Skip to Main Content

My Famous Brain

A Novel

Published by She Writes Press
Distributed by Simon & Schuster

About The Book

“My brain was famous, but I was not. Not every gifted child invents a pollutant-free fuel, paints a masterpiece, or finds the cure for cancer,” Jack MacLeod tells us. “Some of us just live out our lives.” Jack died in 1974; now, he’s ready to narrate his story from beyond the grave.

Jack’s prodigious memory, which allows him to memorize books, and his penchant for psychic connections give him unusual insights into the events of his past life and make him fiercely curious about his current state of existence. Jack immerses us in interconnected tales of his childhood participation in a research study on the intellectually gifted, his dual career as a clinical psychologist and university professor, his participation in the unmasking of an unscrupulous colleague, his long-term health issues, his brief but life-changing love affair with a student, his deep friendship with another man, and his eventual acceptance and celebration of the circumstances of his fate. How Jack dies, and how he deals with the murder of someone close to him, mirrors how he has lived and grown, and marks the significance of everyone and everything that ultimately brings him to yet another level of brilliance.

About The Author

Diane Wald was born in Paterson, NJ, and has lived in Massachusetts since 1972. She holds an MFA from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst. She has published more than 250 poems in literary magazines since 1966. She spent two years on a fellowship at the Fine Arts Work Center in Provincetown and has been awarded the Grolier Poetry Prize, The Denny Award, The Open Voice Award, and the Anne Halley Award. She also received a state grant from the Massachusetts Council on the Arts. She has published five chapbooks and won the Green Lake Chapbook Award from Owl Creek Press. Her book Lucid Suitcase was published by Red Hen Press in 1999 and her second book, The Yellow Hotel, was published by Verse Press in the fall of 2002. WONDERBENDER, her third collection, was published by 1913 Press. She lives outside of Boston with her husband, Carey Reid, and their charismatic cats.

Product Details

  • Publisher: She Writes Press (October 5, 2021)
  • Length: 328 pages
  • ISBN13: 9781647422066

Browse Related Books

Raves and Reviews

2022 Readers’ Favorite Book Awards Bronze Medal Winner in Fiction (Visionary)
2022 16th Annual National Indie Excellence Awards in New Fiction and Visionary Fiction
2022 Next Generation Indie Book Awards Finalist in General Fiction/Novel
2022 Next Generation Indie Book Awards Finalist in Paranormal
2022 IPPY Awards Silver Winner in Visionary/New Age Fiction
2022 Book Excellence Awards Finalist in Fiction
2022 Independent Press Awards Distinguished Favorite in Visionary Fiction
2021 International Book Awards Finalist in Fiction: Literary
2021 Best Book Awards Finalist in Fiction: Visionary
2021 NYC Big Book Awards Winner in Visionary Fiction
2021 Firebird Book Awards First Place Winner in New Adult Fiction
2021 Firebird Book Awards First Place Winner in Speculative Fiction
2021 Firebird Book Awards First Place Winner in Visionary Fiction
2021 Firebird Book Awards Second Place Winner in Paranormal
2021 Foreword Indie Bronze Winner in General


“Wald’s evocative novel manages to deftly capture the mood and myriad voices of the academic world; however, it also narrows its focus to delve deeply into the sensitive mind of its introspective protagonist . . . [Wald is] a writer who understands timing as much as she does a beautifully crafted sentence. A sensitive and moody take on personal connections between loved ones.”
Kirkus Reviews

“Author Diane Wald has crafted a truly intriguing slice of life drama which chronicles some quite incredible events and teaches us the value of observation of others and the effects caused to other people by how we live our lives.”
Readers’ Favorite

“Impressively original, extraordinarily clever, inherently fascinating, and deftly scripted . . . an extraordinary fictional biography laced through and through with elements of the metaphysical . . . highly recommended.”
Midwest Book Review

“Masterfully combining the human and soul experience in one voice, Diane Wald brings to life a character from the beyond who knows how to be present in his past with the wisdom and insight of the afterlife. A must-read for anyone needing a reminder of the preciousness of life.”
—Christina Rasmussen, best-selling author of Where Did You Go?

“Diane Wald is a fantastic storyteller with the ear of a poet. My Famous Brain is an enthrallingly complex, layered story where relationships and loves are like feedback loops in a fallen-down house of time. Deceased narrator Jack MacLeod suffers a brain tumor and exists between headache and heartache, where, he says, “the mysteries of the universe open up to me like waterlilies in the sunlight.” He shuffles his memories, loves, and fears, searching for communion, connection, and empathy. This is a novel about what it is to be alive or dead, and to experience time as it moves through the body.”
—Patrick Lawler, author of Rescuers of Skydivers Search Among the Clouds and The Meaning of If

“Diane Wald’s literary ability lifts the reader into an empathic relationship with each character. Her development of these characters’ relationships, not only with humans but also with precious animals, gives the reader the ability to feel—something our society desperately needs. This novel tells the story of a most intriguing man, and the plot twists and turns never fail to show how various lives come together to create the fullness of one life.”
—Annette Daloia Scanlon, Social Worker in Hospice & Palliative Care in Human & Veterinary Medicine

“A compelling, challenging, and utterly gripping tale. . . . Wald’s prose is lush, and she beautifully humanizes her characters.”
The Prairies Book Review

“Wald’s unique art of storytelling will immerse you in this witty, profound, and heartbreaking tale. A simply inspiring read . . . original, real, and poignantly memorable.”
—Lukanyo Mbanga, Reedsy Discovery

“[P]oignant and utterly engrossing . . . cunningly plotted and told in a fascinating, irresistible voice . . . a highly enthralling and complex tale . . . deft and balanced . . . nuanced and filled with wisdom.”
The Book Commentary

Resources and Downloads

High Resolution Images

More books from this author: Diane Wald