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annieb123's review against another edition
5.0
Originally published on my blog: Nonstop Reader.
And How Are You, Dr. Sacks? is an intricately crafted, honest, and fascinating memoir and biography of Dr. Oliver Sacks by nonfiction titan Lawrence Weschler. Released 13th Aug by Macmillan on their Farrar, Straus & Giroux imprint, it's 400 pages and available in hardcover, ebook, and audio formats.
The point for me with biography is that the book captures the voice of the subject. This book really made Oliver Sacks live for me. The author had an enduring friendship and access to Dr. Sacks over decades. Additionally, he had detailed notes and interviews with friends and acquaintances as well as papers, journals, and letters.
I was familiar with Dr. Sacks through his works, Awakenings, and The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat, and thought at the time that he would be a fascinating person to know. This book has cemented that to a certainty. What a fascinating man he was!
In a lot of ways, Sacks reminded me of Richard Feynman, both polymaths, both incredibly brilliant, both quite odd in a lot of ways, brutally (unwittingly?) honest, especially with people. There's also a lot of wit and humor here. The retelling of him being in a rage and, in the absence of alcohol, chugging a bottle of Worcestershire sauce which made him hiccup violently, made me giggle out loud.
This is a brilliant biography and is told with honesty, kindness, and warmth. The author is a prodigiously talented writer and the prose (even with difficult or sad subjects) is written with generosity and fairness. The story of his and his brother's experiences as children at boarding school moved me to tears.
Five stars. I recommend it unreservedly to lovers of biography, science bio, nonfiction, medical bios, etc.
Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.
And How Are You, Dr. Sacks? is an intricately crafted, honest, and fascinating memoir and biography of Dr. Oliver Sacks by nonfiction titan Lawrence Weschler. Released 13th Aug by Macmillan on their Farrar, Straus & Giroux imprint, it's 400 pages and available in hardcover, ebook, and audio formats.
The point for me with biography is that the book captures the voice of the subject. This book really made Oliver Sacks live for me. The author had an enduring friendship and access to Dr. Sacks over decades. Additionally, he had detailed notes and interviews with friends and acquaintances as well as papers, journals, and letters.
I was familiar with Dr. Sacks through his works, Awakenings, and The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat, and thought at the time that he would be a fascinating person to know. This book has cemented that to a certainty. What a fascinating man he was!
In a lot of ways, Sacks reminded me of Richard Feynman, both polymaths, both incredibly brilliant, both quite odd in a lot of ways, brutally (unwittingly?) honest, especially with people. There's also a lot of wit and humor here. The retelling of him being in a rage and, in the absence of alcohol, chugging a bottle of Worcestershire sauce which made him hiccup violently, made me giggle out loud.
This is a brilliant biography and is told with honesty, kindness, and warmth. The author is a prodigiously talented writer and the prose (even with difficult or sad subjects) is written with generosity and fairness. The story of his and his brother's experiences as children at boarding school moved me to tears.
Five stars. I recommend it unreservedly to lovers of biography, science bio, nonfiction, medical bios, etc.
Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.
caitmal's review against another edition
4.0
Fascinating subject. I’ve read a couple of Sacks’ books and his own storytelling is such a contrast to seeing how rambling conversations with him could be. Possibly because of this or because of the author’s large gap between starting and finishing the book, I found the book hard to follow at times and found myself skim reading parts to finish.
estark16's review against another edition
3.0
I have read only two of Oliver Sacks's books, but already I was very moved by how incredible this man was. Reading Lawrence Weschler's book further cemented that opinion. Weschler writes from the authority of having befriended Dr. Sacks for 30 years and offers up funny stories. It is a long read, one that tempted me to skim through particularly tedious passages, but it is worthwhile.
Thank you to NetGalley, Farrar, Straus and Giroux , and Lawrence Weschler for allowing me to access an advance release copy in exchange for my honest review.
Thank you to NetGalley, Farrar, Straus and Giroux , and Lawrence Weschler for allowing me to access an advance release copy in exchange for my honest review.
erraticeldandil's review against another edition
reflective
medium-paced
4.0
Overall, truly a character study in the highest regard. Weschler pulls on years of knowing Sacks and scores of notes and conversations to form a very human portrait of a great man. At many times I found myself relating to Sacks' neuroses which was as heartening as it was strange given the chasm of life experience between us.
