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Left Neglected by Lisa Genova
Sarah Nickerson is like any other career-driven supermom in Welmont, the affluent Boston suburb where she leads a hectic but charmed life with her husband Bob, faithful nanny, and three children - Lucy, Charlie, and nine-month-old Linus. Between recruiting the best and brightest minds as the vice president of human resources at Berkley Consulting; shuttling the kids to soccer, day care, and piano lessons; convincing her son’s teacher that he may not, in fact, have ADD; and making it home in time for dinner, it’s a wonder this over-scheduled, over-achieving Harvard graduate has time to breathe.A self-confessed balloon about to burst, Sarah miraculously manages every minute of her life like an air traffic controller. Until one fateful day, while driving to work and trying to make a phone call, she looks away from the road for one second too long. In the blink of an eye, all the rapidly moving parts of her jam-packed life come to a screeching halt.A traumatic brain injury completely erases the left side of her world, and for once, Sarah relinquishes control to those around her, including her formerly absent mother. Without the ability to even floss her own teeth, she struggles to find answers about her past and her uncertain future.Now, as she wills herself to regain her independence and heal, Sarah must learn that her real destiny - her new, true life - may in fact lie far from the world of conference calls and spreadsheets. And that a happiness and peace greater than all the success in the world is close within reach, if only she slows down long enough to notice.
Hardcover
First published January 4, 2011
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About the author
Lisa Genova
19 books11.4k followersLisa Genova graduated valedictorian, summa cum laude from Bates College with a degree in Biopsychology and has a Ph.D. in Neuroscience from Harvard University.
Acclaimed as the Oliver Sacks of fiction and the Michael Crichton of brain science, Lisa has captured a special place in contemporary fiction, writing stories that are equally inspired by neurological conditions and our shared human condition. She is the New York Times bestselling author of the novels STILL ALICE, LEFT NEGLECTED, LOVE ANTHONY, INSIDE THE O'BRIENS, and EVERY NOTE PLAYED.
Her first work of nonfiction, REMEMBER: The Science of Memory and the Art of Forgetting, published March 2021, became an instant New York Times bestseller.
STILL ALICE was adapted into a film starring Julianne Moore, Alec Baldwin, Kristen Stewart, Kate Bosworth and
Hunter Parrish. Julianne Moore won the 2015 Best Actress Oscar for her role as Alice Howland. Film adaptations for INSIDE THE O'BRIENS, EVERY NOTE PLAYED, and LEFT NEGLECTED are in development.
STILL ALICE was adapted for the stage by Christine Mary Dunford and premiered at the Lookingglass Theatre in Chicago in April 2013. It has since toured worldwide.
In 2015, Lisa was named one of the U.S. Top 50 Influencers in Aging by Next Avenue. She has appeared on Live with Kelly &Ryan, the TODAY show, CNN, PBS Newshour, Dr. Oz, and NPR and has been featured in the PBS specials Build a Better Memory Through Science and Supercharge Your Brain, as well as the documentary films To Not Fade Away and Have You Heard About Greg.
Her first TED talk, "What You Can Do To Prevent Alzheimer's" has been viewed over eight million times. Her most recent TED talk, "How Memory Works--and Why Forgetting is Totally OK" was the sixth most watched TED talk of 2021. A sought-after speaker/edutainer, she has headlined in speaker series alongside Barack Obama, Joe Biden, Gloria Steinem, Jay Leno, Malala Yousafzai, and Goldie Hawn.
She received The Pell Center Prize for Story in the Public Square, for "distinguished storytelling that has enriched the public dialogue," The Sargent and Eunice Shriver Profiles in Dignity Award, The Global Genes RARE Champions of Hope Award, and The American College of Neuropsychopharmacology Media Award for "informing the public about treatment and ongoing research in medical illness."
She has received an Honorary Doctorate of Humane Letters from Bates College, The Alzheimer's Association's Rita Hayworth Award, The Huntington’s Disease Society of America Community Awareness Award, and the Grubby Award for literary excellence.
She serves on the Advisory Boards for The Women's Alzheimer's Movement, HFC (Hilarity for Charity), and Compassionate Care ALS.
www.lisagenova.com
www.Facebook.com/authorlisagenova
www.Instagram.com/authorlisagenova
Acclaimed as the Oliver Sacks of fiction and the Michael Crichton of brain science, Lisa has captured a special place in contemporary fiction, writing stories that are equally inspired by neurological conditions and our shared human condition. She is the New York Times bestselling author of the novels STILL ALICE, LEFT NEGLECTED, LOVE ANTHONY, INSIDE THE O'BRIENS, and EVERY NOTE PLAYED.
Her first work of nonfiction, REMEMBER: The Science of Memory and the Art of Forgetting, published March 2021, became an instant New York Times bestseller.
STILL ALICE was adapted into a film starring Julianne Moore, Alec Baldwin, Kristen Stewart, Kate Bosworth and
Hunter Parrish. Julianne Moore won the 2015 Best Actress Oscar for her role as Alice Howland. Film adaptations for INSIDE THE O'BRIENS, EVERY NOTE PLAYED, and LEFT NEGLECTED are in development.
STILL ALICE was adapted for the stage by Christine Mary Dunford and premiered at the Lookingglass Theatre in Chicago in April 2013. It has since toured worldwide.
In 2015, Lisa was named one of the U.S. Top 50 Influencers in Aging by Next Avenue. She has appeared on Live with Kelly &Ryan, the TODAY show, CNN, PBS Newshour, Dr. Oz, and NPR and has been featured in the PBS specials Build a Better Memory Through Science and Supercharge Your Brain, as well as the documentary films To Not Fade Away and Have You Heard About Greg.
Her first TED talk, "What You Can Do To Prevent Alzheimer's" has been viewed over eight million times. Her most recent TED talk, "How Memory Works--and Why Forgetting is Totally OK" was the sixth most watched TED talk of 2021. A sought-after speaker/edutainer, she has headlined in speaker series alongside Barack Obama, Joe Biden, Gloria Steinem, Jay Leno, Malala Yousafzai, and Goldie Hawn.
She received The Pell Center Prize for Story in the Public Square, for "distinguished storytelling that has enriched the public dialogue," The Sargent and Eunice Shriver Profiles in Dignity Award, The Global Genes RARE Champions of Hope Award, and The American College of Neuropsychopharmacology Media Award for "informing the public about treatment and ongoing research in medical illness."
She has received an Honorary Doctorate of Humane Letters from Bates College, The Alzheimer's Association's Rita Hayworth Award, The Huntington’s Disease Society of America Community Awareness Award, and the Grubby Award for literary excellence.
She serves on the Advisory Boards for The Women's Alzheimer's Movement, HFC (Hilarity for Charity), and Compassionate Care ALS.
www.lisagenova.com
www.Facebook.com/authorlisagenova
www.Instagram.com/authorlisagenova
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 7,696 reviews
November 3, 2015
Often follow-up books seem written to capitalise on the first book's success and this is no exception. It seems as though Genova has invented a new genre, neurological chicklit.
I didn't think it was as good as her first book, Still Alice but perhaps that's in part because Still Alice had a likeable protagonist who progressed through a disease and the reader travelled with her. In Left Neglected, Sarah Nickerson is not a likeable person, she's just too up herself with her boasting at every opportunity of what a success she is in business and as a supermother.
I was sympathetic to her story of brain damage and the consequential loss of attention to her left side but her condition (and the book) never got better and the adjustments she made weren't really the stuff or drama, or even much improvement. At the end of the story she is less overbearing than at the start, but first impressions do count, and she didn't make a good one on me.
The neurological condition was interesting. I had heard of it but not much about it. I probably would have gone on thinking it was an all-or-nothing kind of disorder - if you have it you're doomed forever never to know that the left side of the world (and yourself) exists if I hadn't read V.S. Ramachandran's Phantoms in the Brain: Probing the Mysteries of the Human Mind. This is a really interesting neurological disorder book, more scientific than Oliver Sacks and just as interesting, even if Ramachandran isn't such a warm and personally engaging author as Sacks.
In Phantoms, there is so much more to left neglect, or hemispatial neglect as it is also called. An aside - right neglect scarcely exists because of the way the brain processes information. There is much treatment that can be offered to a sufferer, from prism glasses, to vibration of the neck muscles to focus attention, plus many other drug and behavioural therapies. Very little of this is mentioned in Left Neglect. It is as if the author had thought of a good idea and then thought the technical stuff just doesn't fit the story and that character rather than plot will be the mainstay of the book.
Not a bad book by any means. But the essence of light fiction is immediate identification and sympathy with the protagonists and their situation, (think Bridget Jones's Diary, if that is missing there has to be something deeper or exciting to take it's place and there wasn't anything, or not for me. It was just a one-note book, and for that it gets 3 stars.
I didn't think it was as good as her first book, Still Alice but perhaps that's in part because Still Alice had a likeable protagonist who progressed through a disease and the reader travelled with her. In Left Neglected, Sarah Nickerson is not a likeable person, she's just too up herself with her boasting at every opportunity of what a success she is in business and as a supermother.
I was sympathetic to her story of brain damage and the consequential loss of attention to her left side but her condition (and the book) never got better and the adjustments she made weren't really the stuff or drama, or even much improvement. At the end of the story she is less overbearing than at the start, but first impressions do count, and she didn't make a good one on me.
The neurological condition was interesting. I had heard of it but not much about it. I probably would have gone on thinking it was an all-or-nothing kind of disorder - if you have it you're doomed forever never to know that the left side of the world (and yourself) exists if I hadn't read V.S. Ramachandran's Phantoms in the Brain: Probing the Mysteries of the Human Mind. This is a really interesting neurological disorder book, more scientific than Oliver Sacks and just as interesting, even if Ramachandran isn't such a warm and personally engaging author as Sacks.
In Phantoms, there is so much more to left neglect, or hemispatial neglect as it is also called. An aside - right neglect scarcely exists because of the way the brain processes information. There is much treatment that can be offered to a sufferer, from prism glasses, to vibration of the neck muscles to focus attention, plus many other drug and behavioural therapies. Very little of this is mentioned in Left Neglect. It is as if the author had thought of a good idea and then thought the technical stuff just doesn't fit the story and that character rather than plot will be the mainstay of the book.
Not a bad book by any means. But the essence of light fiction is immediate identification and sympathy with the protagonists and their situation, (think Bridget Jones's Diary, if that is missing there has to be something deeper or exciting to take it's place and there wasn't anything, or not for me. It was just a one-note book, and for that it gets 3 stars.
January 20, 2011
Barnes & Noble are return Nazis. When I tried to return a Christmas gift for store credit (no receipt - it was a gift), the clerk was quite nasty about it. So I conceived an evil scheme: I would buy a book I was only mildly interested in (Lisa Genova's Left Neglected), read it, and then return it. Take that, B&N!
A problem arose.
