A review by lory_enterenchanted
The Diving Bell and the Butterfly by Jean-Dominique Bauby

challenging dark emotional funny hopeful informative inspiring lighthearted reflective sad

5.0

Yes, I checked "sad" and "dark" AND "funny" and "lighthearted" on this one -- it's an extraordinary document of the indomitable spirit of a man who becomes completely "locked in" to his paralyzed body, and yet retains the curiosity, humor, and warmth to write a book about the experience that is uplifting rather than depressing. All of us who retain the use of our limbs and senses must feel the obligation, upon learning how much he could do with so little capacity, to make better use of our time and our life, of the freedom we so often sleep through. This is a book I want to read again and to press upon others, in a world that desperately needs to free itself from self-inflicted chains of the mind and spirit.