Mindy H. (Mindy) reviewed on 9/6/2007 + 71 more book reviews

Helpful Score: 5

I first heard about this book when the author, Oliver Sacks, did an interview on NPR (National Public Radio). He had many interesting things to say, including the story that forms the title of this book. Upon reading the story, I was struck by the fact that the retelling of the story has a different tone than the actual printed version: neither bad nor good, just different. Dr. Sacks gave himself a far more active role in the radio version than in the printed version.

Overall, the book's stories are fascinating. However.....a big However: the author writes with a very clinical tone. I've been in the medical field for 22 years and found the going rather heavy at times. The typical layperson will probably do a lot more skimming through the tough stuff, but all in all, it is a fascinating look at what can go wrong in the human mind, yet life goes on.

Another note: The first copyright of this book is 1971; therefore, today's reader may encounter various terms (as applied to race and mental illness) which may be somewhat offensive. Keep in mind that context is everything!

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