A STITCH OF TIME
by Lauren Marks
Ever since hearing Lauren Marks interviewed on The Allusionist podcast, I’ve been wanting to read her memoir, and I’m so glad I finally did. In it Marks recounts her journey to recover the use of language after an aneurysm at the age of 27. I’ve always been fascinated by language acquisition in children and was intrigued to hear more about Marks’ experience.
At 27, Marks was an actress and a teacher working towards her PhD. She took a job helping a friend with a show in Edinburgh, Scotland as a chance to get out of New York’s summer heat. One night, in the middle of a karaoke performance, Marks collapsed and was rushed to a hospital. She was lucky that the hospital happened to be one of the best in the world at treating aneurysms. Within a few days she awoke with the bleeding in her brain contained. But, she was experiencing the "Big Quiet”—her term for the silence created by her lack of access to any language to form thoughts. When people spoke to her, she could understand them but couldn't discern how their panic and worry related to her. She occasionally tried to speak as she realized it was what her parents, friends and doctors wanted from her, but she had no way of knowing whether the words she was forming were the correct ones.
Over many months and work with countless doctors and therapists, Marks began to regain her understanding of language and how to use it. As someone for whom language was at the center of her professional interests, she realized early that taking notes and making recordings would be invaluable, and so she tells the story of this time with meticulous detail. But she also admits that when her language was still rudimentary, she isn't sure how accurate her memory is, knowing how intertwined memory and language can be.
Marks used her significant storytelling skills and kept me hooked from the first moments, through setbacks and romantic upheaval and even through a subsequent surgery. Despite the many advances in modern brain imaging, it is still rare to get this kind of insider’s view on the workings of the human brain and I highly recommend this book if that interests you. (Lily)