Lisa Genova's book is...really good. Fascinating, actually. Sarah, the hard-driving, consulting-firm executive and mother of three, wins the daily gamble with her husband and gets to drive to work without dropping the kids at daycare. Her mind spinning with her endless to-do list, she allows her attention to stray for a vital instant, and suffers a horrific accident, including a traumatic brain injury. When she awakens, she finds she has lost all awareness of anything on her left - Left Neglect.
This could have been a recipe for a somber, bitter novel, or perhaps an unrealistically inspirational one, but it is neither. Sarah, her husband Bob, and Sarah's formerly neglectful, now eager-to-make-amends mother, are all fully-formed characters who are also immensely likable. (Thank you for that, Lisa Genova! I detest spending time with ugly people, even if they are well-drawn.) The decidedly peculiar problems faced by those suffering from this unusual condition are - well, they are just so interesting. At one point, Sarah's husband is urging her to "look left" and she asks him to describe the room to her, which he does. Then she asks him, "Okay, now what if I told you that everything you see is only half of everything that's really here? What if I told you to turn your head and look at the other half? Where would you look?"
Ouch. But also, really well done, Lisa Genova! I really GOT that. Left Neglected is fast-moving, intellectually engaging, emotionally powerful, and really got me thinking about my own tendency to think there is only "one best way" to navigate the world. So I guess I'll have to revenge myself on B&N some other way.
A problem arose.
Lisa Genova's book is...really good. Fascinating, actually. Sarah, the hard-driving, consulting-firm executive and mother of three, wins the daily gamble with her husband and gets to drive to work without dropping the kids at daycare. Her mind spinning with her endless to-do list, she allows her attention to stray for a vital instant, and suffers a horrific accident, including a traumatic brain injury. When she awakens, she finds she has lost all awareness of anything on her left - Left Neglect.
This could have been a recipe for a somber, bitter novel, or perhaps an unrealistically inspirational one, but it is neither. Sarah, her husband Bob, and Sarah's formerly neglectful, now eager-to-make-amends mother, are all fully-formed characters who are also immensely likable. (Thank you for that, Lisa Genova! I detest spending time with ugly people, even if they are well-drawn.) The decidedly peculiar problems faced by those suffering from this unusual condition are - well, they are just so interesting. At one point, Sarah's husband is urging her to "look left" and she asks him to describe the room to her, which he does. Then she asks him, "Okay, now what if I told you that everything you see is only half of everything that's really here? What if I told you to turn your head and look at the other half? Where would you look?"
Ouch. But also, really well done, Lisa Genova! I really GOT that. Left Neglected is fast-moving, intellectually engaging, emotionally powerful, and really got me thinking about my own tendency to think there is only "one best way" to navigate the world. So I guess I'll have to revenge myself on B&N some other way.
January 12, 2015
DNF
I stopped reading this at a little under the half way mark. It's terrible. It's boring. It's repetitive.
The main character is self-absorbed, insufferable and unlikable. I got tired of hearing about how great she is, how great she is at her job, how well educated she is...over and over again *eyeroll*
The dream sequences at the beginning of the earlier chapters had me scratching my head. I'm not sure what the significance was.
I also found her reaction to the "traumatic brain injury" she sustained in the car accident to be unbelievable. The minute she regains consciousness, after surgery and being unconscious for eight days, she starts to worry about her hairy legs and chin hairs...
"I stroke my chin, expecting to feel my Little Pig beard, but touch only smooth skin. My leg feels like a farm animal, which suggests I haven’t shaved in at least a week,..."
Really??
I don't know if the book improves in the second half and I don't particularly care enough about Sarah to bother finding out.
I loved "Still Alice" but this was a big disappointment. I find it hard to believe it was written by the same author.
I hated it!
February 5, 2011
I felt intellectual while indulging in Lisa Genova's latest novel, Left Neglected. I wish my chemistry textbook was as interesting as this book, maybe then I'd be more inclined to actively participate in class.
Anyway, reading this book was a vicarious experience. It is about a self-proclaimed overachiever, Sarah Nickerson. She manages a position as vice president of a prominent consulting company as well as her husband and three kids. This Harvard graduate suffers from an overbooked schedule, but still strives for success despite the strain placed upon her. One fateful day, an unexpected car accident completely erases her ability to process anything on her left side - she even loses the capability to move her left arm and leg. Now Sarah must climb an entirely different mountain; one that doesn't detail spread sheets or coworkers, but regaining half of her entire world.
In Driver's Education today, my teacher had students wear vision-impairing goggles and attempt to pass a mock sobriety test. The probable purpose of this lesson was to show the negative effects of impairment through illegal substances, but the entire time, I was thinking about Left Neglected. I struggled saliently when I wore the goggles for about two minutes - I could not walk in a straight line, keep my balance, or throw a ball accurately to someone two feet away from me. When I finally removed the goggles, a sense of relief flooded through me.
But what if I had to keep the goggles on? Permanently, instead of ephemerally? Even worse, what if I lost half of my whole vision irrevocably?
That is what Sarah must deal with, a frightening disorder called Left Neglect. This book was not as intensely depressing as I assumed it to be, however - there are prevalent poignant moments where Sarah's recovery truly touched me. She goes from being averse to wasting even a minute of the day, and then being forced to receive help while doing daily tasks such as dressing and eating.
I not only learned about Left Neglect by reading this book, but the effect it has on people. I am already awaiting Genova's next great book.
Want to read more of my reviews? Follow me here.
Anyway, reading this book was a vicarious experience. It is about a self-proclaimed overachiever, Sarah Nickerson. She manages a position as vice president of a prominent consulting company as well as her husband and three kids. This Harvard graduate suffers from an overbooked schedule, but still strives for success despite the strain placed upon her. One fateful day, an unexpected car accident completely erases her ability to process anything on her left side - she even loses the capability to move her left arm and leg. Now Sarah must climb an entirely different mountain; one that doesn't detail spread sheets or coworkers, but regaining half of her entire world.
In Driver's Education today, my teacher had students wear vision-impairing goggles and attempt to pass a mock sobriety test. The probable purpose of this lesson was to show the negative effects of impairment through illegal substances, but the entire time, I was thinking about Left Neglected. I struggled saliently when I wore the goggles for about two minutes - I could not walk in a straight line, keep my balance, or throw a ball accurately to someone two feet away from me. When I finally removed the goggles, a sense of relief flooded through me.
But what if I had to keep the goggles on? Permanently, instead of ephemerally? Even worse, what if I lost half of my whole vision irrevocably?
That is what Sarah must deal with, a frightening disorder called Left Neglect. This book was not as intensely depressing as I assumed it to be, however - there are prevalent poignant moments where Sarah's recovery truly touched me. She goes from being averse to wasting even a minute of the day, and then being forced to receive help while doing daily tasks such as dressing and eating.
I not only learned about Left Neglect by reading this book, but the effect it has on people. I am already awaiting Genova's next great book.
Want to read more of my reviews? Follow me here.
January 16, 2017
Left Neglected is another medical novel by Lisa Genova set in a fictional town called Wellmont (really Belmont Massachusetts). Sarah Nickerson, a career-driven Harvard MBA HR consultant, gets in a car accident which leaves her with Left Neglect. A brain injury where the victim's mind cannot identify the left side of her body or surroundings. Sarah does not do well in her new situation, but you can't fell much sympathy as she is not a likable character.
This was a book club choice and a disappointment. I very much enjoyed Lisa Genova's Inside the O'Briens and would recommend reading this instead of Left Neglected.
3 out of 5 stars
This was a book club choice and a disappointment. I very much enjoyed Lisa Genova's Inside the O'Briens and would recommend reading this instead of Left Neglected.
3 out of 5 stars
June 11, 2015
I found the topic of this book, that is the disability suffered by the main character, to be very interesting indeed and some of her problems and therapies were fascinating.However I found I could not like her at all and this detracted from my pleasure in the book. There was a good story in there which kept me going to the end but I can't say I enjoyed all of it. It was okay but not one of the better books I have read this year so far.
January 28, 2011
This is the worst book I've read in a very long time. I was attracted to the story idea: an over-achieving, American life-script-following business lady is changed dramatically by a brain injury that leaves her without the ability to register the left side of her body or anything in her left field of vision. I thought it would be interesting to hear about her existential fears, fear of change, etc, and how she figures out that her lifestyle was ridiculously unsustainable, bravely moving out of the mold and into a happier life. I also thought it would be well-written, as the author holds a PhD in Neuroscience and could provide a lot of detail. But no. This book and it's main character-lady were shitty.
The first 1/3 of this boring read was page after page of disgusting recitations of all the possessions this lady owned, congratulating herself on how well-bred she was and how awesome she was at her job (but barely able to manage all of its demands), and detailing the multitude of ways in which she ignored her husband and three children despite being intensely bitter about having been ignored by her own mother growing up (that comparison is never acknowledged, by the way). She is the most superficial person I've ever read about. I was truly apalled. She looks down on everything that isn't designer or expensive or "in." The author makes HORRIBLE analogy after horrible analogy (your "inner babysitter is falling asleep"? really?), she barely uses correct grammar (eg, "I was not not going to do that") and drops name brands repeatedly like she's in high school and desperate for admiration and acceptance into a materialistic culture that sucks. And she mentions her Harvard education more than Toofer Spurlock. OK I GET IT, YOU'RE TYPE A AND YOU WENT TO HARVARD, I heard you the first 150 times and I didn't care then, either. Jesus. If I wanted to read page after page of a crappy blog written by a whiny, entitled robot I would've just gone to Wordpress and searched on "Jimmy Choo" or whatever the name of that impressive home-espresso-machine contraption you wasted my time describing is.
There was one plotline in the entire book, it was repetitive, and it involved following a whiny, ungrateful, unlovable lady through her barely-emotional journey through recovering from an *intense brain injury*. The last two thirds of the book taught me some amazing speed-reading skills that I don't normally have time to develop since I usually just recycle my junk mail before I get to read it. Ok, you hate rehab, you refuse to accept your handicap, but you want everyone to do do everything for you and get you lattes? You suck, and I don't care about your life.
To be fair, in the end she does convince her almost un-convincable husband that moving to their second home in a ski-town in Vermont is probably better for the family, and she may have eventually come around to deepness at a later, un-documented-in-this-book, date. But all I heard was negativity and self-centered defeatism for the first 95% of the book.
The only reason I read this whole book is because I'm trying not to start books and then never finish them. Also, I wanted to give it the benefit of the doubt, and hold out for some goodness. That goodness never came.
Books like this are why I don't read a lot of fiction.
Ha, this was harsh. Also poorly written - my apologies. I hate shitty books so I felt like venting and warning and didn't feel much like editing. Perhaps in keeping with the bad-writing theme. HEY-O!
