The Broken Brains book launch in Canberra will be a homecoming for Jamila Rizvi.
The Canberra-born broadcaster, public speaker, author and social policy expert, banded together with her good friend author, comedian, podcaster and public speaker Rosie Waterland to put pen to paper.
The very personal book delves into physical brain health and mental brain health, and how they coexist in two very different spaces.
Hosted by Kingston-based bookstore The Book Cow, Broken Brains will be launched at East Hotel on Tuesday 13 May,
At the age of 31, Rizvi was diagnosed with a rare brain tumour, while for Waterland, after a childhood of abuse and neglect, she dealt with significant trauma symptoms for years.
Rizvi told CD she was glad to be returning to the nation’s capital.
“[It’s] the absolute best. I always have such a great time when I’m in Canberra because it feels like home – it still feels like home even though it’s been 20 years since I lived there,” she said.
“Nothing compares to going back to where you came from.”
Rizvi said with the Canberra audience always being “engaged and switched on”, she was excited for the conversations the launch would spur.
During her time in Canberra, she studied at the Australian National University and worked in politics, including for then-Prime Minister Kevin Rudd’s media unit and as a youth policy adviser in Minister Kate Ellis’s office – she was one of the youngest people ever to work as a Chief of Staff to a federal minister.
While Broken Brains was originally set for release in 2021, the co-authors said the longer time to process things and write their stories made for a better book.
“For me it’s closer to being able to write from a scar rather than a wound,” Rizvi said.
“More perspective and hopefully a better book for the people reading it.
“I think both of us have been able to bring the experience of being in the moment but also having the experience to analyse it was useful.”
Rizvi said while there were some heavy topics discussed in the book, there was also a lighter side.
“I think it can be easy when you see a book that is about one person’s brain surgeries and the other person’s very challenging time after experiencing childhood trauma to be a pretty rough read,” she said.
“But I want to ensure people it’s not – it’s full of joy, and thanks to Rosie’s humour it couldn’t have been possible to not do it together – she has an uncanny ability to bring some light to darkness.”
Waterland said the pair were grateful for the extra time to write because the book looked different now to what it would have had it been released years ago.
“Jam and I have joked that you can’t chronically unwell people – and expect not to have delays – because they become chronically unwell,” she said.
“Jam had periods of regrowth (of the tumour), and I had a mental health relapse.”
“It was extremely difficult writing this book, it was hard to visit a lot of this stuff, but I also know I learned a lot through writing this book.
“I probably reached the healthiest I’ve been as an adult with my mental health.”
Broken Brains will be launched at East Hotel, Kingston, on 13 May, from 6-8pm, and will include a Q&A session and book signing. Tickets can be purchased at https://events.humanitix.com/book-launch-broken-brains-by-jamila-rizvi-and-rosie-waterland
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