"It was important to me to capture as best I could how it feels to have brain damage: the disorientation and frustration and fear and anger and even arrogance."
What an incredible story of resilience and recovery. Ms Ali mentions this:
>>I went to school in my birth town, learning Urdu and Arabic, and then I also went to school in a white suburb of Minneapolis, learning English and eventually French. It was a truly bi-cultural, bi-lingual upbringing—and also a bifurcated upbringing. Writing in English and Urdu, the script moving left to right and then right to left, was my way of bringing my two worlds together.
I'm wondering if her amazing brain was able to recover -- in ways doctors don't fully understand -- because it was so adaptive before the injury.
I thought about that too, Bette, that all the languages and culture developed parts of the brain that helped Ali to heal. As Ali says, every brain trauma is different, and everyone heals - if they heal - in different ways. I look forward to ordering and reading this book. A young brain injured woman - from surgerical/anesthetic errrors - once asked me to read all her medical and legal records, as well as interview her, and write her story: for her. She didn't know what happened and nobody wanted to tell her. A current friend had three TIAs which in her case caused aphasia. When a group of us are hanging out, we have permission to help her "find words" when she gets lost in a thought. I'm glad you have such a supportive team, and that you were able to write what sounds like an amazing book. Can't wait to read it.
Loved the Q&A with Samina. Raw and beautiful, the part around our differences weaponized to sow divisions amongst is so timely. Not in the Q&A of course, but during the interviews, the way you interject your experiences and make it sort of like a seamless conversation with the author being interviewed makes for a very satisfying listen/watch (and a useful!)
This was a really nice interview. I am also writing a memoir and I appreciate Samina sharing her perspective on how difficult writing a memoir can be - especially about structure. I had no idea Samina was Hyderabadi like my family too, so that's nice to always meet/come across another Hydro (especially a writer!).
What an incredible story of resilience and recovery. Ms Ali mentions this:
>>I went to school in my birth town, learning Urdu and Arabic, and then I also went to school in a white suburb of Minneapolis, learning English and eventually French. It was a truly bi-cultural, bi-lingual upbringing—and also a bifurcated upbringing. Writing in English and Urdu, the script moving left to right and then right to left, was my way of bringing my two worlds together.
I'm wondering if her amazing brain was able to recover -- in ways doctors don't fully understand -- because it was so adaptive before the injury.
I thought about that too, Bette, that all the languages and culture developed parts of the brain that helped Ali to heal. As Ali says, every brain trauma is different, and everyone heals - if they heal - in different ways. I look forward to ordering and reading this book. A young brain injured woman - from surgerical/anesthetic errrors - once asked me to read all her medical and legal records, as well as interview her, and write her story: for her. She didn't know what happened and nobody wanted to tell her. A current friend had three TIAs which in her case caused aphasia. When a group of us are hanging out, we have permission to help her "find words" when she gets lost in a thought. I'm glad you have such a supportive team, and that you were able to write what sounds like an amazing book. Can't wait to read it.
That's a great question, Bette.
Loved the Q&A with Samina. Raw and beautiful, the part around our differences weaponized to sow divisions amongst is so timely. Not in the Q&A of course, but during the interviews, the way you interject your experiences and make it sort of like a seamless conversation with the author being interviewed makes for a very satisfying listen/watch (and a useful!)
This was a really nice interview. I am also writing a memoir and I appreciate Samina sharing her perspective on how difficult writing a memoir can be - especially about structure. I had no idea Samina was Hyderabadi like my family too, so that's nice to always meet/come across another Hydro (especially a writer!).
Wow, what an incredible journey of courage and resilience. I look forward to reading the book. Thank you 🙏😊