The first 1/3 of this boring read was page after page of disgusting recitations of all the possessions this lady owned, congratulating herself on how well-bred she was and how awesome she was at her job (but barely able to manage all of its demands), and detailing the multitude of ways in which she ignored her husband and three children despite being intensely bitter about having been ignored by her own mother growing up (that comparison is never acknowledged, by the way). She is the most superficial person I've ever read about. I was truly apalled. She looks down on everything that isn't designer or expensive or "in." The author makes HORRIBLE analogy after horrible analogy (your "inner babysitter is falling asleep"? really?), she barely uses correct grammar (eg, "I was not not going to do that") and drops name brands repeatedly like she's in high school and desperate for admiration and acceptance into a materialistic culture that sucks. And she mentions her Harvard education more than Toofer Spurlock. OK I GET IT, YOU'RE TYPE A AND YOU WENT TO HARVARD, I heard you the first 150 times and I didn't care then, either. Jesus. If I wanted to read page after page of a crappy blog written by a whiny, entitled robot I would've just gone to Wordpress and searched on "Jimmy Choo" or whatever the name of that impressive home-espresso-machine contraption you wasted my time describing is.
There was one plotline in the entire book, it was repetitive, and it involved following a whiny, ungrateful, unlovable lady through her barely-emotional journey through recovering from an *intense brain injury*. The last two thirds of the book taught me some amazing speed-reading skills that I don't normally have time to develop since I usually just recycle my junk mail before I get to read it. Ok, you hate rehab, you refuse to accept your handicap, but you want everyone to do do everything for you and get you lattes? You suck, and I don't care about your life.
To be fair, in the end she does convince her almost un-convincable husband that moving to their second home in a ski-town in Vermont is probably better for the family, and she may have eventually come around to deepness at a later, un-documented-in-this-book, date. But all I heard was negativity and self-centered defeatism for the first 95% of the book.
The only reason I read this whole book is because I'm trying not to start books and then never finish them. Also, I wanted to give it the benefit of the doubt, and hold out for some goodness. That goodness never came.
Books like this are why I don't read a lot of fiction.
Ha, this was harsh. Also poorly written - my apologies. I hate shitty books so I felt like venting and warning and didn't feel much like editing. Perhaps in keeping with the bad-writing theme. HEY-O!
September 4, 2011
First of all, I think that the title of this book is very clever, just like the novel. When I picked up this book and even after reading the blurb, I had no idea that this book was about a neurological condition - in fact, I'd never even heard of 'Left Neglect' which is a condition also known as hemispatial neglect. This book definitely opened my eyes and taught me about this condition which I previously had no idea about. It was interesting to hear about the main character, Sarah, both before and after her accident and seeing the impact that her condition had not only on herself but upon the people around her, too. The other, emotionally based neglect regarding Sarah's relationship with her mother was also well written and rather emotional. The way it was intertwined with the dealing of Sarah's condition was very sensitively handled. I also thought it was very positive that the message of not using your phone whilst driving was reinforced near the end of the book. There was some light hearted humour which ran through the book too, which made it easier to read. Genova really managed to get into Sarah's character and really sympathise with her. The other family members felt strong too and I found Charlie facing ADHD and trying to tackle it alongside his mothers different condition very heartwarming. The whole book was interesting and although there weren't any 'cliff hangers', I felt compelled to keep reading on, simply because of the subject and the simple writing. I look forward to more of Genova's writing and she's definitely an author I'd recommend to those who enjoy novels by authors such as Jodi Picoult.
February 27, 2022
عالی! خیلی عالی!
یکی از بهترین کتابهایی که تا حالا خوندم.
(البته جا داشت بهترم باشه )
و واقعا جای تأسفه که با تیتراژ پایین چاپ شده و تجدید چاپ هم نشده!
نویسنده لیزا جنوا دارای مدرک دکترای عصب شناسی و در این کتاب زندگی یک مادر شاغل و بسیار فعال و موفق را به تصویر میکشه که بعد از یه تصادف و آسیب مغزی دچار بیماری نادیده انگاری سمت چپ (که برای ما دور از تصور و عجیبه ولی نویسنده با اشراف علمی خودش، بیماری را شرح میده) شده. و عوارض این آسیب باعث میشه سارا که بسیار فعال بود برای انجام خیلی از کارهای ساده روزمره با یه چالش مواجه باشه.
تلاش و تلاش و تلاش، امید و همدلی و ادامه دادن و زندگی کردن در تمام داستان خودنمایی میکنه. و نحوه مواجهه سارا با مشکلات و برخورد اطرافیان و ادامه دادن جریان زندگی داستان بی نظیری را با کلی پیامهای مفید خلق کرده.
دیگه چی از یک کتاب میخوام؟
جملاتی از کتاب:
- هر از گاهی از خستگی زیاد راه حلمان این است که آن موقع فریاد او را نادیده بگیریم. اما لینوس کوچولو ریه و بنیه قویای دارد که باعث میشود او به راحتی تسلیم نشود. بلند میشوم. بچه برنده میشود. امتیاز ما: پدر و مادری که بالاترین مدارج تحصیلی را از هاروارد گرفتهاند و هر دو در مذاکرات و مدیریت بسیار ماهرانه عمل میکنند: صفر. یک بچه نه ماهه بدون داشتن هیچ گونه تحصیلات یا تجربهای روی این سیارهی خاکی برنده میشود.
- خودم میدانم این سوال مثل این است که از او بپرسیم: تو فروشگاه را بیشتر دوست داری یا کلیسا رو؟ او هیچ کدام را چندان دوست ندارد.
- به انعکاس تصویر مادرم توی آینه نگاه میکنم، هنوز طوفان احساسات، انرژی خاصی را درونم جمع کرده است و ماندهم ما تا کی میتوانیم هر دو در یک اتاق بنشینیم و دربارهی چیزهایی که تا به حال دربارهشان چیزی نگفتهایم، حرف نزنیم.
- آنقدر فکرم روی شرایط وحشتناک و ناعادلانه و داغونکنندهی خودم متمرکز شده است که دیگر نمیدیدم چه چیزهای مثبتی در وضعیت کنونی من وجود دارد، انگار تمام آن چیزهای مثبت خود بخود و به آرامی فقط در سمت چپ جمع شدهاند، همه آنجا هستند اما به کلی نادیده گرفته شدهاند.
- برای اولین بار احساس میکنم که شاید داستان متفاوت دیگری وجود داشته باشد.
- وقتی میگوییم: «او زشت نیست.» همان معنای «او زیباست» را نمیرساند و گفتن: «او احمق نیست» همان معنای «او باهوش است» را نمیرساند. شفای او در یک جمله «من تو را میبخشم» نهفته است، اما بخشی از وجودم در برابر سخاوتمند بودن مقابله میکند و به جای آن میگویم: «من از تو متنفر نیستم».
- احساس میکنم مایک یک سنگ بزرگ را در میان دیوار شیشهای عقیدهی از پیش تعیین شدهی من پرتاب کرده، و به مرکز بیجان آن خورده، ترسم به میلیونها تکهی براق تبدیل شده و روی برفهای اطراف من ریخته است. من ماورای تصور سپاسگزاری هستم. احساس آزادی و استقلال میکنم.
- از دوران مدرسه بازرگانی من همیشه راه خودم را رفتهم و با سرعت تمام رو به جلو میرفتم، هر روز تا مغز استخوانم فرسوده میشد، تمام تلاشم تنها در راه یک هدف بود: یک زندگی موفق!
بعد از تصادفم، برای اولین بار، بعد از تقریبا یک دهه، در این مسیر من از آن سرعت حرکتم بازماندم. همه چیز متوقف شد. هرچند در تمام آن سکوت چهار ماه گذشته، تجربهای پر از درد و وحشت بوده، اما این فرصت را هم به من داد تا سرم را بلند کنم و به دور و برم نگاهی بیندازم.
بعد کم کم گیج میشوم. چه چیز دیگری میتواند وجود داشته باشد؟ شاید موفقیت یک چیز دیگر است، شاید برای رسیدن به آن نوع موفقیت راه دیگری وجود داشته باشد. شاید مسیر دیگری برای من وجود داشته باشد که با سرعت متعادلتری به آن هدف برسم.
- باب و من کنار شومینه پشت میز محبوبمان در رستوان سسکا نشستهایم. ما به اینجا آمدهایم تا اولین سالگرد نجات مرا از آن تصادف جشن بگیریم. ما آگاهانه تصمیم گرفتیم تا این روز را تبدیل به یک جشن کنیم، و نه یک روز پشیمانی از چه میشد اگرها؛ چه میشد اگر باران نمیبارید؟ چه میشد اگر من از تلفنم استفاده نکرده بودم.
ما اینجاییم تا زندگیای را که در حال حاضر داریم جشن بگیریم، نه اینکه برای زندگیای که از دست دادهایم، سوگواری کنیم.
- دلم برای کار قدیمیم در برکلی تنگ شده. دلم برای ریچارد و جسیکا، مشاوران باهوش، احساس غلبه بر یک روز بسیار پرکار، توسعه روند مدیریت و عملکرد عالی تنگ شده. اما دلم برای رانندگیهای از حومه تا شهر و برعکس، رنگهای ساعت صبحگاهی و فشار عصبی که همراه با همهی آنها سراغم میآمد تنگ نشده. کار جدیدم را دوست دارم.
- دلم برای راه رفتن و قدم زدن تنگ شده. هنوز عصا میزنم و قدم برمیدارم و خودم را با عصایم جلو میکشم، اما حالا با اعتماد به نفس بیشتر این کار را میکنم و خودم را کمتر میکشم. امیدواری. پیشرفت. هنوز برای هر دو جا دارم.
اما بیش از هر چیز دلم برای مادرم تنگ شده. خیلی خدا را شکر میکنم که پیش از مردنش توانستم فرصت دوباره شناختن و دوست داشتن او را داشته باشم.
- لبخند میزنم، بخاطر اینکه باب خودش را با من تغییر داده، به جایی که نادیده انگاری من، ما را کشیده، همراهم بوده، برای فهمیدن این سارای جدید، دوستش دارم. چون در حالی که من به بهبودی کاملم امیدوار هستم، این را فهمیدهم که زندگی من با کمترین ها هم میتواند کامل باشد و به خوبی بگذرد.
یکی از بهترین کتابهایی که تا حالا خوندم.
(البته جا داشت بهترم باشه )
و واقعا جای تأسفه که با تیتراژ پایین چاپ شده و تجدید چاپ هم نشده!
نویسنده لیزا جنوا دارای مدرک دکترای عصب شناسی و در این کتاب زندگی یک مادر شاغل و بسیار فعال و موفق را به تصویر میکشه که بعد از یه تصادف و آسیب مغزی دچار بیماری نادیده انگاری سمت چپ (که برای ما دور از تصور و عجیبه ولی نویسنده با اشراف علمی خودش، بیماری را شرح میده) شده. و عوارض این آسیب باعث میشه سارا که بسیار فعال بود برای انجام خیلی از کارهای ساده روزمره با یه چالش مواجه باشه.
