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List Price: $24.95
Our Price: $9.99
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Manufacturer: Viking
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Average Customer Rating:  
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Binding: Kindle Edition
Dewey Decimal Number: 920
Format: Kindle Book
Label: Viking
Manufacturer: Viking
Number Of Items: 1
Number Of Pages: 192
Publication Date: 2008-05-16
Publisher: Viking
Release Date: 2008-05-15
Studio: Viking
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Editorial Reviews:
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"A brain scientist's journey from a debilitating stroke to full recovery becomes an inspiring exploration of human consciousness and its possibilitiesOn the morning of December 10, 1996 Jill Bolte Taylor, a thirty-seven-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 testimony that deep internal peace truly is accessible to anyone, at any time."
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Customer Rating:
Summary: Good Reading
Comment: This book has great insight and understanding of a person who is brain injured. If you know someone who has had a stroke and cannot communicate, this book helps you to understand what the person needs to heal. The only thing I found to be negative for me was the scientific explanations for everything that was hard to understand and not fast reading. The actual story of Jill's experience is fascinating.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Stroke of Brilliance!
Comment: I first came across Jill Bolte Taylor, Phd when her speech at TED (an annual conference devoted to Technology, Entertainment, Design) went viral. In it, she describes how she witnessed herself having a stroke and the subsequent feeling of peace that enveloped her when her logical left brain shut down and her right brain became dominant. I became intrigued after watching the video and then read the book.
The book expounds on her experience while having the stroke and her subsequent recovery. It was amazing on many levels:
(1) She gives a 1st person narrative of her experience of the stroke and recovery but she doesn't portray it as something we should all pity and feel sorry for. Instead, she lays it out not unlike an explorer discovering new territory, full of suspense and wonder.
(2) She gives incredible tips on how to communicate with and care for stroke victims. For e.g., some people would yell at her after they saw she didn't understand what they were saying. However, she wasn't deaf. She could only process one word at a time. If those people would have spoken more slowly rather than loudly, she would have been able to understand them. This is something that would never have occurred to me if I hadn't read this book.
(3) She takes us on a tour of the 'mystical' right side of her brain which little is known about and whose capabilities in today's world seem to be dismissed. She says the right side of the brain is the gateway to enlightenment and nirvana. She shares tips on how to 'tend the garden of your mind' and to interrupt or stop those stories we all tell ourselves over and over again (usually about how we are deficient, not good enough, etc.). She calls them loops.
Dr. Taylor's tips about how we can all achieve nirvana by accessing the right side of the brain as a conscious process is worth the price of the book many times over. We all have a "loop of deep inner peace" wired into our neurological circuitry in our right brain and we can consciously choose to run this loop whenever we wish.
Closely related to this topic are books by Ariel & Shya Kane. They've written three outstanding books: Working on Yourself Doesn't Work: The 3 Simple Ideas That Will Instantaneously Transform Your Life, How to Create a Magical Relationship: The 3 Simple Ideas that Will Instantaneously Transform Your Love Life & Being Here: Modern Day Tales of Enlightenment. The Kanes have been teaching about accessing the magic of the right-side of the brain for over 20 years and their book is chock full of tips, and stories on how to recognize those loops Dr. Taylor talks about and how to bypass them. If you're serious about getting enlightened, get Dr. Taylor's and the Kanes' books NOW!
Customer Rating: 
Summary: My Stroke of Insight
Comment: The writing in this book is very basic, even primitive. The story behind it is important and I heard the author interview on the radio and found that exciting. As written, the salient messages would have made a good essay but there is insufficient substance here for a book. I was happy for the author who is reporting her success and certain insights but the book itself was a disappointment.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Now I know what everyone has been raving about!
Comment: People have been telling me to read this for months. I needed something for the plane so I finally got it. It is a beautiful book, a fascinating tour of the brain that will totally alter how you think about your mind and about the primacy of the intellectual side. It is beautifully written, heartfelt and inspiring, the kind of book you are grateful to have read. Totally recommend.
Customer Rating:
Summary: My Stroke of Insight
Comment: I recommend this book for anyone who has had a stroke or who lives with someone who has.. We saw Dr. Taylor on the Oprah show and were greatly impressed by her story and who she was..
There are a couple of chapters that are difficult to read as they are quite technical, but the rest is very informative..
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