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Showing posts from July, 2019

Book Review: The Jungle Books by Rudyard Kipling.

"A compilation of stories that focus mainly on Mowgli, an orphaned human child who is accepted into the Seeonee Wolf Pack and lives in the jungle until he is grown. We are offered a glimpse of a wild, unknown world but one that is not so very different from our own. Through Mowgli's eyes and adventures we learn that the animals of the Jungle also live by rules, and all have a role; a part that they all must play." 3 Stars. Pros: Each high-lighted character, such as Baloo and Bhagheera had their own unique personalities, the stories that did not directly deal with Mowgli were still interesting since the protagonists had their own adventures etc. Cons: Sometimes the tone was a bit dry/long winded/If all of the Mowgli tales were told chronologically I think the book wouldn't have felt so tedious at the end. Full Review Unbeknownst to me, there are actually two Jungle Books. And within these books are stories about the "man cub" Mowgli, a young, orphaned

Book Review: The Butchering Art: Joseph Lister's Quest to Transform the Grisly World of Victorian Medicine by Lindsey Fitzharris.

"Horrifying in its grisly detail of the unsanitary way of life in Victorian London but educational and surprisingly endearing towards the quiet man, Joseph Lister who would rise to become a star in the world of Medicine." 4 Stars Pros: Detailed, Engrossing, Unflinching in the horrific health conditions in London in the 1800s Cons: Sometimes too many people/hard to keep track of who was who, Some medical jargon was a bit complex for the average reader, By the end of the book, the petty arguments and disagreements between the numerous medical societies was tedious and annoying. Full Review. The book opens with a scene that's more befitting a horror movie than what you would apparently find back in Victorian London. It's an operating theater, the patient must have his leg amputated below the knee and everyone is crowded in for this particular procedure, because something radical and new is about to be used, Ether. This miracle concoction can apparently render the

Book Review: Brain on Fire: My Month of Madness by Susannah Cahalane.

"Terrifying in the sense that your body can so easily betray you, but ultimately hopeful since she recovered, studied, the disease and is now an activist to help others who suffer from a mystery illness as she once did."  Stars: 3 Pros: Engrossing, Educational, Terrifying, Hopeful Cons: Mental Illness Stigma, Medical explanations sometimes a little complicated/overly detailed Full Review:  Chronicling a month where Susannah Cahalane descended into, basically, insanity, with no reason why, Brain on Fire is a detailed, enthralling tale of a mystery illness and a surprising/miraculous diagnosis and recovery. She's not sure how she contracted the illness that she was eventually diagnosed with. And she still feels that a small part of her that existed before the illness is missing, but for the most part, she's back to her old self, able to live, work and exist independently without the constant supervision and aid of her parents/boyfriend etc. For someone as st