تلاش و تلاش و تلاش، امید و همدلی و ادامه دادن و زندگی کردن در تمام داستان خودنمایی میکنه. و نحوه مواجهه سارا با مشکلات و برخورد اطرافیان و ادامه دادن جریان زندگی داستان بی نظیری را با کلی پیامهای مفید خلق کرده.
دیگه چی از یک کتاب میخوام؟
جملاتی از کتاب:
- هر از گاهی از خستگی زیاد راه حلمان این است که آن موقع فریاد او را نادیده بگیریم. اما لینوس کوچولو ریه و بنیه قویای دارد که باعث میشود او به راحتی تسلیم نشود. بلند میشوم. بچه برنده میشود. امتیاز ما: پدر و مادری که بالاترین مدارج تحصیلی را از هاروارد گرفتهاند و هر دو در مذاکرات و مدیریت بسیار ماهرانه عمل میکنند: صفر. یک بچه نه ماهه بدون داشتن هیچ گونه تحصیلات یا تجربهای روی این سیارهی خاکی برنده میشود.
- خودم میدانم این سوال مثل این است که از او بپرسیم: تو فروشگاه را بیشتر دوست داری یا کلیسا رو؟ او هیچ کدام را چندان دوست ندارد.
- به انعکاس تصویر مادرم توی آینه نگاه میکنم، هنوز طوفان احساسات، انرژی خاصی را درونم جمع کرده است و ماندهم ما تا کی میتوانیم هر دو در یک اتاق بنشینیم و دربارهی چیزهایی که تا به حال دربارهشان چیزی نگفتهایم، حرف نزنیم.
- آنقدر فکرم روی شرایط وحشتناک و ناعادلانه و داغونکنندهی خودم متمرکز شده است که دیگر نمیدیدم چه چیزهای مثبتی در وضعیت کنونی من وجود دارد، انگار تمام آن چیزهای مثبت خود بخود و به آرامی فقط در سمت چپ جمع شدهاند، همه آنجا هستند اما به کلی نادیده گرفته شدهاند.
- برای اولین بار احساس میکنم که شاید داستان متفاوت دیگری وجود داشته باشد.
- وقتی میگوییم: «او زشت نیست.» همان معنای «او زیباست» را نمیرساند و گفتن: «او احمق نیست» همان معنای «او باهوش است» را نمیرساند. شفای او در یک جمله «من تو را میبخشم» نهفته است، اما بخشی از وجودم در برابر سخاوتمند بودن مقابله میکند و به جای آن میگویم: «من از تو متنفر نیستم».
- احساس میکنم مایک یک سنگ بزرگ را در میان دیوار شیشهای عقیدهی از پیش تعیین شدهی من پرتاب کرده، و به مرکز بیجان آن خورده، ترسم به میلیونها تکهی براق تبدیل شده و روی برفهای اطراف من ریخته است. من ماورای تصور سپاسگزاری هستم. احساس آزادی و استقلال میکنم.
- از دوران مدرسه بازرگانی من همیشه راه خودم را رفتهم و با سرعت تمام رو به جلو میرفتم، هر روز تا مغز استخوانم فرسوده میشد، تمام تلاشم تنها در راه یک هدف بود: یک زندگی موفق!
بعد از تصادفم، برای اولین بار، بعد از تقریبا یک دهه، در این مسیر من از آن سرعت حرکتم بازماندم. همه چیز متوقف شد. هرچند در تمام آن سکوت چهار ماه گذشته، تجربهای پر از درد و وحشت بوده، اما این فرصت را هم به من داد تا سرم را بلند کنم و به دور و برم نگاهی بیندازم.
بعد کم کم گیج میشوم. چه چیز دیگری میتواند وجود داشته باشد؟ شاید موفقیت یک چیز دیگر است، شاید برای رسیدن به آن نوع موفقیت راه دیگری وجود داشته باشد. شاید مسیر دیگری برای من وجود داشته باشد که با سرعت متعادلتری به آن هدف برسم.
- باب و من کنار شومینه پشت میز محبوبمان در رستوان سسکا نشستهایم. ما به اینجا آمدهایم تا اولین سالگرد نجات مرا از آن تصادف جشن بگیریم. ما آگاهانه تصمیم گرفتیم تا این روز را تبدیل به یک جشن کنیم، و نه یک روز پشیمانی از چه میشد اگرها؛ چه میشد اگر باران نمیبارید؟ چه میشد اگر من از تلفنم استفاده نکرده بودم.
ما اینجاییم تا زندگیای را که در حال حاضر داریم جشن بگیریم، نه اینکه برای زندگیای که از دست دادهایم، سوگواری کنیم.
- دلم برای کار قدیمیم در برکلی تنگ شده. دلم برای ریچارد و جسیکا، مشاوران باهوش، احساس غلبه بر یک روز بسیار پرکار، توسعه روند مدیریت و عملکرد عالی تنگ شده. اما دلم برای رانندگیهای از حومه تا شهر و برعکس، رنگهای ساعت صبحگاهی و فشار عصبی که همراه با همهی آنها سراغم میآمد تنگ نشده. کار جدیدم را دوست دارم.
- دلم برای راه رفتن و قدم زدن تنگ شده. هنوز عصا میزنم و قدم برمیدارم و خودم را با عصایم جلو میکشم، اما حالا با اعتماد به نفس بیشتر این کار را میکنم و خودم را کمتر میکشم. امیدواری. پیشرفت. هنوز برای هر دو جا دارم.
اما بیش از هر چیز دلم برای مادرم تنگ شده. خیلی خدا را شکر میکنم که پیش از مردنش توانستم فرصت دوباره شناختن و دوست داشتن او را داشته باشم.
- لبخند میزنم، بخاطر اینکه باب خودش را با من تغییر داده، به جایی که نادیده انگاری من، ما را کشیده، همراهم بوده، برای فهمیدن این سارای جدید، دوستش دارم. چون در حالی که من به بهبودی کاملم امیدوار هستم، این را فهمیدهم که زندگی من با کمترین ها هم میتواند کامل باشد و به خوبی بگذرد.
February 4, 2016
Sarah Nickerson is an extremely busy wife and mother to three beautiful children who also works long hours as the vice president of human resources at Berkley consulting. Every morning Sarah is always in a hurry trying to get the children ready for school in between making their breakfast and their lunches to take to school. Then it's a mad dash out the door to get them to school on time.
One morning whilst taking the children to school, Sarah takes her eyes off the road for a split moment. Before she knows what's happening, Sarah is in a terrible accident an accident that will alter her life forever. Sarah is left with a terrible brain injury after the accident. Finding the strength to get through each day is a constant battle for Sarah and some days she feels as if she can't go on. But with the support from family and friends she knows she must give it all she has, no matter how hard it is most days.
This is an astonishing story about how quickly your life can change in an instant. A really moving story which will touch the hearts of many including mine. Highly recommended.
One morning whilst taking the children to school, Sarah takes her eyes off the road for a split moment. Before she knows what's happening, Sarah is in a terrible accident an accident that will alter her life forever. Sarah is left with a terrible brain injury after the accident. Finding the strength to get through each day is a constant battle for Sarah and some days she feels as if she can't go on. But with the support from family and friends she knows she must give it all she has, no matter how hard it is most days.
This is an astonishing story about how quickly your life can change in an instant. A really moving story which will touch the hearts of many including mine. Highly recommended.
September 25, 2012
I'm so glad I read this book! I learned things I knew 'nothing' about!!! WOW!!! What an interesting story.
I'm going to have to read 'all' books that Lisa Genova writes. (she picks very interesting topics) --Her stories feel 'real' because they are 'medical' type 'historical' fiction. Fascinating --human heart spirit!
I love her small books! (lasting in remembering!)
What's next? :)
I'm going to have to read 'all' books that Lisa Genova writes. (she picks very interesting topics) --Her stories feel 'real' because they are 'medical' type 'historical' fiction. Fascinating --human heart spirit!
I love her small books! (lasting in remembering!)
What's next? :)
June 16, 2015
Left Neglected is an inspiring, informative and lightly humorous novel with a clear message for everyone to slow down and really think what they are doing. Our safety and life are not worth risking a deadline or an appointment.
Sarah Nickerson and her husband, Bob, have a busy lifestyle. Bob works for a company that is financially unstable, and Sarah has a high profile position as vice president for a consulting firm. They are parents to young children, juggling a demanding career and home life, working a 10 to 12 hour a day. You often see them in the middle making breakfast or driving the kids to school, either on the phone or computer catching up on work related issues. Sarah knew deep down she couldn’t continue like this - something will give. But she has debts to pay, and has been doing it for years. She’s determined and career driven and really loves her job. So thoughts about slowing down are usually pushed to one side. But Sarah’s luck ran out when she took her eyes of the road – for just a second - to fish out her phone to make a call. The consequences were completely tragic. Sarah had an accident that left her with a rare and severe brain injury that changed her life.
Firstly, I must say that I’ve never heard of this type of brain injury before reading this book. And for a moment at the beginning, I thought Ms. Genova was making it all up. It just seemed too surreal. But sure enough, when I Google it there is in fact a condition/injury to the brain, which commonly affects stroke victims, called Left Neglect (or Hemispatial Neglect) where the person cannot recognise the space around them on the left hand side. Once I realised the severity of this disability, all thoughts were racing though my mind about the potential danger a person can face. And how do you rehabilitate someone with this disability? How can a person gain back their independence and have a fulfilling life?
The one aspect I really like in Ms. Genova writing and storytelling of medical topics that she doesn’t elaborate on the medical particulars, but gave me (as a reader) exactly what I wanted, which is Sarah’s recovery; her insecurities about body image and relationship with her husband, adapting to the radical change in routine and around the home; the therapy involved, and the different exercise techniques used to stretch her mind and vision further to enhance her mobility. When you see/read the little progress that Sarah’s made and how far she’s come from the time of the accident to the present, it is really inspirational.
The family are wonderful and down to earth, which I connected with immensely. Sarah is intelligent, determined and very funny at times. And even though this journey is tough, draining and sometime embarrassing for her, she never lost her sense of humour throughout the book. Which made it light and an uplifting to read.
Lisa Genova has done a good thing here. Not only is it a brilliant story, she’s also increased awareness and understanding of this difficult and devastating condition.
Sarah Nickerson and her husband, Bob, have a busy lifestyle. Bob works for a company that is financially unstable, and Sarah has a high profile position as vice president for a consulting firm. They are parents to young children, juggling a demanding career and home life, working a 10 to 12 hour a day. You often see them in the middle making breakfast or driving the kids to school, either on the phone or computer catching up on work related issues. Sarah knew deep down she couldn’t continue like this - something will give. But she has debts to pay, and has been doing it for years. She’s determined and career driven and really loves her job. So thoughts about slowing down are usually pushed to one side. But Sarah’s luck ran out when she took her eyes of the road – for just a second - to fish out her phone to make a call. The consequences were completely tragic. Sarah had an accident that left her with a rare and severe brain injury that changed her life.
