I tend to read mostly fiction, or non-fiction that engages me as much as a novel. Into the Gray Zone was a pleasure to read all the way through.

I had read in the news at some point that researchers had found a way to communicate with brain-damaged people who were otherwise entirely unresponsive, who were thought to be totally locked in. Reading at some length about the process of refining that ability to communicate, which didn't work at all on some patients, is fascinating.

As a reader, I imagined myself unable to speak or indicate what I was feeling or needed, and then the amazing moment when that barrier was somehow broken through and I could finally, after years, answer a question about what was in my mind.

Fantastic research, and a very enjoyable read, even about such a heartbreaking topic (because the scientific breakthroughs could not be carried home by the patients' families, and thus they became and stayed silent again. The author uses perhaps more exclamation points than I'm used to in an erudite book, but I came to experience those exclamations as a sign of the writer's justified ebullience.

I really enjoyed this title. I had some preconceived ideas of what the author would discover, some of them ending up being true, others did not. My brother was in a coma and I based many of my ideas of what I would read on his experiences. I realize that being in a vegetative state is not the same as being comatose, but many of the ideas of what is happening with the comatose brain, are also true of the vegetative brain, according to this author. This is interesting, eye opening information. I really enjoyed reading about the discoveries of this author.

I received a free electronic copy of this book from Netgalley, Adrian Owen, and Scribner in exchange for an honest review. Thank you all, for sharing your hard work with me.

Adrian Owen outlines and details his work with patients suffering neurological damage due to accident or illness over the last 29 years, the equipment and processes used to recognize consciousness in those persons diagnosed as being in a vegetative state. This was a hard book to read. In our world we get used to happily-ever-after. We see it in our books and our films, those adult fairy tales that carry the day.

Every inch of progress made in neuroscience was hard fought on several fronts - general perception, funding, equipment. But these scientists have climbed those unknown mountains, and found many positives for those suffering injury, Parkinson's or Alzheimer's, and found new ways to communicate with people in the Grey Zone. What a wonderful breakthrough!

Admittedly, non-fiction books about anything medical seem to be a siren song for me; I find them boundless fascinating. Having read and loved Being Mortal, The Remedy, and My Own Country, I was immediately drawn to this one. Matthew Owen, a neuroscientist, embarked into a career to explore, learn, and hopefully discover what occurs in a patient's brain when diagnosed as being in a 'vegetative state.' Throughout the book, he intersperses real life patient stories, discussions of his own personal life and experiences with the medical world, as well as the head injury of the woman he once loved. I found his patient stories the most fascinating, with many "wow" moments as more and more of the gray zone was opened up to Owens and his fellow scientists, as both technology and learning progress continued to expand. At times, the medical-ese stumped me and got a bit dry, but Owens was able to jump back into a narrative pace that helped bring the story alive to someone like me, fascinated with medicine but a complete dunce when it comes to the science of it all. For those people who are impacted by a brain trauma, who work with children or adults with brain injuries, or for those other people like me who are just suckers for a good medical mystery, this book is a great choice.

Stunning Achievement

There are endless ways to damage ourselves. There are endless ways to damage our brains, possibly the most frightening condition of all. Because we are our brains – our awareness, our consciousness, our personalities. In The Gray Zone examines those minds trapped in their unmoving bodies, still able to observe, retain and exist. But on the outside, no one knows that. Without intending to, neuroscientist Adrian Owen has spent a lifetime discovering how to penetrate those immobile presences, and actually communicate with some of them. It is a very upbeat voyage of discovery, emotionally told. Owen makes it not just bearable but fascinating. It is very difficult to stop reading.

His own relationships were fraught with brain damage – that of his mother and his ex. His own childhood was marred by the medical torture of cancer. But the unshakeable enthusiasm, joy at discovery and excitement of at achievements large and small have made for a breakthrough career, and a clear acceleration towards the day when brains will be able to communicate.

The stories are of men and women of all ages, seemingly vegetative. Owen’s early research on the brain led him to the realization that different thoughts are processed in different areas, because our brains are that specialized. There is a place in the brain that does nothing but process places, and another that does nothing but process actions. If you think of a place where you took action, your brain will hand off the thought from one section to the other. Owen’s breakthrough idea was to put vegetative patients in an fMRI scanner and tell them to think of an action (playing tennis) for “no” or walking through their home for “yes”. The live scans now possible show the various areas of the brain light up in response to yes/no questions, proving these inanimate people are still in there, still aware, still fighting. Possibly one in five is conscious enough to provide this sort of “conversation”.

More remarkable, perhaps, is that some recover. Owen has had face to face conversations with patients who remember his experiments. Their experiences, their observations, and their trials are beyond gripping – they are heart-rending.

The lesson, if there is one, is to treat vegetative patients with total respect. They want to know names, titles and roles. They want explanations of what treatment they are about to receive. The pointless chatter and undeserved reinforcement is very much appreciated if not critical to their potential appreciation and quality of life.

Into the Gray Zone is a shock and an inspiration. There are surprises at every turn. There is suspense, success, failure and reward. It is a book of life.

David Wineberg

Thank You Net Galley for the Free ARC.

Fascinating book about people in the vegetative state. Owen has tried for a life time to figure out ways to "talk" to people who are locked into a coma and seem to be unresponsive. He has played them Hitchcock movies, let them listen to voices, had them imagine playing soccer and so on. Amazingly, he received responses from many.