The Beautiful Brain

by Hana Walker-Brown

This is a story about the beautiful game - football, soccer. The highs, the lows, historic match days and foul play. It’s a celebration of a beloved player, a history maker, and his tragic ending at the final whistle. It’s a story about science and discovery, about the people on the front line of life-changing research.

But above all it’s a story about family and about consequence.

All of this is wrapped up in three little letters: CTE.

An investigative documentary from multi-award-winning producer Hana Walker-Brown [Audio Production Awards Best Documentary (Winner, 2017, 2016), Prix Europa (Nominee, 2018, 2017, 2015), Åke Blomström Prize (Winner, 2015) Hearsay International Audio Arts Award (Nominee, 2014) and Charles Parker Prize Gold Award (Winner, 2013)], The Beautiful Brain looks at the devastating effects of chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) - a degenerative brain disease found in people who’ve suffered severe or repeated blows to the head.

Beginning with the story of FA Cup winner Jeff Astle, the audiobook expands outwards looking at the widows, daughters and families who are left fighting for answers following the death of their loved ones. As the documentary progresses, Hana’s investigation leads her from Britain’s football pitches to support groups for victims of domestic violence and beyond, sparking a vital discussion about accountability and the urgent need for further scientific studies into CTE.

Running time: 3 hrs and 42 mins

©2019 Audible, Ltd (P)2019 Audible, Ltd

Genres: Nonfiction, Audiobook, Science, Sports, Health, Psychology, Medical

4 pages, Audible Audio

Published April 4, 2019

Reviews

[Diane S ☔ · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 An audible original and I felt it was a impactful presentation. I read the book, Concussion, shortly after it's released. Since I had four Don's who played football, three all the way into college I was concerned. This was a more personal take, centered in England and a champion soccer player, who drastically changed and was told he had early onset dementia. Hearing from his life, their story, was heartbreaking.

It also crosses barriers, new information, about CTE not just affecting those in the sports world, but also veterans and abuse victims. We hear from the Nigerian doctor who gave CTE it's name. He chronicles his journey, and describes it's symptoms. The numbers are staggering, and unfortunately the brains of women in these situations have just begun to be studied. The sports world was slow to act, slow to respond, but now attention is being bought to bear. Ways to make the sports themselves safer, are beginning to be implemented. Swift treatment after a head injury is a must, it may not stop, but could delay the onset of symptoms. It is a very scary side effect to the sports so many of us enjoy watching. Also key is early intervention for victims of abuse, bring dble to identify and flag the symptoms of any who have head trauma.

[Alaina · Rating 3 out of 5]

You know what the best feeling is? Sharing books on your audible account. I have so many books now that I can freely dive into. Ugh, enjoyment.

The Beautiful Brain was a lot of information for my own brain to comprehend. Yet, I was super into it all. I'm actually really intrigued to dive into more things that deal with the brain - especially when it comes to sports. So, yeah, this was interesting af to listen to. I probably feel a lot smarter than I did days ago and that's all due to this audible.

Okay, so this dove into how CTE isn't just for your lovable sports guy. Nope, it is also in veterans and abuse victims. What is CTE, well it just happens when you get repeated blows to the head. So, yeah that can affect a ton of people.

Seriously, after this sports needs to be safer for everyone involved. Then head injury treatment should always get better no matter what. I honestly have no idea what else to say but if you see something - say something. Always be on the look out for everyone and anyone in your life. Sweet Jesus, I will never look at people the same now.

Okay, I'm done being weird..

[Barbara (The Bibliophage) · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is short but essential listening for athletes, parents of athletes, athletic trainers and coaches. The details about CTE (which results from repeated blows to the head) are told through patient stories.

Also addressed is the likelihood that women in abusive relationships will have CTE and its symptoms. Appropriate for attorneys, social workers, therapists, anyone supporting women in these situations.

If you watched the movie called Concussion, this is more information. If you follow soccer, you’ll be interested to know more about the long-term implications of heading the ball.

I found this all very relatable and meaningful during a week when I was recovering from a mild concussion. 3.5 stars for a well-done production.