Firstly, I must say that I’ve never heard of this type of brain injury before reading this book. And for a moment at the beginning, I thought Ms. Genova was making it all up. It just seemed too surreal. But sure enough, when I Google it there is in fact a condition/injury to the brain, which commonly affects stroke victims, called Left Neglect (or Hemispatial Neglect) where the person cannot recognise the space around them on the left hand side. Once I realised the severity of this disability, all thoughts were racing though my mind about the potential danger a person can face. And how do you rehabilitate someone with this disability? How can a person gain back their independence and have a fulfilling life?
The one aspect I really like in Ms. Genova writing and storytelling of medical topics that she doesn’t elaborate on the medical particulars, but gave me (as a reader) exactly what I wanted, which is Sarah’s recovery; her insecurities about body image and relationship with her husband, adapting to the radical change in routine and around the home; the therapy involved, and the different exercise techniques used to stretch her mind and vision further to enhance her mobility. When you see/read the little progress that Sarah’s made and how far she’s come from the time of the accident to the present, it is really inspirational.
The family are wonderful and down to earth, which I connected with immensely. Sarah is intelligent, determined and very funny at times. And even though this journey is tough, draining and sometime embarrassing for her, she never lost her sense of humour throughout the book. Which made it light and an uplifting to read.
Lisa Genova has done a good thing here. Not only is it a brilliant story, she’s also increased awareness and understanding of this difficult and devastating condition.
August 21, 2024
This is a very well researched book on left neglect which I thoroughly enjoyed.
Left neglect is a form of brain damage where you lose your left side of everything.
The author pulled me right into the book and I felt I was there, sometimes I laughed and sometimes I felt incredibly sad.
This book will stay with me for a long time.
Five stars.
Left neglect is a form of brain damage where you lose your left side of everything.
The author pulled me right into the book and I felt I was there, sometimes I laughed and sometimes I felt incredibly sad.
This book will stay with me for a long time.
Five stars.
February 9, 2025
I usually go into books blind so I don't have any preconceptions of what I am reading and then a couple of chapters in I will read the synopsis. Left Neglected was a very fitting title for this novel by Lisa Genova and has a very powerful message that we all need to slow down and realize what we are doing as it can be changed or taken away from us so quickly. We make that one poor judgement call without realizing the consequences before it is too late.
It was a very enjoyable and light read which I read very quickly. It was moving, enlightening and even sometimes humorous. I laughed out loud a few times!
The story was told in Sarah's voice and I found that I connected with her and her family completely. With all the trials and tribulations that Sarah had to endure throughout her rehabilitation she was quite amusing and uplifting.
Lisa Genova has done a wonderful job of telling the story of Left Brain Neglect which I didn't even know existed until I read this novel. The storyline was executed very well which I thought was more about Sarah's recovery and the changes that entails to dealing with her brain injury.
I read this one because of the author as I really enjoyed her other novel, Still Alice.
It was a steady-paced, light, fast, and easy read with a satisfying ending. Would absolutely recommend.
It was a very enjoyable and light read which I read very quickly. It was moving, enlightening and even sometimes humorous. I laughed out loud a few times!
The story was told in Sarah's voice and I found that I connected with her and her family completely. With all the trials and tribulations that Sarah had to endure throughout her rehabilitation she was quite amusing and uplifting.
Lisa Genova has done a wonderful job of telling the story of Left Brain Neglect which I didn't even know existed until I read this novel. The storyline was executed very well which I thought was more about Sarah's recovery and the changes that entails to dealing with her brain injury.
I read this one because of the author as I really enjoyed her other novel, Still Alice.
It was a steady-paced, light, fast, and easy read with a satisfying ending. Would absolutely recommend.
May 12, 2016
تصور دنیای بدون سمت "چپ" شاید ساده به نظر بیاد... که طوری نیست، هنوز سمت "راست" هست و همین میتونه کافی باشه. اما حقیقت اینه که ما هیچ ایده ای از دنیای بدون چپ نداریم.
"Remember to look left."
سارا در کار و زندگیش موفق به نظر میاد، یه شغل خوب با حقوق خوب داره و تقریبا تمام وقت در اختیار شغلشه... زندگیش رو وقف کارش کرده و گاهی فقط برای گفتن شب به خیر به همسر و سه فرزندش میتونه کنارشون باشه، اما نیازی نمیبینه تا این وضع رو تغییر بده و از اینکه از تمام قابلیتهاش کاملا استفاده میکنه راضی به نظر میاد.
کتاب برام به سه قسمت تقسیم شد... قسمت اول حول معرفی شخصیت سارا، زندگی عادی و روزمرهش، سختیها و شلوغیش میچرخه.
در قسمت دوم یه تصادف اتفاق میفته؛ سارا طی این تصادف دچار آسیب مغزی میشه و درکش رو از دنیای سمت چپ به طور کامل از دست میده. مشکلی که کاملا جدیه، ولی میتونه موقتی باشه و این درکِ گمشده ممکنه برگرده.
I know that I need to constantly remind myself that there is a left side, that I have a left side, to look left, scan left, and go left.
تصورش سخته؛ که غذا در سمت چپ ظرف روبروتون دست نخورده باقی بمونه، نیمه سمت راست کتاب رو بخونید و ورق بزنید، فقط سمت راست یه گربه رو نقاشی کنید... و حتی از این نقص ها خبر نداشته باشید؛ چون فکر میکنید غذاتون رو تموم کردید، کتاب رو کاملا خوندید و گربه رو بدون نقص رسم کردید. و حتی تصور کنید یه دیدِ کامل از اتاقی که داخلش هستید دارید، در حالیکه اینطور نیست.... ممکنه داخل اون اتاق یه پنجره ی بزرگ در سمت چپ شما وجود داشته باشه و شما هیچ ایده ای از حضورش نداشته باشید.
که کنترل دست و پای چپتون رو نداشته باشید و با اینکه فلج نشدید، اما هیچ ایدهای ندارید دست چپ دارید و اصلا حالا کجاست؟ و باهاش مثل دست یک غریبه برخورد کنید.
Normal’s overrated.
اما این کتاب فقط با گفتن از تاثیرات این اختلال تموم نمیشه... قسمت سوم کتاب از همدلی میگه، از حمایت و کنار هم بودن، از جنگیدن، و شاید در نهایت کنار اومدن.
تفاوتی که این کتاب با تجربه ی قبلیم از این نویسنده داشت، این بود که بر خلاف "هنوز آلیس"، امید بین صفحات این کتاب حضور داشت... که با وجود سه بچه ی کوچیک کنار این شخصیت نمیشد لبخند نزد، و با وجود ناامید شدنها و خستگیهاش، این مبارزه برای برگشتن به زندگی عادی هیچوقت تمومی نداشت.
و در آخر همه چیز درباره ی یه دوراهی بود... اینکه باید به جنگیدن و انتظار بهبودی ادامه داد، یا باید واقعیت تلخ رو پذیرفت و به زندگی ادامه داد؟
اینکه باید جنگید و برای مبارزه با این وضعیت کوتاهی نکرد... یا باید زندگی و سختیهاش رو تمام و کمال پذیرفت؛ تغییر تلخ و ناخواسته رو قبول کرد و زندگی جدیدی رو آغاز کرد...
پ.ن: میدونم واقعا قابل مقایسه نیست، اما نمیتونم بگم طی خوندن این کتاب چندبار برام پیش اومد برای درک بهتر این شخصیت، ناخودآگاه چشم چپم رو ببندم و سعی کنم دنیا رو نزدیک به دیدِ محدودش ببینم. دنیای عجیبی بود.
"Remember to look left."
سارا در کار و زندگیش موفق به نظر میاد، یه شغل خوب با حقوق خوب داره و تقریبا تمام وقت در اختیار شغلشه... زندگیش رو وقف کارش کرده و گاهی فقط برای گفتن شب به خیر به همسر و سه فرزندش میتونه کنارشون باشه، اما نیازی نمیبینه تا این وضع رو تغییر بده و از اینکه از تمام قابلیتهاش کاملا استفاده میکنه راضی به نظر میاد.
کتاب برام به سه قسمت تقسیم شد... قسمت اول حول معرفی شخصیت سارا، زندگی عادی و روزمرهش، سختیها و شلوغیش میچرخه.
در قسمت دوم یه تصادف اتفاق میفته؛ سارا طی این تصادف دچار آسیب مغزی میشه و درکش رو از دنیای سمت چپ به طور کامل از دست میده. مشکلی که کاملا جدیه، ولی میتونه موقتی باشه و این درکِ گمشده ممکنه برگرده.
I know that I need to constantly remind myself that there is a left side, that I have a left side, to look left, scan left, and go left.
تصورش سخته؛ که غذا در سمت چپ ظرف روبروتون دست نخورده باقی بمونه، نیمه سمت راست کتاب رو بخونید و ورق بزنید، فقط سمت راست یه گربه رو نقاشی کنید... و حتی از این نقص ها خبر نداشته باشید؛ چون فکر میکنید غذاتون رو تموم کردید، کتاب رو کاملا خوندید و گربه رو بدون نقص رسم کردید. و حتی تصور کنید یه دیدِ کامل از اتاقی که داخلش هستید دارید، در حالیکه اینطور نیست.... ممکنه داخل اون اتاق یه پنجره ی بزرگ در سمت چپ شما وجود داشته باشه و شما هیچ ایده ای از حضورش نداشته باشید.
که کنترل دست و پای چپتون رو نداشته باشید و با اینکه فلج نشدید، اما هیچ ایدهای ندارید دست چپ دارید و اصلا حالا کجاست؟ و باهاش مثل دست یک غریبه برخورد کنید.
Normal’s overrated.
اما این کتاب فقط با گفتن از تاثیرات این اختلال تموم نمیشه... قسمت سوم کتاب از همدلی میگه، از حمایت و کنار هم بودن، از جنگیدن، و شاید در نهایت کنار اومدن.
تفاوتی که این کتاب با تجربه ی قبلیم از این نویسنده داشت، این بود که بر خلاف "هنوز آلیس"، امید بین صفحات این کتاب حضور داشت... که با وجود سه بچه ی کوچیک کنار این شخصیت نمیشد لبخند نزد، و با وجود ناامید شدنها و خستگیهاش، این مبارزه برای برگشتن به زندگی عادی هیچوقت تمومی نداشت.
