Mr. Mason captures a glimpse into the world of disability by way of head injury in his book. The cases are no more than a dozen, but the author manages to give the reader a look at the wide ranging ways in which people are injured and the unpredictability of the outcome. I came away feeling both impressed with what can be survived, and depressed at how few the resources are for significant recovery. And awestruck at the mystery of the brain. ( )

Light on science, long on condemnation of almost every medical professional and system except his own hospital. Rife with grammatical problems and incorrect usage. Head trauma is a serious and underserved phenomenon, but if I've seen heroic and sustained efforts on behalf of people with TBIs, so has Mason. Instead, read [b:Where is the Mango Princess?|129867|Where is the Mango Princess?|Cathy Crimmins|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1171989736s/129867.jpg|1902351], which also indicts TBI health care, but with more specificity and better balance. ( )

The book contains many interesting and sad cases of brain injury, told not by a doctor, but by a brain injury case manager and advocate. The writing is a bit meandering and the stories are very depressing, of course. The cases do show some of the weird workings of the human brain. ( )

The subject matter in this book is very interesting, and it was also a very informative book in terms of the lack of good services for the brain injured and their families. However, I am sorry to say that I didn't think the writing was very impressive. It seemed to wander a bit, and waver between trying to be informative and trying to ba a good story. The balance just wasn't right in my opinion. ( )

This is easily one of the most depressing books I've read. Michael Paul Mason is a brain injury case manager and tells the stories of many people with severe brain injuries. It's shocking how little treatment is made available for these patients. They could improve their ability to function, possibly dramatically, if they were given the right treatment. But, too often they are discharged from the hospital in just a few weeks. Their families struggle with caregiving and trying to find treatments. Government regulations, expense and a lack of beds keep patients out of programs that could help. I think what makes this book feel so hopeless is that the author has a different perspective than doctors or patients who have written books about brain injury. Neurologists have a sense of great accomplishment at having saved lives. Patients who have recovered well enough to write a book can see their progress and have hope for the future. On the other hand, Mason is in the midst of so many cases that have no resolution or improvement in sight. It's commendable that he sticks with a job that must seem so bleak. We can only hope that the book will spur change in the way society treats the brain injured. ( )