The Day My Brain Exploded, Ashok Rajamani
The Day My Brain Exploded, Ashok Rajamani
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The Day My Brain Exploded
A True Story

Author: Ashok Rajamani

Narrator: Ashok Rajamani

Unabridged: 5 hr 53 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Published: 01/09/2015

Synopsis

After a full-throttle brain bleed at the age of twenty-five, Ashok Rajamani, a first-generation Indian American, had to be reborn, relearning the most basic of things, piecing together a past, reclaiming a life, and coping with the societal prejudice inflicted on those with traumatic injury. With humor, spirit, and insight, he describes the catastrophic event (his brain exploded just before his brother's wedding!), as well as the long, difficult recovery period. In the process, he introduces readers to his family—his principal support group, as well as a constant source of frustration and amazement. Irreverent, coruscating, at times shocking, but always revelatory, this audio production of his critically acclaimed memoir takes the listener into unfamiliar territory, much like the experience Alice had when she fell down the rabbit hole. That Ashok lived to tell the story is miraculous; that he tells it with such aplomb is simply remarkable.

About Ashok Rajamani

Heralded by Barnes & Noble as one of the “Great New Writers of 2013,” Ashok Rajamani is an internationally published author, poet, artist, essayist, radio host, and activist in New York City. At the age of twenty-five, he suffered a massive cerebral hemorrhage due to an undetected birth defect. Though he survived, he was left with bisected blindness, epilepsy, distorted hearing, erratic amnesia, metal staples in his brain, and, ultimately, a carved skull courtesy of open brain surgery. Ashok’s amazing survival resulted in his triumphant memoir, The Day My Brain Exploded: A True Story, which has received worldwide acclaim, hailed by multiple media outlets, including Publishers Weekly, Harper’s, Booklist, PBS, Atlantic Monthly,and more. In addition to The Day My Brain Exploded, his first book, Ashok’s prose and poetry have also appeared in multiple publications, such as Scholars & Rogues, South Asian Review, Danse Macabre, 3:AM magazine,and dozens more. He has been host for Brain Injury Radio and belongs to the Authors Guild, New York Writers Coalition, Asian American Writers Workshop, and South Asian Journalists Association. He is a nationwide speaker as well, having conducted multiple reading engagements in venues such as the United Nations and renowned book festivals. Ashok is a magna cum laude, Phi Beta Kappa graduate of New York University, where he received his journalism degree with Kappa Tau Alpha honors. He attended Columbia University for advanced cultural studies.

Reviews

Goodreads review by Hiroko

I loved it. As a fellow Arteriovenous Malformation and Neurosurgery survivor. Many people here are complaining that it "jumped around" too much- that there was "poor development", "no plot", "there should have been more continuity".... etc. Maybe... Just maybe... That's how our minds work now...! His w......more

Goodreads review by Sarah

This book is worth a skim if you or somebody you know suffered from an AVM bleed, but otherwise, there are better books about the brain out there. It's interesting to hear about Ashok's experiences and recovery, but overall, the narrative is disjointed and there's not a lot of continuity between sec......more

Goodreads review by A Serious Lover

A compelling story about a young man of 25 having and recovering from traumatic brain injury due to a brain hemorrhage. Familes and those have suffered TBI would find this story of value.......more

Quotes

“Good-humored and self-deprecating…deals with his drama elegantly.” Harper’s

“Frightening, raw, droll, and hopeful.” NPR

“First-time author Rajamani delivers a fascinating look at his life and his recovery as a brain-injury patient that is both heartbreaking and uplifting.” Publishers Weekly

“Brilliant and engaging. Perfect sarcastic humor…a hilarious, irreverent, fascinating, Holden Caulfield-esque story of a twenty-five-year-old ‘brain-damaged, Indian American redneck.’" School Library Journal

“In this frank and witty account of his own brain ‘explosion,’ Rajamani describes in vivid detail the circumstances leading to the injury and its devastating aftermath on both his family and himself…With disarming drollery, the author also recounts his racism-tainted upbringing as an Indian American in white-dominated suburban Chicago. Shedding much-needed light on a little-known medical trauma, Rajamani’s sharp-edged prose is both informative and inspiring.” Booklist

“A rich, colorful audiobook that will absorb you into the planet of a brain hemorrhage survivor and leave you smiling through tears.” Belo Miguel Cipriani, author of Blind: A Memoir

“A fierce, funny, fascinating memoir of a man’s battle back from a brain injury that damaged his body but resurrected his spirit and the meaning of his life.” Wade Rouse, author of At Least in the City Someone Could Hear Me Scream

“A groundbreaking masterpiece. With a vibrant and sonorous voice, Ashok narrates his own survival story with razor-sharp wit, charm, humor, and emotion, intimately capturing the depth of his hard-fought journey back to life. In the process, he has crafted an inspiring work which is simultaneously exhilarating, moving, and (at times) outrageous. One of the best audiobooks I’ve ever heard on brain injury.” Dr. Gregory O’Shanick, Medical Director Emeritus, Brain Injury Association of America

"The Day My Brain Exploded is a memoir of epistemology. Ashok Rajamani shares how a man rebuilds a life of the mind. His prose is at once witty and probing, persistent and clear. If the brain could write an autobiography, this would be it.” Stephen Kuusisto, author of Planet of the Blind

Awards

  • Barnes & Noble Discover Award
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