The Ceiling Outside: The Science and Experience of the Disrupted Mind

Description

'Astute, compassionate, and brilliant' Siri Hustvedt

'Fascinates on every page' Lisa Appignanesi

'Will leave you humanly richer and, wonder of wonders, at peace with yourself' Antonio Damasio

'A moving journey to the roots of the self . . . a must read' Vittorio Gallese

As her mother slips into the fog of dementia, a philosopher grapples with the unbreakable links between our bodies and our sense of self.

Vanessa wakes from a coma having forgotten ten years of her life. Toussaint is haunted by voices. Claire loses the use of her hand because of an inexplicable pain. Noga Arikha began studying these patients to explore how our physical experiences inform our identities. The question took on unexpected urgency when Arikha's own mother began to show signs of Alzheimer's disease. Weaving together stories of her subjects' troubles and her mother's decline, Arikha searches for meaning in the science she set out to study. The result is an unforgettable journey across the ever-shifting boundaries between ourselves and each other.