Book Review: Brain on Fire by Susannah Cahalan

Publish Date: August 6, 2013
Publisher: Simon & Schuster 
ISBN: 9781451621389
Pages: 266
Series: None
Source: Bought

Goodreads Synopsis:

An award-winning memoir and instant New York Timesbestseller that goes far beyond its riveting medical mystery,Brain on Fire is the powerful account of one woman's struggle to recapture her identity.
When twenty-four-year-old Susannah Cahalan woke up alone in a hospital room, strapped to her bed and unable to move or speak, she had no memory of how she'd gotten there. Days earlier, she had been on the threshold of a new, adult life: at the beginning of her first serious relationship and a promising career at a major New York newspaper. Now she was labeled violent, psychotic, a flight risk. What happened?
In a swift and breathtaking narrative, Susannah tells the astonishing true story of her descent into madness, her family's inspiring faith in her, and the lifesaving diagnosis that nearly didn't happen. "A fascinating look at the disease that . . . could have cost this vibrant, vital young woman her life."(People),Brain on Fire is an unforgettable exploration of memory and identity, faith and love, and a profoundly compelling tale of survival and perseverance that is destined to become a classic.

My Review:

From the first time I saw this book and read a quick exerpt, I knew it was something I needed to read. I don't read a lot of memoirs or biographies and because of this, I didn't want to spend the $20+ for the book. I kept waiting and looking for it at garage sales or thrift stores and one lucky day I found it! It was time for me to finally sink into Brain on Fire - My Month of Madness.
To be honest, I was a little disappointed after I read it. It's a memoir as I mentioned, so it's hard to say it was a bad book, because it wasn't but it just wasn't as exciting as I had expected it to be. Let's clear this up a little. When I read the little chapter, I was intrigued because Susannah had no idea who she was or where she was. But there's a lot more behind this than I had thought. Without giving away too much of the book, she had her family and her boyfriend there with her at all times helping her along the way. In my mind, I pictured this poor woman waking up alone, all by herself with no one. I think that's what I wanted. More mystery with who she was overall and I wanted to come along on a journey with her as she finds herself. We do get the mystery while figuring out what caused Susannah to have a "month of madness" and it's an interesting read, and we definitely follow along as she finds herself and rediscovers her life before this all happens.
Brain on Fire was an okay book to read, it's hard to believe that our bodies and minds are so fragile and anything can happen to anyone at any given time. I'd recommend this read to anyone who enjoys memoirs and/or medical suspense reads.

Book Review: Three More Words by Ashley Rhodes-Courter

Publisher: Atheneum
Publish Date: June 30th, 2015
ISBN: 9781481415576
Pages: 290
Series: Sequel to Three Little Words
Source: ARC from publisher for honest review

Goodreads Synopsis:

In the sequel to the New York Times bestselling memoir Three Little Words, Ashley Rhodes-Courter expands on life beyond the foster care system, the joys and heartbreak with a family she’s created, and her efforts to make peace with her past.
Ashley Rhodes-Courter spent a harrowing nine years of her life in fourteen different foster homes. Her memoir, Three Little Words, captivated audiences everywhere and went on to become a New York Times bestseller as well as a movie produced by the team who brought you Twilight. Now Ashley reveals the nuances of life after foster care: College and its assorted hijinks, including meeting “the one.” Marriage, which began with a beautiful wedding on a boat that was almost hijacked (literally) by some biological family members. Having kids—from fostering children and the heartbreak of watching them return to destructive environments, to the miraculous joy of blending biological and adopted offspring.
Whether she’s overcoming self-image issues, responding to calls for her to run for Senate, or dealing with continuing drama from her biological family, Ashley Rhodes-Courter never fails to impress or inspire with her authentic voice and uplifting message.

