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4.06 AVERAGE
4.06 AVERAGE
informative
reflective
fast-paced
Good intro for those interested in neuro
I can't finish this book. The chapter on Stephen completely ruined it for me, I was livid by the end. What rank, dehumanizing bullshit. The author is so disrespectful and condescending, CONSTANTLY using words like retarded and mentally defective, and going so far as to say that Stephen's incredible artistic abilities don't count towards a "self", because he can't conceive that Stephen has any such thing. Disgusting to still see professionals look at autistic people as less than fully human or alive.
i love his almost narrative style of writing, and the collaboration of analytical scientific content and this clear empathy for all of his cases makes each one engaging to read. this is my second of his works, coming from the man who mistook his wife for a hat, so having longer studies into each individual was really engaging to me. he’s great at painting a full portrait of the far reaches of the brain, and i’m looking forward to reading more of his works :-)
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
reflective
slow-paced
a beautiful book, when im aware enough, im in awe of the synthesis and intimacy of observation it took to write this book. each tale is memorable, something something humans are delightfully weird
this dude fucking loves the word prodigious
I was interested in the people's stories and personal lives but it got too technical for me that it felt like I was reading a textbook, not in a fun way. which may just mean I'm stupid 👍🏼
I was interested in the people's stories and personal lives but it got too technical for me that it felt like I was reading a textbook, not in a fun way. which may just mean I'm stupid 👍🏼
emotional
informative
reflective
slow-paced
Here within is presented seven primary individuals, six of which are men, though many others are mentioned in passing. Their stories are written in a way that's between a case study and narrative. Their neurological differences are as follows: a man who has achromatopsia, achromatic vision; a man for whom a tumor destroyed much of his brain; a surgeon with Tourette's; a man who gains the ability to see in his fifties; a guy who is obsessed with and forced to ruminate on and depict his childhood town in perfect detail; an artistic autistic savant of moderate functioning; and the woman who is probably still the most well-known spokesperson for autism, Temple Grandin.
As the author, Oliver Sacks, was a neurologist, all of these have to do with atypical brain function. The greatest commonality among them is anosognosia, which is the lack of insight into their own dysfunction, and in many cases rejecting or being indifferent to their dysfunction. Another commonality is that Sacks consistently refers to the various conditions as being similar to encephalitis.
The cases are presented in a way that's both naturalistic and detached, so that they're mostly about the life of the person being described and how their differences affect their lives rather than being mostly about the dysfunction itself. Sometimes he injects his own personal opinions or a brief anecdote about himself, but he mostly stays out of the way. The peculiarities of his own life are quite interesting as well and I'll eventually read his autobiography. As the cases are mostly about their lives, this shouldn't be read for the purpose of in-depth research of anything presented, but rather as one-off real world manifestations of theoretical constructs.
I'd sum it up as "Well, that's interesting", but not much more than that.
3.5/5
As the author, Oliver Sacks, was a neurologist, all of these have to do with atypical brain function. The greatest commonality among them is anosognosia, which is the lack of insight into their own dysfunction, and in many cases rejecting or being indifferent to their dysfunction. Another commonality is that Sacks consistently refers to the various conditions as being similar to encephalitis.
The cases are presented in a way that's both naturalistic and detached, so that they're mostly about the life of the person being described and how their differences affect their lives rather than being mostly about the dysfunction itself. Sometimes he injects his own personal opinions or a brief anecdote about himself, but he mostly stays out of the way. The peculiarities of his own life are quite interesting as well and I'll eventually read his autobiography. As the cases are mostly about their lives, this shouldn't be read for the purpose of in-depth research of anything presented, but rather as one-off real world manifestations of theoretical constructs.
I'd sum it up as "Well, that's interesting", but not much more than that.
3.5/5
informative
slow-paced
informative
medium-paced
adventurous
Though a bit out of date now (as one may very well expect from narrative neurology non-fiction published in the 90’s, but the work remains quite enlightened in many areas in my opinion, even today), nonetheless a fascinating read. I’ve no doubt the author has been a superb guide for many through a world of varied neurotypes, and he does appear to display a great compassion with his subjects. Of course my true love, being-environment-interfacing, thirsts for the knowing, for glimmers of insight into such experiences as chronicled in the book so I simply had to have this one in my back pocket. Although reading perspectives ‘from the mouth of the horse’ will remain my go to and first recommendation, as mentioned earlier I think the good doctor has done a quite fine job in guiding the curiosity of those perhaps without access or unwilling to dig into such accounts. I especially enjoy the synthesis of specific diverse experiences along with the (as I perceived it) rough time to space gradient organization with the chapters.
If you’ve read this, I’d love to discuss it with you! What are some neurology focused disability studies books you’d recommend?
If you’ve read this, I’d love to discuss it with you! What are some neurology focused disability studies books you’d recommend?