Just remembered, out of the blue) a book I loved when I was about 14, called
The Soul of Anna Klane by Terrel Miedaner.
www.amazon.co.uk/Soul-Anna-Klane-Terrel-...e+soul+of+anna+klane
I can't find a proper synopsis - just other readers' opinions of it, so from memory , the story line is as follows.
Anna's a highly intelligent and lively young girl whose father is a brain surgeon (I think - it's 36 years since I read it!).
It's discovered that she has a brain tumour. She determines that in deep meditation, she's able to control her inner workings and cut off the blood supply to the tumour, and hence kill it off. But the courts dictate its surgical removal instead, very much against the wishes of Anna & her father.
The operation appears to be a success, in that the tumour's eradicated and Anna's intelligence is intact.
But she's missing something from her essence, which is immediately noticeable to her dad (I can't remember whether or not her mother is around in the story) who describes her ability to achieve brilliant scores in tests as no different to an inanimate computer.
He takes the authorities who enforced the operation to court for the murder of his daughter's soul, which necessitates his proving the existence of 'the soul'.
Just ordered a used copy for 1p + P&P, & can't wait to read it again. I recall sitting on Chorley bus station, waiting for a bus home from school, and letting about 4 of them come & go, because I absolutely couldn't bear to stop reading.
