Book Review
Broken Brains
by Jamila Rizvi, Rosie Waterland
Jamila Rizvi and Rosie Waterland are two talented and well-known Australian women who have experienced very different kinds of ‘broken brains.’
Waterland – author, comedian and podcaster – grew up amidst chaos. With parents struggling with addiction and mental illness, her childhood was impacted by trauma. That instability caused lasting pain, leading to lifelong struggles with her mental health.
Rizvi – author, presenter, political commentator and disability advocate – was living a fast-paced, successful life when, at 31, she was diagnosed with a craniopharyngioma: a brain tumour lodged deep in her brain, dangerously close to her optic nerves, hypothalamus, and pituitary gland. Even after two major surgeries, the tumour may return, and she faces ongoing challenges, including the threat of blindness and lifelong hormone disruptions.
For Waterland, the damage is invisible but ever-present. For Rizvi, the crisis was a sudden and traumatic event, turning her life upside down.
Broken Brains does a wonderful job of blending memoir, psychology, and science, combining highly personal experiences with research, exploring the elusive connection between mental and physical health.
In Australia, half of the population suffers from a chronic illness. Even if you are not personally affected, a person you love probably is, yet we still struggle to comprehend these conditions with genuine understanding. Chronic illness, whether mental or physical, is not just a medical challenge; it is also an emotional and a social challenge, too.
Broken Brains highlights the significant difference in how we as a society respond to these conditions. Waterland’s struggles come with stigma, isolation, and misplaced guilt. Meanwhile, Rizvi’s more visible illness, requiring brain surgery, lifelong medication, and major life changes, has been met with greater social support.
Honest, emotional and informative, Broken Brains seamlessly blends two extraordinary and deeply personal stories with extensive, accessible research. It challenges us to rethink how we see and treat brain health and chronic illness.
