The Mind Electric

“Superb. Anand writes with circumspection and sensitivity, and with creativity and verve as well. Delightfully labyrinthine…a compelling tapestry of stories somehow both discrete and happening all at once, its threads overlapping and interweaving with layers hidden underneath.” –Telegraph

“Anand’s writing is reminiscent of Oliver Sacks…the best of medical writing. I found the tales of her personal experiences and the dive into history fascinating. The Mind Electric is a compelling read.” –Abraham Verghese, author of The Covenant of Water

“Fully charged…an undeniable grace and humanity permeate these pages that are sure to spark a response in readers.” –Booklist (starred review)

“The Mind Electric is stunning, full of wisdom, revelation, and poetry. I was continually awed by Dr. Pria Anand’s insight into the darkest shadows of the human experience. I loved every minute of this remarkable book, and I will never think of my brain and body in the same way again.” –Susannah Cahalan, New York Times bestselling author of Brain on Fire

“Anand elegantly transforms the clinical minutiae of neurological disorders into evocative poetry….an engrossing exploration of the brain’s extraordinary powers and terrifying frailties.” –Publishers Weekly (starred review)

“Pria Anand braids together science and narrative in this magnificent exploration of how the mind shapes–and upends–the story of our life. The Mind Electric is as gorgeous and complex and astounding as the brain itself.” –Laura van den Berg, author of State of Paradise

“Anand’s own expressive gifts are particularly powerful… The Mind Electric transcends the limitations of the popular science genre and raises broader philosophical questions concerning what it means to be human.” –The Observer

“Pria Anand just might be the heir to Oliver Sacks. Her gorgeous writing and incisive analysis reveal the marvelous neurological underpinnings of our existence. A stunning debut!” –Danielle Ofri, MD, PhD, author of What Doctors Feel

“Lyrical and spellbinding…as elegant and controlled when tackling the intricate, often perverse workings of the brain as it is when telling the stories of particular patients. In The Mind Electric, Anand demonstrates the empathy, humility and profound interest in humanity that demarcates and exceptional doctor–and which, in a perfect world, would be consistent across the profession.” –The New Scientist

“A rich and humane work, compelling in its compassion for the personal stories behind the symptoms that bring people to clinics. Pria Anand deftly weaves her own story of change with those of her patients.” –Gwen Adshead, author of The Devil You Know

“The best book I’ve read for years.” –The Psychologist

“Vivid and entertaining, The Mind Electric takes us into the strange and sometimes wonderful landscape of neurological impairment. This is a beautifully written book.” –T.M. Luhrmann, Professor of Anthropology, Stanford University

“Drawing on her personal and professional experience as a neurologist, Anand offers a unique and thought-provoking look at the human mind.” –BookBub

“At once epic and intricate, personal and universal, The Mind Electric is a fascinating journey through the curious capacities of our brains. A moving and compelling testimony to the importance of telling–and listening to–the stories of what makes us human.” –Elinor Cleghorn, author of Unwell Women

“The mind in The Mind Electric is vast, mysterious, and populated. The narratives people construct to traverse it are just as full of wonder.” –MIT Technology Review

“Anand’s compassion for her patients and their pain is clear throughout the book, even–and perhaps especially–in cases where a patient’s behavior was unusual or unexplained. Anand reveals herself as a skilled yet empathetic neurologist who is also a gifted storyteller. Early in the book she writes that she wants to ‘both honor and contend with these stories within stories–the ones we tell about our minds, and the ones our minds tell us–in all their wonder, strangeness, and heartbreak.’ Her book does exactly that.” –American Scientist

Pria Anand is a neurologist at the Boston Medical Center and an Assistant Professor at the Boston University School of Medicine. She is a graduate of Yale University and Stanford Medical School, and she trained in neurology, neuro-infectious diseases, and neuroimmunology at the Johns Hopkins Hospital and the Massachusetts General Hospital.