Brain on Fire

Brain on Fire

by Susannah Cahalan

Having gone through a slightly similar experience (an unknown illness for a period of time in August 2017), Susannah Cahalan’s true-life story, Brain on Fire, had a strong connection with me (please note, I did not have the same symptoms OR other horrible side effects, rather no doctor could diagnose it).  Cahalan, a writer for the New York Post, was going about her work when she suddenly felt different. She was experiencing the following symptoms: nausea, chronic migraines, forgetfulness, strange outbursts, paranoia, and hearing things.  After the saga was over, her employers suggested she document what she was experiencing and put it into a story in the daily newspaper, which later became a best-selling book.  Cahalan shares her own memories but mainly those from her doctors, family members, and friends as she lost most of what happened to her in a very short period of time.  Luckily, NYU – yes, the NYU Langone Medical Center that my wife works at – saves the day for Susannah.  While many doctors she sees thinks it may be a result of alcohol overuse, bi-polar episodes, and other mental illnesses, one doctor perseveres to determine it is a virus in the brain called NDMA.  Her horrific moments are re-lived in the book.  We all learn that viruses can kill if not discovered early.  The book is a scary reality of what we face in this world of chemicals, germs, and other unknown things in this world.  A wake-up-call book.  Quick read, not overly hard to get through, but does keep one on their toes throughout…

American Born Chinese

American Born Chinese

by Gene Luen Yang

Graphic novels combine excellent drawings and engaging storylines, and this RA Favorite book, Gene Luen Yang’s American Born Chinese, meets both criterion.  Luen has three story lines: in the first, he delves into a history of Asian heritage, using the idea that monkeys, superpowers, and a lineage of value-centered morals converge into the lives of two young American boys.  The first of the two American-based stories is of Jin Wang, whose family immigrates to the San Francisco area.  He struggles to fit in as an Asian with an American culture that makes fun of the culture and language of his home country, China.  He befriends a second Asian who arrives to his high school but struggles to feel he can date American girls.  The second tale is of an American boy named Danny, whose Chinese cousin visits America every year for two weeks.  His cousin, Chin-Kee, is characterized as the racial stereotype that has pervaded our culture for decades.  Danny continues to be embarrassed by his cousin and has transferred schools after his visits.  The three independent stories are brought together when the reader learns that Danny is actually Jin Wang transformed into a white boy.  Danny fights with his cousin, and we learn he is the Monkey King, who is featured in the first story as the disciple of the God of the world. Through the battle, Jin Wang finally embraces his Chinese identity and is reunited with his Chinese friend whom he had walked away from because of the pressure to succumb to white culture.  An excellent read, not only from a visual standpoint, but also the story that captures how immigrants at a young age are pressured to give up their identity.

An Illustrated Treasury of African American Read-Aloud Stories

An Illustrated Treasury of African American Read-Aloud Stories

by Susan Kantor

Started reading the 2019-20 RAs favorite books.  It’s Easter Sunday here in Lake George.  I sat outside this morning and finished the edited stories of Susan Kantor in An Illustrated Treasury of African American Read-Aloud Stories. The book contains myths and fables; fairy tales; folk tales, friends and helpers, hawk and chicken tales, rabbit stories, biographies, stories on slavery, and a section on African-American songs.  The book was a set of inspiring stories for the RA who met with me.  She really picked a great one, especially for the youth who need to learn more about the diversity of heritages in the US.  The biographies of Arthur Ashe, Ray Charles, and Sojourner Truth in addition to the stories from Booker T. Washington and Frederick Douglas give such depth of life lessons for the readers.  The myths and fables are very much in the line of Aesop’s tales.  For anyone with a young child, niece/nephew or grandchild, it would certainly be a great birthday present.  The last part contains songs from African-American lore, songs I remember from growing up: This Little Light of Mine, Kum Ba Ya, Miss Mary Mack, and He’s Got the Whole World in His Hands.  Add it to your gift list!