Wednesday 20 March 2013

"I can't explain but I'll find a song that can." Or a book.

I read the first part of the title on the internet. There is so much truth in that statement. But a book has so many more words and there often is a book that can explain something so much better than anybody can in a few words. Why would that be? Wouldn't I be the one to explain a situation better myself than some stranger whom I've never met?

I think a good example is this. I suffer from chronic migraines. It is difficult to explain to someone who has never had a headache let alone a migraine in their life. It is difficult to explain it to anybody who doesn't have migraines all the time (or at least fifteen days a month) but even worse if they have no idea what you are talking about. But - there are books written by people who have experienced migraines and who have put a lot of effort into describing this to another person. The first time I read a book by someone about migraines where I knew instantly that this person was suffering, as well, was "Claire's Head" by Catherine Bush. It is "just a story" but she describes a migraine so well, I am sure she has her own experience with this illness. Then there is Andrew Levy who describes his suffering in "A Brain Wider Than the Sky", subtitle: "A Migraine Diary". How he ever managed to write that book with migraines the way he experiences them is beyond me but he managed, and I am extremely grateful for that. It is also said that Lewis Carroll suffered from migraines and that the term "Alice in Wonderland syndrome" is used for hallucinations specific to migraine. I am sure this is correct.


Anyway, there are a lot of books who describe certain situations very well. If you want to know about something special in a deeper way, read one.

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