Unfortunately, this was not a complete slam dunk for me, though my pieces of criticism are relatively mild. The first is that this book could have used a bit more editing in my opinion. While I appreciated the breadth of sources consulted, at times you would be regaled with the same stories out of different mouths which bloated the book a touch. In addition, reading this very soon after Everything In Its Place by Sacks was a bit misguided on my part because some of the stories Sacks tells are the same, lending to a further feeling of repetition where there was none.
The second was that Weschler seemed fixated on Sacks sexuality, pushing Sacks to be "honest" about it and seeing it as central to the whole "story arc" of the memoir. For all I know as an outsider, that could have been a completely correct evaluation of the situation. However, it still made for somewhat uncomfortable reading as someone who intimately knows the complexity of queer identification and coming out.
Unfortunately, this was not a complete slam dunk for me, though my pieces of criticism are relatively mild. The first is that this book could have used a bit more editing in my opinion. While I appreciated the breadth of sources consulted, at times you would be regaled with the same stories out of different mouths which bloated the book a touch. In addition, reading this very soon after Everything In Its Place by Sacks was a bit misguided on my part because some of the stories Sacks tells are the same, lending to a further feeling of repetition where there was none.
The second was that Weschler seemed fixated on Sacks sexuality, pushing Sacks to be "honest" about it and seeing it as central to the whole "story arc" of the memoir. For all I know as an outsider, that could have been a completely correct evaluation of the situation. However, it still made for somewhat uncomfortable reading as someone who intimately knows the complexity of queer identification and coming out.
littoface's review against another edition
5.0
I was working at the membership desk in the Museum of Natural History in NYC around 2008 when Dr. Sacks came in to renew his membership. This book has made me regret ever more not saying something, not shaking the man's hand, not telling him what an impact he had already made on me at that young age. I know now that the simple gesture would have meant more to him and to me than I ever imagined at the time. This memoir/biography is beautiful, heartfelt, and truly shines a light on the kind of person Dr. Sacks was, beyond the doctor and the writer.
jana6240's review against another edition
2.0
I think Oliver Sacks is one of the most interesting people of the 20th century, but this book was difficult to get through. I know the author started it years ago, was asked to stop, and then picked it back up - that's how it read. It didn't really have flow, and was kind of told in fits and starts. The subject matter was interesting, but I think it could have used some editing/finessing.
jenna_polan's review against another edition
3.0
Oliver Sacks has always been one of my favorite people. I devoured his books in middle school and wrote countless research papers on his work in college. When I came across this book, I was overjoyed and couldn't wait to read it. However, it was so difficult for me to remain interested. It's clear that the author has a strong personal connection to Oliver, through the stories he tells, but it feels so disjointed. The personal tidbits and stories do not lend themselves to a book of this length. After a few chapters, I felt I had already gleamed much of what the book was trying to convey.
megggriffin's review against another edition
4.0
I read one book by Dr. Sacks when I was in high school. It was fascinating, but I was also at an age that I didn't really feel the need to explore more into the background of the author. When this book came across Netgalley, I immediately picked it up given how much I enjoyed The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat.
What I came to realize is that Oliver Sacks is a fascinating man. He subverts everything I think of when I think of scientist. Sacks road motorcycles and took so many drugs. Yet he was brilliant and loved, and the author clearly had a great relationship with him.
The book does suffer a bit because it was written and put down several times and feels that way. It just occasionally has flow issues and feels a bit a repetitive. But the author definitely cares for Oliver Sacks and does his life justice in this book. And in the end, I definitely will give more of Sacks' books a try.
What I came to realize is that Oliver Sacks is a fascinating man. He subverts everything I think of when I think of scientist. Sacks road motorcycles and took so many drugs. Yet he was brilliant and loved, and the author clearly had a great relationship with him.
The book does suffer a bit because it was written and put down several times and feels that way. It just occasionally has flow issues and feels a bit a repetitive. But the author definitely cares for Oliver Sacks and does his life justice in this book. And in the end, I definitely will give more of Sacks' books a try.