A Stitch of Time ─ The Year a Brain Injury Changed My Language and Life

In the bestselling tradition of Brain on Fire and A Stroke of Insight, an incredible first-person account of one woman’s journey to regaining her language and identity after a brain aneurysm affects her ability to communicate.

Lauren Marks was twenty-seven, singing karaoke with a friend, when an aneurysm ruptured in her brain. She woke up in a hospital with serious deficiencies to her reading, speaking, and writing abilities, and a diagnosis: aphasia. Shocking news to anyone, but for Lauren it was devastating. As an actress, writer, and voracious reader, her entire identity was crafted upon a language that her brain now couldn’t access. Forced to give up her independence, Lauren returned to her parents’ home to struggle with a stifled inner monologue, fractured sense of self, and a broken memory.

At the urging of her speech therapist and encouragement of her parents, Lauren began to chronicle her recovery. A Stitch of Time is the remarkable result, the story of a brain slowly piecing together a forgotten language—an Oliver Sacks-like case study, but written by the patient herself. With clinical research about aphasia and linguistics interwoven with deeply personal journal entries marking her progress, Lauren affords a rare glimpse into a mind in construction. Over time, frustration leads to fascination as Lauren re-learns and re-experiences many of the things we take for granted—reading a book, understanding idioms, even sharing a first kiss.

A story about language and identity, A Stitch in Time presents an unforgettable journey of self-discovery, resilience, and hope. As Lauren navigates the ups and downs of her year post-rupture and tries to reconcile “The Girl I Used to Be” with “The Girl I Am Now,” she finds herself as she finds her words.