و در آخر همه چیز درباره ی یه دوراهی بود... اینکه باید به جنگیدن و انتظار بهبودی ادامه داد، یا باید واقعیت تلخ رو پذیرفت و به زندگی ادامه داد؟
اینکه باید جنگید و برای مبارزه با این وضعیت کوتاهی نکرد... یا باید زندگی و سختیهاش رو تمام و کمال پذیرفت؛ تغییر تلخ و ناخواسته رو قبول کرد و زندگی جدیدی رو آغاز کرد...
پ.ن: میدونم واقعا قابل مقایسه نیست، اما نمیتونم بگم طی خوندن این کتاب چندبار برام پیش اومد برای درک بهتر این شخصیت، ناخودآگاه چشم چپم رو ببندم و سعی کنم دنیا رو نزدیک به دیدِ محدودش ببینم. دنیای عجیبی بود.
November 6, 2011
Left Neglect is a neurological condition resulting from right-hemisphere brain damage. Working from an assumption that the brain matches sensory input to a number of expected templates, we gain some understanding of how the patient is not aware of the deficit until it is brought to her attention. Thus, Sarah thinks she is drawing a complete face, or seeing the food on both sides of her plate. (Her drawing only has one eye, and the food on the left side of her plate is uneaten). The most interesting parts of this book deal with the nature of the malady, and its treatment. Sarah is given exercises that force her to pay attention to her left side. She pulls cotton balls off the left side of her body, incorporates a mantra of turning her head to locate a red left margin marker into her reading exercises, practices rolling her wheelchair in a straight line, and drawing faces that have two eyes instead of one. At one point an astute parallel is drawn between Sarah's difficulty focusing sustained attention to her left side, and her son's attentional difficulties due to ADHD.
As a work of fiction, the book is less successful. Sarah is more of a template than a convincing character. Parents – particularly women – will empathize with the stress of running on a clock not of their own choosing. Whether they work in hourly rather than career-track jobs, or are stay-at-home moms, everyone will empathize with Sarah: “Fourteen miles in seventy-eight minutes. The winner of the Boston Marathon could've beaten me home on foot.” On sleep, a pediatrician once told me: “If you wanted sleep, you shouldn't have had kids.” We are not surprised at Sarah's exhaustion, even without her stressful job. The description of Charlie's soccer game has familiar resonance: a swarm of kids, half with shoe laces untied, pursuing each other as much as the ball. The problem is that later in the book we find less of ourselves mirrored in Sarah's life. I felt impatience at some of her unrealistic expectations, particularly that she could target a date for returning to her fast-track lifestyle. Perhaps it is a reflection of my own cynicism, but I found Sarah's idyllic framing of her workplace to be a fantasy. (Too many books and anecdotes about what doesn't work in today's high-powered office suites). Sorry that this spilled over into my feelings about the book.
More problematic is the lack of seamlessness between the writing and the research. Charlie's ADD is described almost clinically. We never see Charlie's ADD through his or his parent's eyes, as an experiential phenomena, until Sarah and Charlie spend time “teaching” each other to read. The specialness that ADD brings to Charlie's personality is only briefly alluded to when his teacher remarks: "And normal's overrated if you ask me."
Finally, the ending, perhaps because the characters never seemed real to me, felt constructed rather than organic. A major change in Sarah's husband and their relationship feels glossed over in favor or reaching that ending.
What the reader can and should come away from this book is an appreciation of how our "abnormalities" shape us into who we are -- unique and refreshingly non-normal.
As a work of fiction, the book is less successful. Sarah is more of a template than a convincing character. Parents – particularly women – will empathize with the stress of running on a clock not of their own choosing. Whether they work in hourly rather than career-track jobs, or are stay-at-home moms, everyone will empathize with Sarah: “Fourteen miles in seventy-eight minutes. The winner of the Boston Marathon could've beaten me home on foot.” On sleep, a pediatrician once told me: “If you wanted sleep, you shouldn't have had kids.” We are not surprised at Sarah's exhaustion, even without her stressful job. The description of Charlie's soccer game has familiar resonance: a swarm of kids, half with shoe laces untied, pursuing each other as much as the ball. The problem is that later in the book we find less of ourselves mirrored in Sarah's life. I felt impatience at some of her unrealistic expectations, particularly that she could target a date for returning to her fast-track lifestyle. Perhaps it is a reflection of my own cynicism, but I found Sarah's idyllic framing of her workplace to be a fantasy. (Too many books and anecdotes about what doesn't work in today's high-powered office suites). Sorry that this spilled over into my feelings about the book.
More problematic is the lack of seamlessness between the writing and the research. Charlie's ADD is described almost clinically. We never see Charlie's ADD through his or his parent's eyes, as an experiential phenomena, until Sarah and Charlie spend time “teaching” each other to read. The specialness that ADD brings to Charlie's personality is only briefly alluded to when his teacher remarks: "And normal's overrated if you ask me."
Finally, the ending, perhaps because the characters never seemed real to me, felt constructed rather than organic. A major change in Sarah's husband and their relationship feels glossed over in favor or reaching that ending.
What the reader can and should come away from this book is an appreciation of how our "abnormalities" shape us into who we are -- unique and refreshingly non-normal.
October 24, 2012
A novel about a woman who loses her perception of her left side after a car accident. Er...that's it, save to say that it's not as interesting as I've just made it sound. This reads like the droning, self-pitying rehabilitation memoir of a nobody. You lost your left side. We got it. Thanks. And now you're trying to get better. Why another 300 pages saying the same thing over and over and over and over...? No insights, no progression, no story, no characters worth investing in; only self-indulgent, sloppily written claptrap.
Apparently Lisa Genova is big all over the world and now, finally, we in the UK are being blessed with her unique brand of do-nothing, go-nowhere drivel. Pity us. Please, pity us.
Apparently Lisa Genova is big all over the world and now, finally, we in the UK are being blessed with her unique brand of do-nothing, go-nowhere drivel. Pity us. Please, pity us.
February 23, 2012
This book was loaned to me with a glowing recommendation. I found the plot familiar and predictable, and thought the main character mentioned her cherished Harvard MBA with absurd frequency. That said, I recognize the broad appeal of pulp chick lit, and expect to see the Hollywood edition advertised soon.
January 24, 2011
I was quite impressed with Lisa Genova's Still Alice, her debut novel depicting Alice Holland, a 50 year old Harvard professor, descent into Alzheimer's disease. Genova, who holds a Ph.D. in neuroscience got it just right in that first outing. The story stays with me and is one I recommend frequently.
When a first book is so good, can a second outing hold up?
The premise of the new book immediately caught my attention. Sarah Nickerson, holds a high octane job in a busy Human Relations Dept. 60 hour work weeks are the norm and this coupled with Sarah's husband, 3 children, and competitive nature keep her juggling and multi-tasking through life. While driving, one moment of distraction finds Sarah tragically injured in a car accident that leaves her with a syndrome called Left Neglect and questioning whether she'll ever recover to the person she once was. Left Neglect, damage to the brain, has similarities to a stroke, leaving the patient with no conception of the left side of their body or world beyond their field of vision. Fascinating, though heartbreaking.
Told in the first person, Sarah's handling of this major stumble in her life plan with the question of recovery is explored in the balance of the book.
I'm pleased to say Lisa Genova has done it again, providing an intriguing look at a little known medical syndrome while giving us a good story. Sarah's struggle with family relations, self image, goals and dreams, boil down to a new awareness of what truly matters. Left Neglected should be a solid good read for those liking women's contemporary fiction with believable characters.
Will Genova be able to make it three's a charm? I hope so!
When a first book is so good, can a second outing hold up?
The premise of the new book immediately caught my attention. Sarah Nickerson, holds a high octane job in a busy Human Relations Dept. 60 hour work weeks are the norm and this coupled with Sarah's husband, 3 children, and competitive nature keep her juggling and multi-tasking through life. While driving, one moment of distraction finds Sarah tragically injured in a car accident that leaves her with a syndrome called Left Neglect and questioning whether she'll ever recover to the person she once was. Left Neglect, damage to the brain, has similarities to a stroke, leaving the patient with no conception of the left side of their body or world beyond their field of vision. Fascinating, though heartbreaking.
Told in the first person, Sarah's handling of this major stumble in her life plan with the question of recovery is explored in the balance of the book.
I'm pleased to say Lisa Genova has done it again, providing an intriguing look at a little known medical syndrome while giving us a good story. Sarah's struggle with family relations, self image, goals and dreams, boil down to a new awareness of what truly matters. Left Neglected should be a solid good read for those liking women's contemporary fiction with believable characters.
Will Genova be able to make it three's a charm? I hope so!
January 20, 2011
This book was interesting. I didn't find it as gripping as "Still Alice" (which is one of my favourite books) but it was a good story. Perhaps I would have enjoyed it a bit more if I had waited to read it as I have a family member dealing with the effects of trauma to the brain and I am sensitive to the topic. Still, I would definitely recommend this one to everyone who enjoyed Genova's first book "Still Alice".
June 12, 2015
Why the review was under comments I am not sure?? Fixed
Wonderful! I fell in love with Genova's book Still Alice and was hopeful that I would be as enthralled with this one. She did not dissapoint! I had never heard of this "odd" brain injury, and she again tells the story from the view of the person struggling. It was fascinating. I felt the ups and downs, how each person in the family dealt with a "new Sarah" was great. Loved the relationship with her Mother but more so how she came to bond with her son Charlie. Genova writes her characters "real" and with so much dignity!
Wonderful! I fell in love with Genova's book Still Alice and was hopeful that I would be as enthralled with this one. She did not dissapoint! I had never heard of this "odd" brain injury, and she again tells the story from the view of the person struggling. It was fascinating. I felt the ups and downs, how each person in the family dealt with a "new Sarah" was great. Loved the relationship with her Mother but more so how she came to bond with her son Charlie. Genova writes her characters "real" and with so much dignity!
June 17, 2018
In Left Neglected Lisa Genova explores the condition of "Left Neglect" also known as "Hemispatial Neglect". A condition where a person who has received a traumatic brain injury to one hemisphere of the brain, suffers an inability to perceive stimuli on one side of the body or field of vision.
Sarah Nickerson lived a high powered, career motivated life. With a husband and three children thrown into the mix, she was constantly micro managing her time, juggling tasks and multi tasking. One morning on her way to work, Sarah thought to put in a call while she was driving, but failed to notice traffic had stopped around her. The accident that followed left her in ICU with a depressed skull fracture and a brain injury where "Left" did not exist for her.
The story follows Sarah on her long and difficult road to rehabilitation. Not only physically, but emotionally and psychologically. It also resulted in some drastic life changes, reconnecting with her mother and finding joy in her capabilities.
While I enjoyed this story, and found the concept of "Left Neglect" fascinating, it wasn't nearly as compelling as Still Alice and Every Note Played. I felt the condition was very well explained, but I still had a hard time wrapping my head around it. Its difficult to imagine this condition, and I felt a little on the outside looking in. I didn't find this as immersive as Still Alice and Every Note Played.
