Head Case: My Brain and Other Wonders

All of her life, Cole Cohen has struggled with being different. Educators and doctors failed to categorize her particular type of learning disabilities, marked by difficulties with time, space, and numbers. She got lost in a supermarket just as easily as en route to a familiar destination. Driving was an impossibility, as was taking public transportation without planning and practice. Cohen relates the particulars of her highly unusual eventual diagnosis in this fascinating memoir. An MRI when she was 26 finally revealed that she had a large hole in her brain, described by the neurologist as the size of a lemon. The void is located in Cohen's parietal lobe, which affects spatial sense, navigation, and mathematical ability. Ultimately, her diagnosis is a relief, giving her essential information about who she is. Why couldn't she seem to keep even the most basic of jobs? Why was money such a mystery? Luckily, she has parents who serve as a strong support system, allowing her to have a relatively independent life. Readers can't help but marvel at how adept Cohen is with written language and how evocatively she tells her story with pathos and wit. She discusses making her way in the world, from difficulties with various college roommates to a tempestuous relationship with the brother of a friend.