Heather B. Armstrong participated in an experimental treatment for depression in which, ten times, she was put into a deep coma for fifteen minutes. She was the third patient in this study, which sought to replicate the effects of ECT with fewer side effects.
I was unfamiliar with Heather B. Armstrong prior to this book, although she discusses her background as a mommy blogger in it. According to her about the author she's one of the most popular, and I'll take her/the publisher's word for it, that not being an area in which I have any expertise. This book is getting a lot of comparison to Brain on Fire by Susannah Cahalan, and in some ways, that's accurate. Both books are intimate and unflinching looks at something going wrong with the brain and the recovery process from that. And both books are the stories of people who already wrote for a living and were well equipped to convey their stories themselves. If you're looking for more books in the "weird stuff happens with somebody's brain" genre, this is a great next choice. However, I do think it's fair to warn people that, in Armstrong's case, there's no question from the get-go that her issue is depression. For readers who liked Brain on Fire for its medical mystery/rare disease aspects, this is less likely to be a satisfying companion.
Overall: A
The Valedictorian of Being Dead will be available April 23.