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A review by joymerryn
The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat by Oliver Sacks
3.5
I can imagine how significant this book was in the time that it was published. A time in which objective and biological accounts of mental disorders were the norm, excluding the stories and perspectives of the patients themselves. His approach in helping his patients manage their conditions is the framework of how treatments are administered today, with the goals and perspectives of the patient prioritised (for example, respecting Mrs O.C’s wishes in not taking anticonvulsants for the seizures she experienced triggering auditory hallucinations - ch.15). I definitely enjoyed the second half of the book more where there is emphasis on embracing these impairments rather than viewing them as problems to be fixed.
My issues with this book - it was difficult to follow this book in its entirety as it disjointed with no link between the different types of disorders explored - I compare this to another book of his that I enjoyed, Hallucinations, where different types of hallucinations are explored; in this book there is a clear theme and was more readable as a result. I did like reading part four of the book, but his perception of the subjects as “simple” people and also, at times, not even considering them as people but something else was insensitive and uncomfortable to read (though I do understand that the time in which it was written was different in its treatment of mentally impaired individuals).
My issues with this book - it was difficult to follow this book in its entirety as it disjointed with no link between the different types of disorders explored - I compare this to another book of his that I enjoyed, Hallucinations, where different types of hallucinations are explored; in this book there is a clear theme and was more readable as a result. I did like reading part four of the book, but his perception of the subjects as “simple” people and also, at times, not even considering them as people but something else was insensitive and uncomfortable to read (though I do understand that the time in which it was written was different in its treatment of mentally impaired individuals).