The Mind Electric: Stories of the Strangeness and Wonder of Our Brains

(Hardback)

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'Reminiscent of Oliver Sacks and the best of medical writing. Fascinating' Abraham Verghese

'A rich and humane work' Gwen Adshead, author of The Devil You Know

A young woman channelling the voice of the Holy Spirit. A mother whose children have been replaced by changelings. A family cursed by a mysterious inability to sleep. Pria Anand's patients come to her with myriad peculiar symptoms, but they all have something in common: their diagnosis always hinges on a story. Her task as a neurologist is akin to a detective's, piecing together the clues in a patient's account with the tells of their body in order to settle on a diagnosis.

In her gorgeously lyrical, passionate and humane first book, Pria Anand shares stories of her own patients alongside her own experiences as a doctor, a mother and a patient, in order to explore all the bizarre ways in which our brains go awry. Moving from the Boston hospital where she treats her patients, to her childhood years in India, to Isla Providencia in the Caribbean and to Guinea in West Africa, she demonstrates again and again the compelling paradox at the heart of neurology: that the strangest symptoms experienced by any single individual can show us something universal about being human.

Reviews

Anand's writing is reminiscent of Oliver Sacks and the best of medical writing. I found the tales of her personal experiences and the dive into history fascinating. The Mind Electric is a compelling read -- Abraham Verghese, author of Cutting for Stone
A rich and humane work, compelling in its compassion for the personal stories behind the symptoms that bring people to clinics. Pria Anand deftly weaves her own story of change with those of her patients -- Gwen Adshead, author of The Devil You Know
The Mind Electric is stunning, full of wisdom, revelation and poetry. I was continually awed by Dr. Pria Anand's insight into the darkest shadows of the human experience. I loved every minute of this remarkable book and I will never think of my brain and body in the same way again. -- Susannah Cahalan, author of Brain on Fire
Pria Anand just might be the heir to Oliver Sacks. Her gorgeous writing and incisive analysis reveal the marvellous neurological underpinnings of our existence. A stunning debut! -- Danielle Ofri, author of What Doctors Feel
Pria Anand shares the strangeness and sheer wonder of our brains in a testament to the wildness inside us all * New Scientist, The Best Popular Science Books to Look Forward to in 2025 *
Pria Anand braids together science and narrative in this magnificent exploration of how the mind shapes - and upends-the story of our life. The Mind Electric is as gorgeous and complex and astounding as the brain itself -- Laura van den Berg, author of State of Paradise
At once epic and intricate, personal and universal, The Mind Electric is a fascinating journey through the curious capacities of our brains. A moving and compelling testimony to the importance of telling - and listening to - the stories of what makes us human -- Elinor Cleghorn, author of Unwell Women
Vivid and entertaining, The Mind Electric Takes us into the strange and sometimes wonderful landscape of neurological impairment. This is a beautifully written book -- Tanya Luhrmann, author of How God Becomes Real

Author Bio

Pria Anand is a neurologist at the Boston Medical Center and an Assistant Professor at the Boston University School of Medicine. She is a graduate of Yale University and Stanford Medical School, and she trained in neurology, neuro-infectious diseases, and neuroimmunology at the Johns Hopkins Hospital and the Massachusetts General Hospital.