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How to Use a Fork: Stories of Mending the Broken Brain
Not yet published
Expected 17 Nov 26A neurologist illuminates the brain’s capacity to heal after injury in extraordinary tales of human recovery.
Twenty years ago, a stroke or other brain injury was considered a life sentence; doctors in training were taught that a damaged brain never mends. Since then, a quiet revolution in neuroscience has revealed that the brain is far more flexible than previously believed. By forging new networks and remapping damaged circuits, our brains adapt to changed circumstances in ways the old dogma deemed impossible. Yet the clinical care most patients receive has not caught up, denying many thousands the recovery that biology might allow. In How to Use a Fork, leading neurologist and neuroscientist Orlando Swayne shows readers how the brain’s natural capacity for reorganization―or neuroplasticity―can be harnessed to transform patients’ lives, and how much that was once thought irrevocably lost can yet be recovered, if people are given the chance.
Weaving vivid, illustrative stories distilled from his practice with a fascinating look inside the brain, Swayne leads an uplifting journey into the outer reaches of the human experience. We meet a woman who thinks her arm is a baby, a man who sees mannequins peering at him from the dark, and a patient who finds his way back to human interaction through music. In following these journeys we find that, with access to multidisciplinary care informed by the latest science, even the most profoundly affected of patients can fight to regain their identities. As Swayne passionately argues, the brain continues to adapt after injury; now, so must we. If we take up the challenge to channel neuroplasticity to its full potential, we can help more people begin mending what was broken―into something changed, but still beautiful.
The debut of a brilliant new doctor-writer, How to Use a Fork is a moving and hopeful testament to the extraordinary capacities of the brain and the human spirit.
Twenty years ago, a stroke or other brain injury was considered a life sentence; doctors in training were taught that a damaged brain never mends. Since then, a quiet revolution in neuroscience has revealed that the brain is far more flexible than previously believed. By forging new networks and remapping damaged circuits, our brains adapt to changed circumstances in ways the old dogma deemed impossible. Yet the clinical care most patients receive has not caught up, denying many thousands the recovery that biology might allow. In How to Use a Fork, leading neurologist and neuroscientist Orlando Swayne shows readers how the brain’s natural capacity for reorganization―or neuroplasticity―can be harnessed to transform patients’ lives, and how much that was once thought irrevocably lost can yet be recovered, if people are given the chance.
Weaving vivid, illustrative stories distilled from his practice with a fascinating look inside the brain, Swayne leads an uplifting journey into the outer reaches of the human experience. We meet a woman who thinks her arm is a baby, a man who sees mannequins peering at him from the dark, and a patient who finds his way back to human interaction through music. In following these journeys we find that, with access to multidisciplinary care informed by the latest science, even the most profoundly affected of patients can fight to regain their identities. As Swayne passionately argues, the brain continues to adapt after injury; now, so must we. If we take up the challenge to channel neuroplasticity to its full potential, we can help more people begin mending what was broken―into something changed, but still beautiful.
The debut of a brilliant new doctor-writer, How to Use a Fork is a moving and hopeful testament to the extraordinary capacities of the brain and the human spirit.
320 pages, Hardcover
Expected publication November 17, 2026
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
September 20, 2026
Wow wow wow. Absolutely loved this book. Neuroscience has always been something I’ve found so fascinating and learning about neurorehabilitation and the incredible journeys of recovery the stroke patients in this book made was inspiring to say the least. Beautiful but also confronting - such multi-disciplinary rehabilitative support is gold standard but not common standard, by any means.
Especially loved the discussion of artificial intelligence and the author contemplating AI as developing a dorsal stream of conciousness. My PSYC211 self, who spent hours making mind maps of the different lobes of the brain in Central, was rejoicing to see the words ‘Wernicke’s aphasia’ written down again 💝💝
Especially loved the discussion of artificial intelligence and the author contemplating AI as developing a dorsal stream of conciousness. My PSYC211 self, who spent hours making mind maps of the different lobes of the brain in Central, was rejoicing to see the words ‘Wernicke’s aphasia’ written down again 💝💝
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September 9, 2026It's not right for me to leave a star rating of this book as Orlando Swayne is a remarkable professional and anyone working with him or under his care is lucky. I should have twigged from the book title "Stories of Mending the Broken Brain" that this book is a collection of case studies. So I stopped reading early on. The concept of neuroplasticity and advanced rehab is profoundly positive and brings hope.
