Left Neglected
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4.1 • 676 Ratings
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- $13.99
Publisher Description
In Lisa Genova’s New York Times bestselling novel—and Academy Award–winning film—of resilience in the face of a devastating diagnosis, a vibrant mother in her thirties learns what matters most in life when a car crash leaves her with a traumatic brain disorder called “left neglect.”
Sarah Nickerson, like any other working mom, is busy trying to have it all. One morning while racing to work and distracted by her cell phone, she looks away from the road for one second too long. In that blink of an eye, all the rapidly moving parts of her over-scheduled life come to a screeching halt. After a brain injury steals her awareness of everything on her left side, Sarah must retrain her mind to perceive the world as a whole. In so doing, she also learns how to pay attention to the people and parts of her life that matter most.
In this powerful and poignant New York Times bestseller, Lisa Genova explores what can happen when we are forced to change our perception of everything around us. Left Neglected is an unforgettable story about finding abundance in the most difficult of circumstances, learning to pay attention to the details, and nourishing what truly matters.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
In neuroscientist Genova's second novel (after Still Alice), a car crash gives a successful younger woman an obscure neurological syndrome called Left Neglect. Upwardly mobile Sarah and Bob Nickerson live in suburban Massachusetts with their three small children. Both work 60-hour weeks, though the economic downturn looms. When Sarah wakes up eight days after crashing her car on the way to work, the doctors inform her of her condition, which causes her brain to ignore the left side of everything, and she begins a long and uncertain recovery. Genova vividly describes Sarah's fear and frustration about a recovery that may never come, turning her struggle into a lesson in forgiveness, acceptance, and adaptability; insights reveal themselves with extreme clarity, and small moments between Bob and Sarah illustrate his stalwart love, though readers may want a more thorough investigation of his growing role as caretaker, and as a character. 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.
Customer Reviews
True-to-life story that captivates
This book was just what the doctor ordered for me. I picked it up without reading the cover jacket or knowing the subject. Within the first 50 pages I understood why I was drawn to it. You see, my 39 year old husband suffered a traumatic brain injury last year. The parallels in this book to our life, in this recovery phase, were amazing. I truly expected to read that the author had also suffered a TBI. So little is known about these injuries and recovery, it's easy to lose hope. This book, it's accurate narrative, it's warm, loving story, helped provide insight into what my husband and thousands of others face. It helped me have more empathy and compassion. In addition, it reminded me of the necessity of humor when facing life's challenges. A great read, I finished it in 3 days.
Life changing
A wonderful read for those who are reevaluating what is truly important and trying to simplify their lives. Also a good portrait of how challenging it is to live with a brain injury. I truly enjoyed this book.
Excellent
I miss the characters already. Seemed like a true story. Makes you think about your own life....I truly enjoyed this book and found it hard to put down.