My Review:

I was interested in reading this memoir because this genre has been intriguing me ever since I heard about My Brain on Fire: My Month of Madness, and thought that I should throw some of these books into my mix. So it was perfect that Simon & Schuster would send along Three More Words. I was going to start at the beginning with Ashley Rhodes-Courter's first book, Three Little Words but I was on a tight schedule with everything and wouldn't have had the time to read that one along with book #2 before it was released, so I caught up as much as I could online. Googling her story, reading excerpts, reviews, I figured I wasn't missing out on anything that was crucial going into book 2. 
The story behind Three More Words is a good story but to be honest, I found the writing a little dry and it did not flow very well. I found it very hard to get into her story. It read almost like point form, and it seemed to bounce all over and unfortunately it didn't grip my attention. I flipped to the pictures and saw enough there to kind of figure out most of the story. Sadly, I was kind of glad when I flipped to the last page and could move on to something else. I haven't read a lot of memoirs, because I am worried about my attention span with them, but this has been the first one that hasn't been able to hook me until the end. Don't get me wrong, the story that Ashley Rhodes-Courter is telling is a great one. The foster care system and how it deals with these poor children being torn from their only family (brothers/sisters if they have them) and moving them from one place to another is tough but no one is truly alone. What Ashley Rhodes-Courter is doing - the public speaking, writing books, advocating for others and showing them that they can beat the foster care system is inspiring. I would encourage anyone who needs to, to reach out and read this book, contact her or someone like her and know that there is hope for adoption, a life and a happy ever after.

While Three More Words was not the book for me, I know it will change the lives of many others out there, and that is all that matters.

Book Review: Hidden Girl: The True Story of a Modern-Day Child Slave by Shyima Hall

Publish Date: January 21st, 2014
Publisher: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers
ISBN: 9781442481688
Pages: 240
Series: None
Source: From publisher for honest review 

Goodreads Synopsis:
An inspiring and compelling memoir from a young woman who lost her childhood to slavery—and built a new life grounded in determination and justice.
Shyima Hall was born in Egypt on September 29, 1989, the seventh child of desperately poor parents. When she was eight, her parents sold her into slavery. Shyima then moved two hours away to Egypt’s capitol city of Cairo to live with a wealthy family and serve them eighteen hours a day, seven days a week. When she was ten, her captors moved to Orange County, California, and smuggled Shyima with them. Two years later, an anonymous call from a neighbor brought about the end of Shyima’s servitude—but her journey to true freedom was far from over.
A volunteer at her local police department since she was a teenager, Shyima is passionate about helping to rescue others who are in bondage. Now a US citizen, she regularly speaks out about human trafficking and intends to one day become an immigration officer. In Hidden Girl, Shyima candidly reveals how she overcame her harrowing circumstances and brings vital awareness to a timely and relevant topic.

My Review:
Hidden Girl, the story about a modern-day slave is a riveting read. From the first page, I was hooked and I needed to know the ending of her story. It was definitely a page-turner and a nice change of pace to the usual genre I read. It was a total eye-opener about what can and does go on inside people's homes. Hidden girl is a book that all young adults should be shown or asked to read even if it is just to acknowledge  the horror of slavery, or to see that life events and challenges can be overcome. You just need strength and determination. Like Shyima, the young girl who went through something that we cannot even fathom - she had those two qualities that helped her through the end. 
From the start of Hidden Girl, Shyima recounts her life the best she can remember - From her happy and very young childhood on the streets of Egypt playing with her friends to her last moment in captivity. With all she has been through and the trauma she's experienced, her memory for simple things such as the names of some of her siblings have been forgotten. Sold into slavery to repay her family's debt but never actually given any money, forced to take care of strangers and do their every bidding, then smuggled into a new country to do the same are just some of the events that will be talked about in Hidden Girl.  Shyima will recount her life with pure passion and hatred at times. You will feel her pain and emotions will run high in this book. 
There isn't a whole lot I can say in this review, being as Hidden Girl is a true story so I can't comment on the plot or the storyline or such similar things so all I can say is that you should read this book and be aware of these events that can happen behind closed doors. Human trafficking is thought to be something in the past, when statistics and this true story still show that child slavery is something in today's day and age. The one thing that saved Shyima was someone who noticed something a bit off at a certain household and made one phone call.
Shyima was put through hell and back and at times was willing to give up but she stayed strong and came out on top in the end. The people she meets in her new life who help her and become the ones she learns to trust again play a huge role in her life now and have shaped who she has become and the work Shyima does now to educate the uneducated and bring justice into an unjust world.