[Angela · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was an enjoyable audible originals. Viewing sports on live or in person are exciting; however, it can wreck havoc for players who endure the head injuries. It leads to concussions and post concussions syndrome.

[Christie Bane · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a pretty decent Audible Original that read like a book, not a podcast. It tells the story of CTE, an acronym that I have (shamefully) already forgotten -- maybe chronic traumatic encephalopathy? Anyway, CTE is the brain injury that comes along with repeated impacts to the head incurred while playing soccer or other contact sports, or from any other repeated head impact such as those caused by domestic abusers. There are plenty of facts about CTE, and yet the world remains obsessed with soccer and football. We pay a high price for our entertainment, and probably will continue to, just because -- like so many other things that are bad for us -- the damage happens very slowly over the long term and not immediately in a way that makes the cause and effect clear.

[Anastasia · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Beautiful Brain by Hana Walker-Brown is an audible original production. An interesting story on the impact of repetitive brain injury particularly in competitive sports.

[Deb✨ · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was more like a documentary about the dangers of developing CTE (chronic traumatic encephalopathy) a form of progressive and permanent brain damage that people can get. Especially vulnerable are contact sports players, such as football, soccer, boxing and martial arts. Also included are victims of domestic abuse. CTE can manifest slowly over time years after the assault to the brain, or more quickly. It can behave as early dementia turning into Alzheimer's. It can be devastating to the person as well as their family and friends.

My son was a soccer player in junior and senior high school. Since a few years after high school he has claimed he cannot remember any of his childhood growing up. It is completely gone. I've shown him pictures, and we have all tried to ask him remember that time when... and he just doesn't. I think he might have a form of CTE from all the head butts he did playing soccer in school. It is very sad for our family.

This was a very good audible book. I've heard of CTE before, but it should be made more aware to the public.

[Luisa Knight · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5 stars

I listened to the audio. It was well done with music, sounds, etc. for dramatizing moments.

The topic of the book is quite serious, eerie and a little scary. As my friend put it, you want to hear more but you don’t want to hear more either. It’s quite shocking how just a little brain trauma can cause major issues ... even repetitively hitting merely a soccer ball with your head; as one doctor is discovering with his research.

And on that note I have this complaint.

I would have liked to hear more facts. The story side of the narrative was strong, but the medical research and factual side was lacking; specifically the findings that several doctors of CTE said they found. A section on the scientific research and its findings, what’s been realized thus far, would have made the case stronger and added more credibility and weight. I’m not saying I disagree, but this would have balanced the information appropriately.

Cleanliness: there are a few swear words.

[Liam Halford · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great documentary on Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy (CTE).

Quite a heavy topic and a real eye opener. May have teared up once or twice

The documentary bases the story around Jeff Astle, an English soccer legend who died from CTE along with other professional althletes and also those impacted by domestic violence.

Very insightful into the prevalence of head impact and the long term damage even sub-concussive blows can have on an individual's brain. Including certain sometimes latent pathologies such as rapid onset dimemsias and parkinsonisms.

[Sara · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very scary look into how much we do not know about our brains, and how poorly we treat them.
I had never heard of Jeff Astle prior to reading this. And I don't care much about sports at all. But I was engrossed in this from the beginning.
If you have a child in sports, you should definitely listen to this.
If you or someone you know has been a victim of domestic violence, you need to listen to this.
Unfortunately and not surprisingly, women are underrepresented when it comes to brain research. I will be donating my brain to the brain bank (if they will take it) upon my passing.
Now, I am off to further my knowledge on this subject. There is a movie staring Will Smith who plays Dr. Bennet Omalu (who is the main reason we know about CTE now) called Concussion that I will watch. Also I am following and supporting the non profit Pink Concussions.

[Chalay Cragun · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was one of the better audible originals I've listened to. It was all about CTE but it didn't just talk about the NFL. Mostly it was talking about soccer but also incorporated a lot of other research, even that of survivors of domestic violence. Brain damage is something that is terrifying to me and hearing the story of Jeff Astle really gets to me. The audible originals I've noticed I have liked more are the ones that you can bring up a conversation about and say that you've learned something new. This one definitely checks off that box.

