Two Books that Should be on Every Migraineur’s Coffee Table

If you could only choose two books to have on your coffee table, or to have handy when company comes over, what would they be?  Here are my two suggestions for migraineurs:

1. Migraine Expressions:  A Creative Journey through Life with Migraine:  Migraine Expressions is really designed to be a coffee table type book.  It’s a large, colourful, beautifully designed hardcover.

   Many people don’t understand the impact of migraine disease, and what a large community migraineurs make up.  They don’t understand how migraine destroys life, and how much migraineurs want to fight back.

   This book will give your guests quick pictures to look at that illustrate the agony of migraine, but it will also give them poems and prose to read if they’re relaxing for the evening.  (Full review here. Migraine Expressions is available at amazon.com or amazon.co.uk.)

2. Migraine Art: The Migraine Experience from Within:  At first this may sound like the same kind of book.  And yes, both books are filled with full colour art showing migraine symptoms and the impact of migraine.

   So why would you want both?

   Migraine Art comes from a very different perspective than Migraine Expressions.  Migraine Expressions gives a voice to the migraine community.  Migraine Art, on the other hand, is scientific research.

   If your friends think you’re the only one who has your crazy symptoms, they’re in for a surprise.

   First, they’ll find the names of two doctors on the cover – Dr. Klaus Podoll (a physician and researcher) wrote the book along with Derek Robinson (long time migraine art expert).  Plus there’s a forward by Dr. Oliver Sacks, famous for his migraine research and the work that became known to the world in the movie Awakenings.

   Next, your friends will see page after page of documented, researched symptoms of migraine.  They’ll see fascinating illustrations in each category.  They will find out that most likely some people have symptoms even more strange than yours.  (What is the strangest symptom, anyway?  That may be a topic for another post!)

   This is a medical reference book, so not for casual reading.  But the scientific aspect is what makes it so different and valuable.  At the same time it’s easy enough to flip through that your guests will find it interesting.

   (Full review here.  Available at amazon.com and amazon.co.uk)

   

One more note.  Because of the topic, these books are at times harsh and graphic in their art and descriptions.  So it may not be a book you’ll want your neighbour’s 6 year old flipping through.

But if you really want your friends to understand migraine, sometimes you have to be blunt.  These books can do the work for you.