Selected Press
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Mystified by the human brain? This doctor has spent years observing it.
“Superb. Anand writes with circumspection and sensitivity, and with creativity and verve as well. Delightfully labyrinthine… a compelling tapestry of stories somehow both discrete and happening all at once, its threads overlapping and interweaving with layers hidden underneath.”
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The 20 books to read this summer
“The Mind Electric transcends the limitations of the popular science genre and raises broader philosophical questions concerning what it means to be human.”
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Best Books of Summer
Publisher’s Weekly, Starred Review
“Hallucinations, convulsions, delusions, and other symptoms shed light on the brain’s obscure machinery, according to this luminous debut from neurologist Anand…At the heart of the book is an exploration of the intimate links between narrative and medicine—how the brain slots confusing impressions into stories to find ‘order in the chaos,’ but also how patients create narratives to understand their symptoms; how doctors selectively cull from that information to shape diagnoses; and how cultural narratives inform the ways patients and doctors view bodies, illness, and treatment. In the process, Anand elegantly transforms the clinical minutiae of neurological disorders into evocative poetry. An engrossing exploration of the brain’s extraordinary powers and terrifying frailties.”
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A Neurologist's Tale
“Anand reveals herself as a skilled yet empathetic neurologist who is also a gifted storyteller.”
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How AI is interacting with our creative human processes
“The electricity in The Mind Electric belongs entirely to the human brain—no metaphor necessary. ‘The truth of our bodies and minds is as strange as fiction,’ Anand writes—and the language she uses throughout the book is as evocative as that in any novel…In personal and deeply researched vignettes in the tradition of Oliver Sacks, Anand shows that any comparison between brains and machines will inevitably fall flat…The mind in The Mind Electric is vast, mysterious, and populated. The narratives people construct to traverse it are just as full of wonder.”
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The Mind Electric: A Neurologist on the Strangeness and Wonder of Our Brains
“Fully charged...an undeniable grace and humanity permeate these pages.”
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Spellbinding debut book explores the marvels of our brains
“Lyrical and spellbinding.”
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Keen observations and evocative storytelling
“A powerful, engaging and tender read... Anand's keen observations and evocative storytelling make for compelling reading.”
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BU Neurologist’s New Book Explores Tales Our Brains Tell Us
“Blending clinical anecdotes, historical case studies, and even tales from Arabian Nights, the book offers a sweeping yet intimate look at the mysteries of the brain and the power of narrative in medicine.”
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June 2025 Must-Read Books
“A complex relationship exists between culture, illness, stories, and the brain. To make sense of neurologic illnesses and symptoms, we craft narratives about the gray areas we have yet to—and may never fully—understand. Our brains defy binary classification. There is a great expanse between health and illness, which storytelling can help us analyze.”
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Our editor Jon Sutton meets neurologist Pria Anand, author of the new book ‘The Mind Electric’
“It's the best book I've read for years. The Mind Electric seems such an apt title, because there's something electric about the way the energy of your writing courses along all sorts of pathways.”
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The Best of Summer Books
“In the acknowledged spirit of the late Oliver Sacks, Anand brings us more tales from the wondrously strange land of the human brain through a weaving-together of case studies, fables, poetry and personal reminiscence.”
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The Best Books of June 2025; The Best Science and Technology Books of 2025 (So Far)
“The human brain is still something of an enigma, but Pria Anand brings us closer to our consciousness with a thought-provoking combination of personal stories, neuroscience and medical history.”
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“The Mind Electric” – In Conversation with Neurologist and Author Pria Anand
“In her excellently written page-turner that will be sure to hold readers’ interest from beginning to end, Pria discusses not only the specifics of certain illnesses, their history and cause, but also her own long-standing interest in stories, as well as the importance of patient narratives — just how essential it is to see a patient as a whole person, to understand who they are and where they’re coming from — in order to properly diagnose and care for those individuals.”
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The Most Anticipated Summer Reads
“In The Mind Electric, neurologist Pria Anand reveals--through case study, history, fable, and memoir--all that the medical establishment has overlooked: the complexity and wonder of brains in health and in extremis, and the vast gray area between sanity and insanity, doctor and patient, and illness and wellness, each separated from the next by the thin veneer of a different story.”
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It’s All In Your Head: PW Talks with Pria Anand
“In The Mind Electric, the neurologist explores the roots of neurological disease and the narratives that shape medicine.”
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The Best Nonfiction of 2025
“In this collection of medical tales, Pria Anand sets out to illuminate the way that our brains both understand and produce stories — and how these narratives can operate as a diagnostic tool. Drawing on her personal and professional experience as a neurologist, Anand offers a unique and thought-provoking look at the human mind.”