[Louise · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really interesting podcast about cte focus on the case of Jeff astle

[Ricky · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this in the same way that i enjoy a exposé on NPR. Not sure if i'd count this as a book but its definitely worth listing to.

[John · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm not sure why this book doesn't get higher ratings because it is a fascinating documentary of CTE which is woven around the life of an English footballer named Jeff Astle, who was apparently a star football player for many, many years. Heart-breakingly, he gets early onset Alzheimer's allegedly due to the many years of football (soccer). This is a difficult, though riveting book to listen to because Jeff's wife and children are still emotionally distressed by what happened to Jeff and he passed away in 2004 (if memory serves).

Basically, if you read this as a parent you're like, "I don't think I'll let my kid play American football at all, and if he/she plays soccer (football), I'll tell him never to head the ball.

I listened to this very quickly because it really makes for fascinating listening.

[Natalie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Dementia is a devastating diagnosis and I was eager to listen to this book when I saw it was free on Audible. CTE is dementia thought to be caused by prolonged head injury and concussions.

Most people have heard of it in relation to American football but it was fascinating to hear about people dealing with CTE after routinely “heading” a soccer ball during games and practice. It seems like American football and UK Soccer Clubs are both guilty of ignoring the evidence and therefor preventing research from being done since it would impact their bottom line. It’s infuriating.

The most upsetting part dealt with domestic violence survivors who experience memory loss of CTE symptoms after being repeatedly abused by their partner. Most CTE studies have been done on male brains and it was really interesting to hear what doctors are doing in a research capacity to study women’s brains that have been donated postmortem.

This was by no means an easy listen but I would recommend it to anyone interested in learning about dementia and CTE related memory loss.

[Alexander Fitzgerald · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another excellent Audible original. This one is far more sobering, however. It's an analysis of CTE, with pronounced interviews from families who were hurt.

I couldn't believe what I was hearing. I had no idea soccer had CTE concerns. I knew that guys ran into each other heading the ball, and I always worried about that. But I had no idea the simple act of heading a ball could cause so much trauma.

When they get into other causes of CTE (wait till you hear some of this) it's especially nauseating. You just can't believe what you're hearing. You start realizing how far behind we've been for so long.

Thankfully, Audible does a great job of letting those touched by CTE to talk about it. You learn a great deal just from listening. The doctors who work on this were so gracious with their time here, too. It's so educational to hear their interviews.

Recommended for anyone who enjoys sports.

[Karen Prive · Rating 3 out of 5]

I had not heard of CTE before Aaron Hernandez - the American footballer and convicted murderer - was diagnosed postmortem. His violent behavior, experts explained, could be tied to repeated blows to the head suffered while playing his sport. Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy - CTE - could only be definitively diagnosed after death, with a physical examination of the brain. Hernandez's brain showed the patterns of the disease.

In The Beautiful Brain, Hana Walker-Brown explores modern research related to CTE, and in particular, of the early onset dementia that can be an indicator of CTE in at-risk individuals. Walker-Brown is more interested in the health of soccer players who repeatedly head the ball, suffering many lesser impacts over the course of their sporting careers, but yet show the same signs of early dementia as American football and rugby athletes. She also looks at women's head injury issues - such as why women take longer to recover from concussions and are more prone to post-concussive syndrome, and how repeated domestic violence impacts the way victims should be interviewed in court.

There is a lot of information in this production, but I found myself thinking back to Aaron Hernandez, and whether it is true that violence is a symptom of CTE. Walker-Brown didn't really discuss this, and I couldn't help wonder why it wasn't addressed, if even to refute the reports. It seems to make sense - with a damaged brain one would not necessarily have the same judgment or impulse control as most of us - but for Walker-Brown this seemed to be a nonissue.

[Nicole · Rating 4 out of 5]

I found this a really interesting listen, I knew nothing about CTE before I started listening to this audible original and I learned quite a lot.

