Rachel G. (roach808) - reviewed on 5/14/2018 + 153 more book reviews

Wow, well. First of all, I have hardcover on here, but I read audiobook from the library. Not read by the author, but the narrator was good for this tale of H.M. a "normal?" boy turned epileptic turned amnesic who helped us study memory as we know it.

I didn't know about H.M. despite all my psychology teachings, so this was intriguing to me on that level.

What kept this from that 5th star for me was:
- some graphic details about surgery. I'll just leave that there, but mention there is a chapter entitled something about bone dust.
- It was far more damning expose than I had expected or really wanted. I wanted information, but I guess I wanted neutral information. I didn't know much about H.M., so I didn't know there was drama to be had around it, but having read the Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks I should have probably expected scandal and shady medical ethics.

And not that I don't want those shady medical ethics brought to light -- I'm not just sure I liked the flow in which Dittrich did it. It didn't feel super smooth to me, and a whole chapter it seemed like was dedicated to how these questionable medical ethics impacted the researchers decades later. The book is about H.M. - Memory, Madness and Family Secrets. Maybe that fits into the last bit about family secrets, but it felt like a distraction enough to me.

Back to all reviews by this member
Back to all reviews of this book
Back to Book Reviews
Back to Book Details