The dream sequences, (while I understand why they were included) felt a little superfluous and I found myself skipping over them. It was apparent from the story line that Sarah was under an enormous amount of stress and the dream sequences, I felt, were unnecessary.
In saying that, I did enjoy this. I actually found Sarah to be an incredibly funny character. A lot of readers seem to dislike her, but I thought she was a lot of fun. Some of the scenarios her left hand got into were hilarious, it's almost like her left side were separate (goofy) character.
I particularly appreciate the message this sends, which is "SLOW THE HECK DOWN!" and enjoy life, its not a competition!
I'm giving the 3.5 stars rounded up to 4, like I said, its a completely different kettle of fish from Lisa's other work, but it was still very enjoyable and I'm glad I read it.
Sarah Nickerson lived a high powered, career motivated life. With a husband and three children thrown into the mix, she was constantly micro managing her time, juggling tasks and multi tasking. One morning on her way to work, Sarah thought to put in a call while she was driving, but failed to notice traffic had stopped around her. The accident that followed left her in ICU with a depressed skull fracture and a brain injury where "Left" did not exist for her.
The story follows Sarah on her long and difficult road to rehabilitation. Not only physically, but emotionally and psychologically. It also resulted in some drastic life changes, reconnecting with her mother and finding joy in her capabilities.
While I enjoyed this story, and found the concept of "Left Neglect" fascinating, it wasn't nearly as compelling as Still Alice and Every Note Played. I felt the condition was very well explained, but I still had a hard time wrapping my head around it. Its difficult to imagine this condition, and I felt a little on the outside looking in. I didn't find this as immersive as Still Alice and Every Note Played.
The dream sequences, (while I understand why they were included) felt a little superfluous and I found myself skipping over them. It was apparent from the story line that Sarah was under an enormous amount of stress and the dream sequences, I felt, were unnecessary.
In saying that, I did enjoy this. I actually found Sarah to be an incredibly funny character. A lot of readers seem to dislike her, but I thought she was a lot of fun. Some of the scenarios her left hand got into were hilarious, it's almost like her left side were separate (goofy) character.
I particularly appreciate the message this sends, which is "SLOW THE HECK DOWN!" and enjoy life, its not a competition!
I'm giving the 3.5 stars rounded up to 4, like I said, its a completely different kettle of fish from Lisa's other work, but it was still very enjoyable and I'm glad I read it.
February 22, 2011
Well it is not such a surprise to me that the Author of "Still Alice" would put out another 5 star book!
I loved this book so much I even had a hard time putting it down to eat dinner. This is going to be one of my favorite books of 2011. The first 60 pages reads very much like a Chick-Lit book, it is light and funny. A day to day account of the everyday life of an average middle class working wife and mother of 3. It is about her kids misbehaving, teacher meetings, her stressful job, and how few times a month she and her husband have sex. The character development is amazing! I was absolutely hooked on page one.To be honest I would have been totally happy to just keep reading about Sarah's life, it was that enjoyable. Then somewhere around page 60 - BAM! The accident. I knew it was coming, that is what the book is about. But suddenly my happy little chick-lit book is bringing me to tears as my beloved Sarah is trapped in a car.
I am not really saying that I loved this book more that "Still Alice", they are both equally great. But I will say that I could relate to this book better. Still Alice was about Alzheimer's, I have never had to deal with anyone with Alzheimer's, luckily! Although I loved it, I couldn't say "Yeah, I know how you feel, I've been there".
"Left Neglected" is about an average woman, wife and mother, just like myself. And accidents happen, of course I always pray that they will not happen to me, but this book shows us that we really do not know our future, and just how precious our lives are.
If you read and loved Genova's "Still Alice" - You MUST read "Left Neglected"!
If you have not read "Still Alice" and have not even heard of Lisa Genova - You MUST read "Left Neglected"!
I loved this book so much I even had a hard time putting it down to eat dinner. This is going to be one of my favorite books of 2011. The first 60 pages reads very much like a Chick-Lit book, it is light and funny. A day to day account of the everyday life of an average middle class working wife and mother of 3. It is about her kids misbehaving, teacher meetings, her stressful job, and how few times a month she and her husband have sex. The character development is amazing! I was absolutely hooked on page one.To be honest I would have been totally happy to just keep reading about Sarah's life, it was that enjoyable. Then somewhere around page 60 - BAM! The accident. I knew it was coming, that is what the book is about. But suddenly my happy little chick-lit book is bringing me to tears as my beloved Sarah is trapped in a car.
I am not really saying that I loved this book more that "Still Alice", they are both equally great. But I will say that I could relate to this book better. Still Alice was about Alzheimer's, I have never had to deal with anyone with Alzheimer's, luckily! Although I loved it, I couldn't say "Yeah, I know how you feel, I've been there".
"Left Neglected" is about an average woman, wife and mother, just like myself. And accidents happen, of course I always pray that they will not happen to me, but this book shows us that we really do not know our future, and just how precious our lives are.
If you read and loved Genova's "Still Alice" - You MUST read "Left Neglected"!
If you have not read "Still Alice" and have not even heard of Lisa Genova - You MUST read "Left Neglected"!
April 6, 2013
Full disclosure... I did not finish this book, after reading a little over half I skipped to the end, read the last chapter and called it good.
I hated the main character from the start, she was not appealing or likable at all (playing rock paper scissors so you don't have to drive your kids to school and then being mad that you lost? leaving your baby in the car because his car seat is too heavy? seriously, I hated this woman). The weird dream things at the beginning of the early chapters were distracting and pointless. I get that the book is about left neglect and not recognizing left as a concept, but when every 10th word is left and every third sentence is "I can't see my left" I was ready to scream. The constant brand dropping(Cartier watch, Jimmy Choo heels, Harvard education)were unnecessary, it felt like every single thing had to have a name brand in front, it could never be "my car" or "my bag". When I skipped to the last chapter of course she had figured out that family is the most important, but I wasn't willing to read how she got there.
I hated the main character from the start, she was not appealing or likable at all (playing rock paper scissors so you don't have to drive your kids to school and then being mad that you lost? leaving your baby in the car because his car seat is too heavy? seriously, I hated this woman). The weird dream things at the beginning of the early chapters were distracting and pointless. I get that the book is about left neglect and not recognizing left as a concept, but when every 10th word is left and every third sentence is "I can't see my left" I was ready to scream. The constant brand dropping(Cartier watch, Jimmy Choo heels, Harvard education)were unnecessary, it felt like every single thing had to have a name brand in front, it could never be "my car" or "my bag". When I skipped to the last chapter of course she had figured out that family is the most important, but I wasn't willing to read how she got there.
July 19, 2023
‘Left Neglected’ by Lisa Genova is a thought provoking story about a high-powered, highly educated and highly competitive business executive. She also is a mother and a wife. Her life is blur. She is a multi-tasking, successful and respected VP. She juggles her job with the accompanying high-end tech which forever connects her to her work. Although she is a loving mother, she could not manage without her nanny. Her husband enjoys the same life goals and competitiveness. While his job is not as well-paid as hers and the company he works for seems a little shaky, he also is a high-powered, highly educated executive. Together they own two homes and plan to buy another soon. Then disaster.
Sarah Nickerson is having a typical morning drive into work, using her cell phone for many calls, texts, and email, when she loses control of her speeding car and has a terrible accident. When she wakes up, she has a shaved head and no knowledge of the left side of her body. Everything works except her brain has lost all contact with the information from her left side. She cannot move her left arm and left leg or process information from her left eye because her brain no longer remembers they are there. It is not a spinal injury but a brain injury.
The author appears to know a great deal about this unusual condition. She gives a good feel for what a handicap it is. The reader learns how therapy helps heal the condition, when it works. Sarah is a very sympathetic victim and her journey from a life of upper middle-class success to helpless, injured wife is at turns humorous, heart-breaking and always warmly felt. She is no hero and she has very bad days. She cannot accept the handicapped label and resists treatment, but while she behaves foolishly at times she is no fool in the end. Her husband, at first dreadfully shocked and frightened, makes many adjustments despite finding himself the sole breadwinner with great reluctance. Shortly before the accident, the couple had learned their son has ADHD, and Sarah discovers that his remedial physical therapy actually helps her own therapy. They work together and in doing so, she discovers the love of her son.
This is a good story, informed, with much food for thought. It is well written and well researched. It was not only interesting, with more tension and anticipation of 'what next' then I had expected, but I got involved in Sarah's concerns through the magic of a good story.
Sarah Nickerson is having a typical morning drive into work, using her cell phone for many calls, texts, and email, when she loses control of her speeding car and has a terrible accident. When she wakes up, she has a shaved head and no knowledge of the left side of her body. Everything works except her brain has lost all contact with the information from her left side. She cannot move her left arm and left leg or process information from her left eye because her brain no longer remembers they are there. It is not a spinal injury but a brain injury.
The author appears to know a great deal about this unusual condition. She gives a good feel for what a handicap it is. The reader learns how therapy helps heal the condition, when it works. Sarah is a very sympathetic victim and her journey from a life of upper middle-class success to helpless, injured wife is at turns humorous, heart-breaking and always warmly felt. She is no hero and she has very bad days. She cannot accept the handicapped label and resists treatment, but while she behaves foolishly at times she is no fool in the end. Her husband, at first dreadfully shocked and frightened, makes many adjustments despite finding himself the sole breadwinner with great reluctance. Shortly before the accident, the couple had learned their son has ADHD, and Sarah discovers that his remedial physical therapy actually helps her own therapy. They work together and in doing so, she discovers the love of her son.
This is a good story, informed, with much food for thought. It is well written and well researched. It was not only interesting, with more tension and anticipation of 'what next' then I had expected, but I got involved in Sarah's concerns through the magic of a good story.
June 26, 2014
I guess I don't get what others find so gripping in this book. I had some admiration for this woman at the beginning, educated, successful yet still being a mom and wife, clearly worked hard to earn what she had... but that quickly went away when she got into an accident and became a self-absorbed cry baby.
I honestly feel bad for saying this, I'm sure this very-real medical condition is very debilitating and stressful and my comments are not meant to make light of that at all!!
*** SPOLIERS*** This woman is about as boring as boring can get. She now has an injury, which she continues to whine about and lament about how terrible her life is... because she has to accept help from her mom, because her insurance won't cover more treatment, because they have to rely on one income while they own two homes and continue to send their children to all the regular classes and really make very little change in their accustomed way of living with the exception of cutting out one day of daycare... yet they still go to Vermont every weekend, have new skis and ski passes for the whole family ($$) and bought a very expensive coffee machine just because she "couldn't pass it up"... oh, and she has an employer who is holding her well-paying position for her until she is well enough to come back - but when she doesn't want to go back the perfect job just happens to drop into her lap... what in here should I be crying about?? I just don't get it... she's a spoiled rich woman who had to make some small adjustments in her life.
