Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.87 AVERAGE
3.87 AVERAGE
Oliver Sacks may have been a great neurologist, but he was a terrible writer. The case histories are interesting (thus, he gets an extra star), but he cannot resist using three or four or five or six or seven (see what I did there?) adjectives where one would suffice. Here is an example: "Each of us is a singular narrative, which is constructed, continually, unconsciously, by, through, and in us – through our perceptions, our feelings, our thoughts, our actions; and, not least, our discourse, our spoken narrations." Just about every sentence is like that.
He also makes obscure references without any explanation. For example, he says that a patient has lost his or her "soul" and that "what remains is subhuman, of no moment or interest." Why would a neurologist dehumanize his patients like this and never explain what he means by "soul"?
Anyway, the main problem with this book is the continual listing, cataloguing, enumerating, classifying, and rambling that occurs in virtually, almost, nearly every meandering sentence. It gets tiresome, boring, tedious, dull, irritating, repetitious, and monotonous quickly, rapidly, in a hurry...
He also makes obscure references without any explanation. For example, he says that a patient has lost his or her "soul" and that "what remains is subhuman, of no moment or interest." Why would a neurologist dehumanize his patients like this and never explain what he means by "soul"?
Anyway, the main problem with this book is the continual listing, cataloguing, enumerating, classifying, and rambling that occurs in virtually, almost, nearly every meandering sentence. It gets tiresome, boring, tedious, dull, irritating, repetitious, and monotonous quickly, rapidly, in a hurry...
informative
medium-paced
A classic of the genre and a fascinating read yet very much a product of its time.
I would note that this book provides a very interesting insight into the diversity of human experience however, Sacks uses many of these cases to wax philosophical about what makes us human and sometimes crosses the line into dehumanization of the patients.
I would note that this book provides a very interesting insight into the diversity of human experience however, Sacks uses many of these cases to wax philosophical about what makes us human and sometimes crosses the line into dehumanization of the patients.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Ableism
informative
medium-paced
This book is old with outdated language (I flinched every time he described a patient as a “retard”) and filled with complicated scientific words that I didn’t recognize. Those negatives aside, the stories were interesting and the author does a magnificent job of highlighting the patients’ humanity and abilities, especially the ones that society has written off.
informative
reflective
medium-paced
informative
informative
reflective
medium-paced
challenging
informative
reflective
medium-paced
informative
reflective
medium-paced
Interessante, i casi a volte sono così impensabili ed interessanti che a volte sembrano finti.
I post scriptum sono molto tecnici e un po' difficili da seguire ma non per colpa dell'autore ma mia mancanza di conoscenze.
Forse un po' troppo filosofico per i miei gusti, cioè dopo un po' che leggo i ragionamenti non ci sto dietro e sento solo che sta vomitando parole (vedi il capitolo dei Gemelli). Gli ultimi capitoli volevo dropparlo e non l'ho fatto quasi solo perché mancava poco, avrei gradito fosse stato più narrativo
I post scriptum sono molto tecnici e un po' difficili da seguire ma non per colpa dell'autore ma mia mancanza di conoscenze.
Forse un po' troppo filosofico per i miei gusti, cioè dopo un po' che leggo i ragionamenti non ci sto dietro e sento solo che sta vomitando parole (vedi il capitolo dei Gemelli). Gli ultimi capitoli volevo dropparlo e non l'ho fatto quasi solo perché mancava poco, avrei gradito fosse stato più narrativo
informative
inspiring
fast-paced