Man With the Bionic Brain
Format:Hardback
Publisher:Chicago Review Press
Published:1st Jul '12
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2014 William Saroyan International Prize for Writing Shortlist Winner After he was stabbed and became paralyzed from the neck down, Matthew Nagle, a former high school football star, made scientific history when neurosurgeons implanted microelectrodes in his brain that recognized his thought patterns, allowing him to control a computer cursor. With the BrainGate system, Matt was able to use e-mail, manipulate a prosthetic hand, adjust TV settings, and play video games—all just by thinking about performing these tasks. In The Man with the Bionic Brain and Other Victories over Paralysis , Dr. Jon Mukand, Matt's research physician and a rehabilitation specialist, weaves together his story with firsthand accounts of other courageous survivors of stroke, spinal injuries, and brain trauma and the amazing technology that has improved their lives. A behind-the-scenes view of cutting-edge medical research and discoveries, The Man with the Bionic Brain and Other Victories over Paralysis is an insightful and inspirational book about how biomedicine gives hope to people with disabilities and enables them to take control of their futures.
"This is an epic tale, a cliff-hanger, about a young athlete turned quadraplegic who is determined to walk again. As he retreats into solitude and anger and re-emerges into a love for his friends and family and a trust in his doctor, we follow all his powerful emotions. Along the way we are told stories of other remarkable recoveries, aided by modern devices. Whoever has known a stroke victim or someone who's suffered from a spinal injury should read this book for its inspiring but realistic accounts of struggle and triumph." --Edmund White, author of A Boy's Own Story and the National Book Critics Circle Award-winning Genet: A Biography
"This should appeal to general readers, who will find a well-written and moving human story alongside clear, well-explained examples of the latest developments in this medical technology." -- Library Journal
"With splendid clarity and profound compassion, Dr. Jon Mukand . . . introduces us to his patients . . . and shares with us the great success of BrainGate, the world's first brain-computer interface. This is an exciting story, fully accessible and documented yet infused with optimism. It is impossible not to be deeply moved by Dr. Mukand's generosity and fascinated by his extraordinary tale." --Kelly Cherry, author of The Retreats of Thought and The Society of Friends
"This book reads like a powerful novel; the case stories woven into the intense saga of Matthew Nagle grab us and build. Jon Mukand writes science with careful precision and swift clarity and grace. But in the truest sense, this amazing story . . . reads like great science: the human pain, the exacting research, the deep mysteries opened layer by layer, and the steps forward. It is a thrilling and sobering story." --Ron Carlson, author of The Signal and The Hotel Eden
" The Man with the Bionic Brain is a rare and brilliant book: at once a heart-wrenching tale of human courage and a chronicle of incredible scientific advancement. . . . A page-turner of a story." --Bret Lott, author of Jewel and Ancient Highway
"In addition to the science and technology associated with the treatment of central nervous-system injuries, the author deftly explores what it means to be disabled, including the loss of body control, dependence on others, and the collision of hope with realistic expectations for possibly inadequate healing." -- Booklist
ISBN: 9781613740552
Dimensions: unknown
Weight: unknown
368 pages