In this unique neurological memoir, Siri Hustvedt attempts to solve her own myst
erious condition
While speaking at a memorial event for her father in 2006, Sir
i Hustvedt suffered a violent seizure from the neck down. Despite her flapping a
rms and shaking legs, she continued to speak clearly and was able to finish her
speech. It was as if she had suddenly become two people: a calm orator and a shu
ddering wreck. Then the seizures happened again and again. "The Shaking Woman" t
racks Hustvedt's search for a diagnosis, one that takes her inside the thought p
rocesses of several scientific disciplines, each one of which offers a distinct
perspective on her paroxysms but no ready solution. Ultimately, her quest to und
erstand her own mysterious troubles becomes "a brilliant illumination for us all
" (George Makari, author of "Revolution in Mind").