Although, I'm not a massive fan of football, which this book primarily talks about, as its footballers and other contact sports competitors who are extremely at risk of CTE. However, it was a fascinating listen.

It was very moving and emotional in places and defintely hard to listen to at times. It has definitely made me think twice about letting my future children play contact sports regularly.

If you are interested in the brain and brain trauma, I would highly recommend you give this a listen.

Trigger warnings: death, grief, spousal abuse and suicide

[AJ Payne · Rating 3 out of 5]

Audiobook.

This is less an audio book than an audio documentary. So I guess I’m not sure why it’s on Goodreads. I guess because it’s an Amazon Audible production...

Anyway, definitely worth a listen for anyone who is interested in chronic brain injury and the myriad of problems it brings up later in life, whether the injuries are sustained through sport or abuse or whatever. The story focuses on English football star Jeff Astle whose death was attributed to dementia brought on by his years playing soccer. The program also includes interviews with lots of specialists in brain injuries. I’ve always said I wouldn’t let my kids play american football because of the head injury stuff, but after listening to this it seems a good idea not to play soccer, either! What sports are left?? Individual sports, it seems.

Anyway, fascinating listen. I enjoyed it.

[Jesse Sumrak · Rating 4 out of 5]

Listened to this start to finish in a single day and really enjoyed it, but felt like something was missing. The whole time I felt like I wanted more, and maybe there just aren’t answers at the time. The story went off track a couple times and didn’t quite connect all the parts, or at least it felt like a stretch to me. If you haven’t seen Concussion, this will be super enlightening. If you have, it won’t offer a whole lot new, but it does approach it from a slightly different angle with the soccer perspective.

[Jeff · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am a bit torn about this documentary. It is about the discovery of brain trauma now commonly known as CTE. Some parts are amazing, some are dry, some are annoying. I suppose this is to be expected for this sort of book. In the end, I didn't feel like I learned anything that I hadn't already learned from popular media. The stories filled in a few blanks about who and when. There is no new revelation about how these injuries work nor why people stand firm on each side of the issue.

[James · Rating 3 out of 5]

An Audible "Original" on the topic of CTE. While I found the science interesting if not new, there was too much filler or "human interest" for my taste. Ms. Walker-Brown clearly put a great deal of work and care into this piece, so if your tastes run more to the human interest side an less to the science/policy side, you might enjoy this more than I did.

[Hind · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very interesting and chilling story of brain injury in contact sports.

[Nancy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Listened on Audible. The story of Jeff Astle and CTE. How soccer killed him and how concussion is a serious disease.

[Lauren · Rating 4 out of 5]

This exceeded my expectations. Another interesting and thought provoking documentary from Audible Originals. Audible really is superb at this kind of thing.

[Judy Phin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Such touching stories... a good way to raise the awareness of CTE, the seriousness of it, how it is irreversible, therefore the importance of preventing the occurrence.

[Megan Ivey · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was not a bad listen, but it spent far too much time talking about sports, and not enough time talking about the brain, in my opinion.

[Kat · Rating 4 out of 5]

Got this as a Audible original.

Listening to Jeff Astle’s wife discuss what happened when the CTE symptoms started broke me.

This was a little tough to get into, but audiobook hit its stride after that the part I referenced above. It was obviously edited but hearing the original interviews added emotion to it, even though the accents were a little overwhelming at points.

I knew some about CTE before going into this, but obliviously I didn’t know enough. I didn’t consider domestic violence victims. I think it’s one thing when you voluntarily play a sport (even if you didn’t know the damage you were doing) and another for someone to beat you within an inch of your life on a regular basis. I felt intense anger and sadness at the same time when they discussed the “punch drunk wife” and just how concussive woman are treated in general.

It’s a short, but interesting read.

[N · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very interesting and sad. So much more research and spreading awarness yet to be done.

[Jay DeMoir · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a truly insightful audiobook. I found it heart wrenching, brutally honest, & informative. Thoroughly enjoyed gaining knowledge on CTE