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4.11 AVERAGE
4.11 AVERAGE
adventurous
hopeful
informative
reflective
medium-paced
Many people would consider Oliver Sacks to be one of the greatest neurologists of the past century. Born in London in 1933, he moved to the U.S. at a young age. He intensely studied rare phenomena, devoted his life to discovering and describing the challenging experiences of people with debilitating neurological conditions, and ultimately transformed the way that we look at the brain and its individual and dynamic qualities.
Sacks was a man "on the move." He was enthusiastic and highly intelligent, although often scatterbrained, and knew early in his career that working face to face with people and listening to their stories was a better fit for him than burying himself in a laboratory. He traveled, worked in a variety of neurology fields, and passionately studied a wide range of disorders from color blindness and prosopagnosia to autism and phantom limb pain. Most importantly, he sought to understand the individual people he studied -- their personalities, experiences, perceptions and fears.
In his memoir about his life, which was published before he died earlier this year of advanced stage cancer, Sacks describes the various phases of his career, his inspirations for his many books and essays, his intellectual growth, as well as events in his personal life -- discovering his own sexuality, experimenting with drugs, understanding his family dynamics, and meeting many treasured friends along the way.
The story is a little disjointed and lacks direction at times, but perhaps it was intended to be that way, as Sacks himself seemed to be at a loss for organization and direction at various points in his life. I found it surprising that Sacks reflects very little on himself and his own through processes in this book, while he spent so much of his career trying to understand the thoughts and perceptions of others. Perhaps that's just the kind of person he was: he was a listener and a thinker more than a talker or teacher.
It was hard to stay engaged in the story line at times, but I do feel intrigued to read the rest of his books after learning about Sacks' inspiration and life events. As a psychology major myself, and after having taken many neuroscience courses, the most interesting chapter to me was "A New Vision of the Mind," in which Sacks describes his changing perception of the brain's processing and the theories of some of his contemporaries (such as Edelman's theory of "neural Darwinism"). However, I felt that the book ended rather abruptly. The final chapter is the shortest, and there seems to be a lack of closure for a famous neurologist's final book. There was no description of what it's like living with a terminal illness, and no reflections or connections back to younger days or the theme of "on the move." Overall, though, I enjoyed hearing more about Sacks' personal life and the many phases of his exciting and dynamic career.
Sacks was a man "on the move." He was enthusiastic and highly intelligent, although often scatterbrained, and knew early in his career that working face to face with people and listening to their stories was a better fit for him than burying himself in a laboratory. He traveled, worked in a variety of neurology fields, and passionately studied a wide range of disorders from color blindness and prosopagnosia to autism and phantom limb pain. Most importantly, he sought to understand the individual people he studied -- their personalities, experiences, perceptions and fears.
In his memoir about his life, which was published before he died earlier this year of advanced stage cancer, Sacks describes the various phases of his career, his inspirations for his many books and essays, his intellectual growth, as well as events in his personal life -- discovering his own sexuality, experimenting with drugs, understanding his family dynamics, and meeting many treasured friends along the way.
The story is a little disjointed and lacks direction at times, but perhaps it was intended to be that way, as Sacks himself seemed to be at a loss for organization and direction at various points in his life. I found it surprising that Sacks reflects very little on himself and his own through processes in this book, while he spent so much of his career trying to understand the thoughts and perceptions of others. Perhaps that's just the kind of person he was: he was a listener and a thinker more than a talker or teacher.
It was hard to stay engaged in the story line at times, but I do feel intrigued to read the rest of his books after learning about Sacks' inspiration and life events. As a psychology major myself, and after having taken many neuroscience courses, the most interesting chapter to me was "A New Vision of the Mind," in which Sacks describes his changing perception of the brain's processing and the theories of some of his contemporaries (such as Edelman's theory of "neural Darwinism"). However, I felt that the book ended rather abruptly. The final chapter is the shortest, and there seems to be a lack of closure for a famous neurologist's final book. There was no description of what it's like living with a terminal illness, and no reflections or connections back to younger days or the theme of "on the move." Overall, though, I enjoyed hearing more about Sacks' personal life and the many phases of his exciting and dynamic career.
adventurous
informative
medium-paced
adventurous
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
relaxing
medium-paced
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
I must admit that before seeing that NPR’s Science Friday had a book club and that the inaugural selection was On the Move, I had no idea who Oliver Sacks is. Working in the public library, I had seen Musicophilia come in a while back and its subject immediately piqued my curiosity. I was working on several other things at the time and so added it to my “To Read” list on Goodreads. Knowing a bit more about the eminent Mr. Sacks now it appears that there will be several other books I will have to add to the list.
What I find most striking about Sacks is not his vast knowledge of neurology and a myriad of other subjects but his eye for people. He seems to me, to be one of those individuals who can see right into a person without losing his sense of the entire being. Medical science could use a few more like him.
The book is not only a list of the events Sacks has witnessed, which span World War II to California culture in the 60s to the 21st century in New York. It is also, very much, a catalog of his relationships with a wide array of people, both in and out of the sciences.
You’ll also find stories that make Sacks very human. Memoirs, real memoirs, are not works of self-aggrandisement. Sacks’ willingness to show less than dignifying moments makes him more accessible. For example, he relays a couple of examples of road rage from his early days as a motorcycle enthusiast. He chased down a vehicle that had almost knocked him off the road only to realize that it was just a bunch of scared kids. This brought to mind a similar incident I experienced. I once got so angry at someone on the road that I attempted to throw a large tea out the car window at another driver. Fortunately for both of us, the window was closed. The other driver got away without injury and I decided that I would no longer listen to heavy metal while driving and that road rage was stupid.
