As this was listed under biographies and memoirs and it was about the unmapped mind, I expected it to be intense and technical. However, to me, it read more like a science text book than a memoir and I found I was so lost within a few chapters I started the book again. Unfortunately I failed and so,did not finish the book, sorry.

This was a tough read for me as my husband has MS. A poignant memoir of neurology and what the loss of function means.

I have thoroughly enjoyed this book , it is engaging , funny and thought provoking. It gave an understanding of Multiple Sclerosis and how it affects those around us . I particularly thought the description of feelings towards the knowledge of having MS and the symptoms experienced as a window into the disease showing why everyone who has MS has their own unique story. .

(4.5 stars) This is some of the best medical writing from a layman’s perspective I’ve ever read. Donlan, a Brighton-area journalist who plays and writes about video games for a living, was diagnosed with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis in 2014. It explained the weird symptoms he’d been having: reaching out for but failing to grasp door handles, a jolt of electricity down his spine whenever he bent his head forward, and nerve pain in his face. Later came double vision and trouble with words; “I think sometimes that early MS is a sort of tasting menu of neurological disease,” Donlan wryly offers.

Throughout this book he approaches his disease with good humor and curiosity, using metaphors of maps to depict himself as an explorer into uncharted territory. Because, despite the medical advances of over a century, MS remains a mysterious illness that varies tremendously from person to person, so it’s very much an individual journey. The accounts of going in for an MRI and a round of Lemtrada chemotherapy are excellent. In short interludes, Donlan gives snippets from the history of MS and the science of neurology in general: Phineas Gage, him of the rail spike in the head; Jean-Martin Charcot’s research; and the curious links between ‘Viking genes’, Vitamin D and MS. He also weaves in his family history of growing up in California with four siblings, and his brother’s brain tumor.

What’s especially nice is how the author sets up parallels with his daughter’s early years: Leon (Leontine) took her first steps on the day he was diagnosed, and all the time that he was feeling his way into life as a neurology patient, she was becoming more and more her own little person. One of my pet peeves is when men try to pretend, on social media or wherever, that parenthood isn’t part of their ‘real life’ of IT work and marathons and puns and political debate. You can bet their wives are posting stuff about the kids all the time, but look at these men’s pages and you could easily miss the fact that they’re fathers. But Donlan is an eager and engaged father, and Leon is part of his daily life, whether he’s changing nappies, reading parenting books to educate himself, or preparing her for a bus trip out to meet a friend.

My frontrunner for next year’s Wellcome Book Prize so far.

Some favorite lines:

“It can seem at times that this brain of ours is basically a chemist, eager to whip up whatever magical cocktail will keep you alive through the next five minutes of unpredictable human experience.”

“Imagine that the clumsiest cliché is correct and the brain really is just a computer. Then imagine that you open the computer’s case one day and discover that there are termites inside who have been eating the plastic coating on all the wiring. What do you do?”

“Medical crises seem to borrow the rhythm of wartime, frantic action punctuating an endless period of waiting in which minds are left blank and useless, in which heads are ducked in readiness for the next shell that will fall.”

“I am becoming a map. My head and spine are being cross-sectioned, so I am turning into those lagoons, ox-bows and bleached chalk tracks you see on the finished scans of strangers.”

“I awoke one February morning on a strange planet. I stayed for a couple of weeks. During the days I would see one sun nudging another across the sky; when night came, I would go to sleep beneath interlocking moons. Diplopia had arrived, more commonly known as double vision”

“Remember that life is moments, that MS is a disease of the moments, and it says, in its swiping carelessness, that the moments matter.”

A brave book, I thought. In it, Christian Donovan lets us in to his life and describes his journey with multiple sclerosis (MS). I appreciated his analysis of his feelings and relationship challenges very much, as I too have the disease and sometimes struggle to understand my reaction to it.
Everyone's MS is different, as he says, so it was also very interesting to read about his version of the condition.
From a practical viewpoint I can only applaud his achievement in writing so comprehensively about his life when physical symptoms can obviously make things very difficult.
I found the book a good mix of relevant facts about multiple sclerosis and experience of the condition.
I hope Christian continues to benefit from treatment and keeps the condition at bay.
Many thanks to goodreads and the publishers for a free copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

I work with and have a close friend with MS and although I know that every case is different thought that this would be interesting and good to read from a sufferers point of view. In part it is, and I suspect writing it might be very therapeutic for the author. Having said that I am finding it an easy book to put down and not pick up again. I have now tried 3 times to get on and read it, but don't feel I am making much progress. I feel for the author, and his family, but it is a bit too long winded for me. I am guessing it depends what you are hoping to get out of it. I will perservere, but it could be a long haul.

