine individuelle Epilepsie ist. Es ist eine ehrliche, schonungslose Darstellung, frei von jedweder Effekthascherei oder Selbstmitleid und eben von einem Profi geschrieben. Es liest sich – wie ein medizinischer Korrespondent von CNN es formuliert hat – wie ein medizinischer Thriller. Ich hoffe sehr, dass es bald auch einen deutschsprachige Übersetzung geben wird.
ChadNorthey –
I’m really enjoying this book. I chose to read it because I also have epilepsy. I never knew it could get this bad, especially when treated by incompetent morons. I’d also greatly like to knock out Nicholson.I also feel that everyone should read this, or anything to do with epilepsy so they know what people like me have and do go through.
Gautam Sharrma –
A must read story, especially if you are or know someone with epilepsy.
John Walker –
A very human story that moves the heart
Rohit R. –
After being a victim of epilepsy for 30 years, this book left me speechless. It’s slow in the beginning, but gets gripping later. In the end, I felt grateful that I got the right doctor, who cured me after a brain surgery.