He spoke of experimenting with drugs in the 60s and 70s and how, one time, he experienced a completely auditory hallucination. What was striking about it was that it took the form of a very mundane conversation with a pair of neighbors he thought were in his living room (he was in the kitchen preparing lunch). When he emerged he discovered no-one was there. For me, I had to have my neck rebuilt in the mid-90s. I was given morphine for the pain. I fell asleep while reading and dreamt, rather vividly, that I had read the entire book. When I awoke I found I was really only about 100 pages in. It was the most boring dream I have ever had.
There is a lot about the endless number of subjects which have fascinated Sacks throughout his life. He has a style of writing that makes these complicated concepts understable for the average person (such as myself). I learned much more about neural mapping, Tourette’s, encephalitis, disassociated limbs, and color blindness than I thought possible just by merely touching on the subjects.
All in all, Sacks has experienced an amazing life and it shines through in his writing. The moral of the story, however seems to be that it is a grave mistake to ignore signs such as “Beware of Bull.” If you haven’t read it, McCarthy’s Bar by Pete McCarthy has a very funny example of the consequences of ignoring a similar sign. Sacks’ own bull incident does not end with a snicker. It just amazes me that both men see the sign, comprehend what it means, and choose to think it a joke. Anyway, read the book and stay away from bulls!
What I find most striking about Sacks is not his vast knowledge of neurology and a myriad of other subjects but his eye for people. He seems to me, to be one of those individuals who can see right into a person without losing his sense of the entire being. Medical science could use a few more like him.
The book is not only a list of the events Sacks has witnessed, which span World War II to California culture in the 60s to the 21st century in New York. It is also, very much, a catalog of his relationships with a wide array of people, both in and out of the sciences.
You’ll also find stories that make Sacks very human. Memoirs, real memoirs, are not works of self-aggrandisement. Sacks’ willingness to show less than dignifying moments makes him more accessible. For example, he relays a couple of examples of road rage from his early days as a motorcycle enthusiast. He chased down a vehicle that had almost knocked him off the road only to realize that it was just a bunch of scared kids. This brought to mind a similar incident I experienced. I once got so angry at someone on the road that I attempted to throw a large tea out the car window at another driver. Fortunately for both of us, the window was closed. The other driver got away without injury and I decided that I would no longer listen to heavy metal while driving and that road rage was stupid.
He spoke of experimenting with drugs in the 60s and 70s and how, one time, he experienced a completely auditory hallucination. What was striking about it was that it took the form of a very mundane conversation with a pair of neighbors he thought were in his living room (he was in the kitchen preparing lunch). When he emerged he discovered no-one was there. For me, I had to have my neck rebuilt in the mid-90s. I was given morphine for the pain. I fell asleep while reading and dreamt, rather vividly, that I had read the entire book. When I awoke I found I was really only about 100 pages in. It was the most boring dream I have ever had.
There is a lot about the endless number of subjects which have fascinated Sacks throughout his life. He has a style of writing that makes these complicated concepts understable for the average person (such as myself). I learned much more about neural mapping, Tourette’s, encephalitis, disassociated limbs, and color blindness than I thought possible just by merely touching on the subjects.
All in all, Sacks has experienced an amazing life and it shines through in his writing. The moral of the story, however seems to be that it is a grave mistake to ignore signs such as “Beware of Bull.” If you haven’t read it, McCarthy’s Bar by Pete McCarthy has a very funny example of the consequences of ignoring a similar sign. Sacks’ own bull incident does not end with a snicker. It just amazes me that both men see the sign, comprehend what it means, and choose to think it a joke. Anyway, read the book and stay away from bulls!
I had no idea that Sacks lived such an erratic life. Yes, it was extremely interesting to read about his many adventures.
I knew about his life as a neurologist, but I didn't know about his childhood in England, his education at Oxford, his days driving through Canada and the US on a motorcycle, his achievements as a power lifter in Venice Beach, and his decades living without a life partner.
But the structure of his memoir ran parallel to his impulsive, solipsistic, and obsessive life, and I just couldn't keep up with him.
I will say that I found his quest to find love as the most salient theme, and the most heartbreaking. Finding a life partner is challenging enough for someone who alternates between being shy and intense; however, being gay in the 1950s, 1960s and 1970s was torture for Sacks.
I skimmed to see if he found love and was quite happy to read that he found a life partner during his final years. But I just couldn't plow through his book after about page 140.
I have only read a handful of his essays, which I love. I will read through some of his books, and then maybe I will be more patient about "hanging out" with him through his memoir. I'm a bit frenetic myself, and I need a bit more order and calm to complement my own wandering-yet-obsessive attention span.
I knew about his life as a neurologist, but I didn't know about his childhood in England, his education at Oxford, his days driving through Canada and the US on a motorcycle, his achievements as a power lifter in Venice Beach, and his decades living without a life partner.
But the structure of his memoir ran parallel to his impulsive, solipsistic, and obsessive life, and I just couldn't keep up with him.
I will say that I found his quest to find love as the most salient theme, and the most heartbreaking. Finding a life partner is challenging enough for someone who alternates between being shy and intense; however, being gay in the 1950s, 1960s and 1970s was torture for Sacks.
I skimmed to see if he found love and was quite happy to read that he found a life partner during his final years. But I just couldn't plow through his book after about page 140.
I have only read a handful of his essays, which I love. I will read through some of his books, and then maybe I will be more patient about "hanging out" with him through his memoir. I'm a bit frenetic myself, and I need a bit more order and calm to complement my own wandering-yet-obsessive attention span.
informative
reflective
medium-paced
adventurous
informative
reflective
medium-paced
Content Warnings
Moderate: Homophobia, Sexual content, Medical content, Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Addiction, Cancer, Chronic illness, Death, Drug use, Suicidal thoughts, Terminal illness, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Vomit, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Alcohol, War