Brain on Fire

Contributed by Allora, grade 12, March 2017

Brain on Fire is an auto-biographical novel about her experience with mental illness and hospitalization. Cahalan takes readers with her on her slow ascent into insanity and her moving recovery.

The novel highlights the effect of mental illness, specifically that with an unknown cause and diagnosis. For me, the novel perfectly demonstrates the all-encompassing power which mental illness can possess, both internally and externally.

The meticulous documentation of the protagonist’s pre-existing mental state helped me to witness every step of Callahan’s transformation in a surreal and profound manner. Brain on Fire personifies the term “crazy”; and places a name & face to the word. And by documenting the experience first- hand, the veil of stigma around the subject of mental illness is lifted.

I loved that the novel also contains notes and drawings done by Suzanne and her doctors during her time in hospitalization, instilling the storyline with an incredibly real, and thus, impactful effect on its readers.

When Dr. Najjar (Suzanna’s doctor) asked to draw a clock, he was both surprised and happy; this is the drawing that was one of the main stepping stones towards a concrete diagnosis.  (page 132;  ISBN 978-1-4516-2138-9 (pbk)