I enjoyed reading this book. It is a memoir written from the point at which the author is diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis (MS) and then the following couple of years. The diagnosis coincides with with the birth of the author's daughter, so there are lots of family experiences and reflections around being a first time parent mixed in with the inevitable hospital appointments. Some of the chapters cover the history of the disease.

The title is misleading I think. It is about Neurology, but only really in the context of MS.

Thank you to Netgalley for an advance copy of this book in return for an honest review.

A brilliant insight into a neurological condition which I had previously encountered only through textbooks. Christian’s writing style is excellent and highly relatable, giving a strong and honest sense of himself as a person, as well as a husband, son, and brother. In addition to the scientific and psychological aspects of his illness, I very much enjoyed the developmental insights into his daughter and his experiences as a father.

Highly recommended for those interested in neurology, parenthood and heartwarming anecdotes of life, death and everything imbetween.

I enjoy the odd memoir and the description of this particular title grasped my attention. Probably for a variety of reasons 1) my Mum and my Aunt have MS 2) I have my own illness which requires a constant battle of learning how to live and 3) I wanted to learn more about the neurology of MS.

Before I started I must admit I'd no idea who Christian Donlan was, so I'd no idea what to expect in terms of writing - wow this man can write! It turns out he's an award-winning journalist, I can see why. From the first paragraph, I was hooked. You might look at the title of this book and worry that it'll be a bit heavy-going. Fear not, Donlan's writing style is absorbing, he makes the 'technical' stuff easy to read. Most of all, it's like sitting down in a room with a friend, chatting. That's really the best way I can describe this book. Donlan's writing and his turn of phrase is a delight - subject matter aside.

Donlan shares with us his journey as a thirty-something husband and new father as he discovers that he has MS.

But it's more than just his story. We learn about neurology and MS itself. Donlan tells the story of his own illness but also educates the reader on the scope, variety, and stages of MS. As I said, my Mum has MS so I have an understanding of the disease, but Mum's symptoms are largely different from Donlan's. I knew this could happen, as everyone's MS is different, but reading about further symptoms and challenges outwith my own, narrow field of vision was illuminating.

Likewise illuminating, inspiring-even is Donlan's incredible honesty within these pages. As a reader, I felt Donlan was completely open and honest, even when it perhaps might not reflect so well on him. I applaud his bravery and openness.

From my own personal perspective, Donlan's processing of his diagnosis was, I guess, reassuring. I could relate so much to that realisation that your life isn't going to be quite like you had envisioned. In fact, I rarely highlight text when I'm reading but there was much of this book that spoke to me, that I felt was worth noting and remembering.

Donlan's exploration of his relationships with those around him was a further area of great interest to me. It made me consider differing perspectives, not only how hard diagnosis and illness can be on the patient but on those around them too.

I fear I've rambled on a bit here, jumping all over - apologies. There is just so much to this book - a glimpse into a family at a turning point in their lives, the honesty, the impressive writing, the informative and educational side. Donlan lets us into his world and I guarantee that everyone will find something to take away from this book.

The author has MS and he uses his illness to explain a little bit of neurology and a lot about the way he feels about life and his family and how he handles being sick. It was a very enlightening book for me, even if I studied MS I think I say it with different eyes and it was precious.

L'autore racconta la sua vita prima e dopo aver ricevuto la diagnosi di sclerosi multipla e utilizza la sua malattia per spiegare un po' di neurologia ma anche come ha deciso di gestirsi la malattia. È stato un libro importante per me, anche se avevo studiato la malattia non avevo mai capito a fondo quali sono le conseguenze dei suoi sintomi; è stato illuminante e molto prezioso.

THANKS NETGALLEY FOR THE PREVIEW!

This is the memoir of a man newly diagnosed with MS. Married to a nurse and with a small daughter there are some times when he seems to have this thing sorted. However, the whole is really drear and maudlin to the extreme. He seems in a very short period of time to go from normal interventions to something way out of the ordinary and the whole is like a giant weight on his shoulders. I have no idea how i would react in the same situation and yes, maudlin is to some extent to be expected but I don't think i would have written and published about it. It was heavy going and really didn't define either the disease or its treatment and difficulties in a way that i would remember