August 21, 2026
Teared up a few times listening to this. Really hope there’s doctors like him everywhere advocating the importance of brain injury rehab. What seem like minor improvements are life changing to these patients - things I defo take for granted like communicating and my independence. Feels like we’re just scratching the surface of how the brain can adapt and overcome. A lot of medical knowledge but easy to understand and follow
July 26, 2026
*How to Use a Fork: Stories of Mending the Broken Brain* is one of those books that quietly stays with you. I first picked it up because the blue cover with the fork caught my attention. As I read, I realized it is much more than a neuroscience book. It is about people, hope, and the brain's incredible ability to heal even after life changing injuries.
Orlando Swayne shares the stories of patients recovering from strokes, brain injuries, and other neurological conditions while explaining the science in a way that feels approachable. I liked that every chapter introduced a different journey, making it easy to read a little at a time instead of rushing through it. His acknowledgements also stood out to me because he sincerely thanked his patients for trusting him with some of the hardest moments of their lives.
This is Swayne's debut book, and you can feel both his medical knowledge and his compassion throughout. If you enjoy non fiction that teaches you something while also reminding you how resilient people can be, this is worth reading. It left me with a better understanding of the brain and a little more hope than I had before I started.
Orlando Swayne shares the stories of patients recovering from strokes, brain injuries, and other neurological conditions while explaining the science in a way that feels approachable. I liked that every chapter introduced a different journey, making it easy to read a little at a time instead of rushing through it. His acknowledgements also stood out to me because he sincerely thanked his patients for trusting him with some of the hardest moments of their lives.
This is Swayne's debut book, and you can feel both his medical knowledge and his compassion throughout. If you enjoy non fiction that teaches you something while also reminding you how resilient people can be, this is worth reading. It left me with a better understanding of the brain and a little more hope than I had before I started.
Review of advance copy received from Publisher
A fascinating look at what happens when the brain is injured and its amazing ability to rebuild itself after injury. The science of neuroplasticity is incredible but the stories of people relearning how to speak, move, connect and regain pieces of themselves are what make this book so powerful. Along with the way Orlando Swayne never loses sight of the person behind the diagnosis.
The key takeaway for me is that while recovery and outcomes can vary and the work can be gruelling, people should be given the opportunity to discover what recovery their brain is capable of before the system decides on their behalf that nothing more can be gained.
His broader criticism is that scientific understanding of neuroplasticity has moved much further than the clinical care most people actually receive. Access to rehabilitation remains patchy and declining in some places.
If you find yourself or a loved one in hospital with a brain injury, it’s important to know:
- we should not be accepting a lack of input after discharge from hospital
- ask what rehabilitation is available
- push for specialist neurorehabilitation and multidisciplinary therapy
- question decisions to reduce or stop therapy
- don’t assume that “this is as good as it gets” simply because somebody says the conventional recovery window has passed.
“The argument that proper rehabilitation for stroke and brain injury is a luxury that we cannot afford in straightened times doesn’t stand up to scrutiny. Early, intensive therapy saves long term care costs.”
“As a society if we can afford cars, TV streaming services, holidays and ever smarter computers, then we can provide the means for millions living with acquired brain injuries to achieve the best outcomes their conditions allow. To do otherwise makes neither moral nor economic sense.”
This book is educational, compassionate and also quietly infuriating. We know better outcomes are possible. We should be demanding the care that gives people the opportunity to reach them.
The key takeaway for me is that while recovery and outcomes can vary and the work can be gruelling, people should be given the opportunity to discover what recovery their brain is capable of before the system decides on their behalf that nothing more can be gained.
His broader criticism is that scientific understanding of neuroplasticity has moved much further than the clinical care most people actually receive. Access to rehabilitation remains patchy and declining in some places.
If you find yourself or a loved one in hospital with a brain injury, it’s important to know:
- we should not be accepting a lack of input after discharge from hospital
- ask what rehabilitation is available
- push for specialist neurorehabilitation and multidisciplinary therapy
- question decisions to reduce or stop therapy
- don’t assume that “this is as good as it gets” simply because somebody says the conventional recovery window has passed.
“The argument that proper rehabilitation for stroke and brain injury is a luxury that we cannot afford in straightened times doesn’t stand up to scrutiny. Early, intensive therapy saves long term care costs.”
“As a society if we can afford cars, TV streaming services, holidays and ever smarter computers, then we can provide the means for millions living with acquired brain injuries to achieve the best outcomes their conditions allow. To do otherwise makes neither moral nor economic sense.”
This book is educational, compassionate and also quietly infuriating. We know better outcomes are possible. We should be demanding the care that gives people the opportunity to reach them.
Review of advance copy received from Goodreads Giveaways
This was a very interesting book, in all the best ways! As a woman who suffered a traumatic brain injury at 6 years old from a motorcycle accident, this book gave me a lot of insight to what can happen, what is normal, and what isn't. I'm so grateful to have been chosen in the Goodreads giveaway!
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews