Epilepsy: It’s a Killer, but So What?
Gavin Hogarth
AuthorHouse UK (Apr 5, 2018)
Softcover $25.95 (52pp)
978-1-5462-8724-7
Epilepsy is an insightful personal portrait of what it’s like to live with the condition.
Gavin Hogarth knows the devastating consequences of suddenly hitting the ground at sixty miles an hour as the result of an epileptic seizure. Epilepsy is Hogarth’s story of his day-to-day life as an epileptic whose attitude of acceptance and courage allows him to laugh in the face of pain.
An intimate glimpse of a little-understood condition, the book includes graphic images of injuries suffered as the result
of falls and accidents during seizures. A good portion of the narrative recalls trips to the hospital, as well as treatments for the condition and related injuries; these scenes become redundant. Hogarth is shown dealing with the medical system and the ignorance of the public. Despite the difficulties he encounters, he tries to maintain an upbeat attitude.
Hogarth’s experiences with others, from his mother to medical professionals, are marked by kindness and respect; he
has an especially warm relationship with his caregiver. The book’s representation of such characters is otherwise flat,
though; the easy banter that characterizes their interactions is repetitive. The narrative is mostly focused on Hogarth’s actions and reactions to what happens.
The book is keen on highlighting a serious and potentially deadly problem that people with seizure disorders can face, above and beyond the injuries that result from falls: the epileptic’s vulnerability to harm from an ignorant and
sometimes hostile public while having a seizure. Hogarth gives a blow-by-blow account of how such ignorance can
escalate into a dangerous situation.
“Most of the time, people think you are either an alcoholic or a drug addict,” he writes. “I have been punched in the
face and kicked violently in my stomach and face. I have been spat on as well—all while I was lying down on the
floor.” While revealing these painful and embarrassing incidents can heighten public awareness, the book misses an
opportunity to tell people how to distinguish an epileptic seizure from a response to drugs or alcohol, and enumerate
what might be done to help someone having a seizure in a public place.
While written in a friendly, conversational tone that makes for easy reading, the scene-based narrative moves briskly, taking note of events and stating the facts without long commentaries; above all, it shows how Hogarth manages to keep alive his sense of humor, courage, and enthusiasm for life despite
the problems he faces. Epilepsy is an insightful personal portrait of what it’s like to live with the condition.
KRISTINE MORRIS (August 14, 2018)