Okay, she reconnected with her mom before she died... so sweet. She helped her son be more successful at homework... who cares. I felt no attachment to anyone in this book, least of all the main character. I kept thinking something would happen... a real tragedy, not one made-up and over-emphasized by a narcissist who is so self-absorbed I can't even feel an ounce of pity for her very-real injury.
I agree with someone else who said this has to be the worst book I have read in a long time.
I honestly feel bad for saying this, I'm sure this very-real medical condition is very debilitating and stressful and my comments are not meant to make light of that at all!!
*** SPOLIERS*** This woman is about as boring as boring can get. She now has an injury, which she continues to whine about and lament about how terrible her life is... because she has to accept help from her mom, because her insurance won't cover more treatment, because they have to rely on one income while they own two homes and continue to send their children to all the regular classes and really make very little change in their accustomed way of living with the exception of cutting out one day of daycare... yet they still go to Vermont every weekend, have new skis and ski passes for the whole family ($$) and bought a very expensive coffee machine just because she "couldn't pass it up"... oh, and she has an employer who is holding her well-paying position for her until she is well enough to come back - but when she doesn't want to go back the perfect job just happens to drop into her lap... what in here should I be crying about?? I just don't get it... she's a spoiled rich woman who had to make some small adjustments in her life.
Okay, she reconnected with her mom before she died... so sweet. She helped her son be more successful at homework... who cares. I felt no attachment to anyone in this book, least of all the main character. I kept thinking something would happen... a real tragedy, not one made-up and over-emphasized by a narcissist who is so self-absorbed I can't even feel an ounce of pity for her very-real injury.
I agree with someone else who said this has to be the worst book I have read in a long time.
February 16, 2017
Excellent book on a topic I knew next-to-nothing about.
Sarah Nickerson is a high-powered, multi-talented, work-and-family challenged woman of 37 when she's driving to work, looks at her phone, gets in a wreck and suffers a traumatic brain injury - on the right side of her brain. As a result she is diagnosed with 'left neglected,' a medical condition in which the brain cannot see or recognize the left side of - well just about anything. This includes a room, a plate, a book or book page, and even herself. She's more or less left 'crippled' on her left side.
I remember reading an article about this years ago, maybe in a psychology magazine or perhaps one of Oliver Sacks' truly fascinating books. So I knew a little about this, but wow, my little was really nothing in comparison. The book is fiction, but it's based on a real condition and how it impacts a person - and her family, and her co-workers, and even her estranged mother.
I read Lisa Genova's 'Still Alice' a few years ago and it enlightened me as to what my mother was going through. In the book, Alice has Alzheimers; my mother had Lewy Body Dementia, but there was still so much commonality between the two conditions! The book gave me a better 'view' into what my mother was experiencing. That's the point about Genova's books; they give an understanding and allow us to feel - through fictional characters - what the disease or condition is all about.
Genova did her research, too, and has a background in psychology and neuroscience, so she's no lightweight. The book is insightful, sad, has its 'wondrous and poignant' moments, and overall was a refreshing read. You walk away from her books saying well I now know one more thing, and that is good.
'Knowing more things' is always good.
Sarah Nickerson is a high-powered, multi-talented, work-and-family challenged woman of 37 when she's driving to work, looks at her phone, gets in a wreck and suffers a traumatic brain injury - on the right side of her brain. As a result she is diagnosed with 'left neglected,' a medical condition in which the brain cannot see or recognize the left side of - well just about anything. This includes a room, a plate, a book or book page, and even herself. She's more or less left 'crippled' on her left side.
I remember reading an article about this years ago, maybe in a psychology magazine or perhaps one of Oliver Sacks' truly fascinating books. So I knew a little about this, but wow, my little was really nothing in comparison. The book is fiction, but it's based on a real condition and how it impacts a person - and her family, and her co-workers, and even her estranged mother.
I read Lisa Genova's 'Still Alice' a few years ago and it enlightened me as to what my mother was going through. In the book, Alice has Alzheimers; my mother had Lewy Body Dementia, but there was still so much commonality between the two conditions! The book gave me a better 'view' into what my mother was experiencing. That's the point about Genova's books; they give an understanding and allow us to feel - through fictional characters - what the disease or condition is all about.
Genova did her research, too, and has a background in psychology and neuroscience, so she's no lightweight. The book is insightful, sad, has its 'wondrous and poignant' moments, and overall was a refreshing read. You walk away from her books saying well I now know one more thing, and that is good.
'Knowing more things' is always good.
May 3, 2014
Another great book from Genova. A split second of texting while driving changes everything. The main character suffers a brain injury called Left Brain Neglect, the book sees everything through her eyes. Truly fascinating.
July 7, 2018
Another amazing book from Lisa Genova.
I found this review and the media reviews on BookBrowse. I listened to the book on audio cd, narrated by the capable Sarah Paulson (who is probably very glad she is not Sarah Nickerson!!)
Sarah Nickerson is like any other career-driven supermom in Welmont, the affluent Boston suburb where she leads a hectic but charmed life with her husband Bob, faithful nanny, and three children - Lucy, Charlie, and nine-month-old Linus.
A traumatic brain injury completely erases the left side of her world, and for once, Sarah relinquishes control to those around her, including her formerly absent mother. Without the ability to even floss her own teeth, she struggles to find answers about her past and her uncertain future.
Media Reviews
"Neuroscientist Genova once again personalizes an actual disabling brain condition to create irresistibly readable and moving fiction." - Booklist
"More accessible than her somber first book, which dealt with early-onset Alzheimer's, the central condition causes readers to wonder what brain disease she will think of next." - Publishers Weekly
"This is a positive novel about hope and strength that should find a market with those who appreciate contemporary women's fiction and readers who either are coping with brain disorders or have family members with these conditions." - Library Journal
4 stars
I found this review and the media reviews on BookBrowse. I listened to the book on audio cd, narrated by the capable Sarah Paulson (who is probably very glad she is not Sarah Nickerson!!)
Sarah Nickerson is like any other career-driven supermom in Welmont, the affluent Boston suburb where she leads a hectic but charmed life with her husband Bob, faithful nanny, and three children - Lucy, Charlie, and nine-month-old Linus.
A traumatic brain injury completely erases the left side of her world, and for once, Sarah relinquishes control to those around her, including her formerly absent mother. Without the ability to even floss her own teeth, she struggles to find answers about her past and her uncertain future.
Media Reviews
"Neuroscientist Genova once again personalizes an actual disabling brain condition to create irresistibly readable and moving fiction." - Booklist
"More accessible than her somber first book, which dealt with early-onset Alzheimer's, the central condition causes readers to wonder what brain disease she will think of next." - Publishers Weekly
"This is a positive novel about hope and strength that should find a market with those who appreciate contemporary women's fiction and readers who either are coping with brain disorders or have family members with these conditions." - Library Journal
4 stars
May 25, 2018
Ever since reading “Still Alice” , I have made it my mission to finish all of Lisa Genova’s novels. Reading her books is both a vicarious and intellectual experience. Albeit entertaining, the pathology of the neuropsychological conditions in her books are evidence-based. She combines her knowledge of neuroscience and writing to craft stories that make learning about neurological diseases accessible.
Sarah is a woman striving to have it all, and in many ways does. She has a graduate degree from Harvard Business School, a stellar job as a top executive at a consulting firm, and a loving family. However, when a car accident impacts the right hemisphere of her brain, everything takes a drastic turn. She develops “Left Neglect” , a neurological condition where the person is no longer aware they have a left side. People with hemispatial neglect are not blind, rather as Sarah describes it, “What I perceive, and what I understand to be true are at war inside my head, fighting to the death, giving me a colossal headache.”
More than anything, this made me realize that life is unpredictable; everything can change in a second. I, like many others, live a life of delayed gratification. My inner monologue is, "Once I finish graduate school I will do this, once I get a job I will do that.” Sometimes I get so wrapped up in the future, I forget to enjoy the day-to-day experiences of my life.
It was a gratifying and enlightening to see Sarah change. As the novel progresses, she learns to reevaluate her priorities, slow down, reconnect with loved ones, and change her outlook. She realizes success is not a linear road: “And I’m starting to wonder. What else is there? Maybe success can be something else, and maybe there’s another way to get there. Maybe there’s a different road for me with a more reasonable speed limit. Whether it’s because I can’t, I’m not afraid, something inside me has changed and wants something different, or a complex blend of all three, I can’t say, but I don’t want to go back to Berkley. I don’t want to go back to that life."
I loved this book, but it lacked the punch “Still Alice” had. I wish this book dwelled further into the scientific aspect of hemispatial neglect. While Genova does a great job at highlighting the emotional impact of hemispatial neglect, I believe this book could have been enhanced if she spent more time explaining the pathophysiology of the disease.
Overall, I enjoyed reading this novel and I look forward to reading further works by Genova. Although “Left Neglected” did not have the sophistication and emotional prowess of her debut novel, it helped me understand the emotional and physical impact hemispatial neglect can have on the survivor’s life.
Sarah is a woman striving to have it all, and in many ways does. She has a graduate degree from Harvard Business School, a stellar job as a top executive at a consulting firm, and a loving family. However, when a car accident impacts the right hemisphere of her brain, everything takes a drastic turn. She develops “Left Neglect” , a neurological condition where the person is no longer aware they have a left side. People with hemispatial neglect are not blind, rather as Sarah describes it, “What I perceive, and what I understand to be true are at war inside my head, fighting to the death, giving me a colossal headache.”
More than anything, this made me realize that life is unpredictable; everything can change in a second. I, like many others, live a life of delayed gratification. My inner monologue is, "Once I finish graduate school I will do this, once I get a job I will do that.” Sometimes I get so wrapped up in the future, I forget to enjoy the day-to-day experiences of my life.
It was a gratifying and enlightening to see Sarah change. As the novel progresses, she learns to reevaluate her priorities, slow down, reconnect with loved ones, and change her outlook. She realizes success is not a linear road: “And I’m starting to wonder. What else is there? Maybe success can be something else, and maybe there’s another way to get there. Maybe there’s a different road for me with a more reasonable speed limit. Whether it’s because I can’t, I’m not afraid, something inside me has changed and wants something different, or a complex blend of all three, I can’t say, but I don’t want to go back to Berkley. I don’t want to go back to that life."
I loved this book, but it lacked the punch “Still Alice” had. I wish this book dwelled further into the scientific aspect of hemispatial neglect. While Genova does a great job at highlighting the emotional impact of hemispatial neglect, I believe this book could have been enhanced if she spent more time explaining the pathophysiology of the disease.
Overall, I enjoyed reading this novel and I look forward to reading further works by Genova. Although “Left Neglected” did not have the sophistication and emotional prowess of her debut novel, it helped me understand the emotional and physical impact hemispatial neglect can have on the survivor’s life.
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