The Man Who Mistook His Wife For A Hat: And Other Clinical Tales

Started off strong but got progressively more clinical until the last chapter where I felt like I understood 1 in 3 words at best. And also this book was published in the 80s so a lottttttt of savior complex towards disabled people and words that are today considered slurs. That got pretty exhausting.

Much of this book is a five-star read. The conditions are fascinating, and the case studies are interesting. However, at times, it gets so clinical that my eyes (and brain) glazed over while reading. Then, the entire last section used so much outdated terminology regarding intellectual disabilities that it was hard to take. It also had an attitude that seemed surprised that those patients had abilities and worth of their own. He did come to what I would consider the proper conclusion that people with intellectual disabilities should be valued and honored, but it took some time to get there. I know it was a different time, but it's still bothersome to see.

quite chill

Repetitive and overwrought, but also of course astonishing and extravagant and humane. Quirky case-study format and title suggest a voyeuristic pop sci jaunt, but it’s deadly serious, theoretically couched, concerned with the poor buggers’ well-being. He’s against “mindless neurology and bodiless psychology”, the cognitive elitism and relegation of emotion and spirit of his field. “Disease is not always just an affliction, but sometimes a proud engine of altered states” – so we see a man with severe Tourette’s is an excellent pro jazz drummer, a woman with debilitating migraines is the polymath Hildegard of Bingen. Sacks has a funny habit of using philosophers’ names as misrepresentative pejoratives – a man with radical amnesia is a ‘Humean’ (: a flow of unrelated sensations), a woman who loses sense of her own body has a ‘Wittgensteinian’ life (: doubting the hinge proposition ‘here is a hand’). Actually, that last one works, never mind.

Fascinating

It was a little hard for me, sometimes, relating to some of the cases

Wow, such an incredible book by Oliver Sacks. This to me was exactly what I needed especially after taking a Psycholinguistics course last semester. Due to that course, I was familiar with many of the terminologies used in the book which helped a lot. The cases presented were so interesting, and everytime I put the book down I keep on thinking of them. How complex the human brain really is. How we know so little about something that is so close to us. I really recommend this book to anyone who has an interest in Psychology or even Neurology. I will also definitely look at other books by Oliver Sacks. 5/5

Extremely fascinating :)

I had high expectations coming into this book, but unfortunately The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat didn’t live up to them. The first three parts were interesting, but not particularly well-written (at least not for a book that’s targeted at a general audience). A lot of terminology and footnotes are used which only students or professionals of the field of psychology/neurology would easily understand. At the very least a glossary could have been provided for those whose knowledge on neurology is limited. Then, I got to part four. This part was mainly about autistic people, and as an autistic person I found it extremely uncomfortable to read how these patients were treated and regarded by professionals, including Dr. Sacks himself. Dr. Sacks enforces the notion that autistic people are only worthwhile when they have a genius of some sort. He enforces the stereotype that we are “broken”, which is untrue. There were a lot of generalisations - especially in chapter 24 - such as us (autistic people) being an “island” and cut off from society, or that we have no interest in the “abstract” (my paraphrasing). Not to mention he referred to an autistic artistic girl as “highly gifted but autistic”, as if it’s a shame she’s autistic. I’m not going to give him credit for treating his autistic patients like people, because that’s how we deserve to be treated. I’m aware this was written 40 or so years ago, but it still didn’t sit right with me. Dr. Sacks is clearly an intelligent person, but I felt like this could’ve been edited better. And if you’re autistic, I’d reconsider if this is a book worth reading.

Really interesting cases, and certainly I learned about the many different variations of neurological conditions. It is important, I think, to read it through the lens of the time it was written, of course. There are word usages and interpretations of differently-abled people that, although presented as compassionately as Dr Sacks was able, still strike me as a little out-dated and dismissive. Certainly the last chapter on people on the more limiting end of the autism spectrum would be read nowadays somewhat negatively. Still I think you can see that this book, along with informing the reader about the many, many different ways that brains can work outside of the normal confines of the typical experience, also attempts to convey the humanity and potential of people who are often dismissed as defective. Generally speaking we've come a long way in regards to the way that people who aren't neurotypical are treated, and I'm sure that texts such as this have helped with the general realisation that people - regardless of their ability when compared to whatever standard is held to be 'normal' - are just people! And deserve respect and dignity based solely on that fact.

This was interesting to read but the language used was beyond me. I also COULD NOT STAND the way he spoke about people with learning difficulties, disabilities or other mental health issues. I was sick of reading the word “defective” or “retardate” or “spasticity”. I know these words were commonly used during the time this book was published but after spending most of my life being called these names in a malicious way I can’t stand to read it. One of the parts of the book is actually called “the world of the simple”. NOPE NOPE NOPE.

I don't often read non-fiction but this was our book club choice and I am so very glad it was. Sacks was a neurologist and this book was published in 1985. Here we find 20+ cases from Sacks' time working with patients as a neurologist. Each chapter is a different patient he worked with and in each we find someone wholly different from the norm but also so rich in character. The four sections that house the chapters are called 'Losses', 'Excesses', 'Transports' and 'The World of the Simple'. Here we find all different kinds of people with different neurological conditions that make them 'different'. Sacks explores their condition, their treatment and them as a person in an altogether fascinating but also loving way. It is clear that he loved his job and his patients. My favourite chapters were those from the last section, 'The World of the Simple'. Here we find four cases of people thought to be 'simple' but in fact were anything but, they had skills and were special in ways that many of us could only ever dream of being. I highly recommend this book, you go away knowing a little more about the brain but a lot more about the diverse nature of the human brain and indeed what beauty that diversity can bring!

I read about 3/4 of this book and skimmed the rest. It was super interesting, but it just wasn't really my cup of tea. I gave it three stars, as it's very well written, and some parts are super fascinating. However, it was quite medical, and while some of the cases are very interesting, I didn't feel I had enough background on the subject to fully enjoy.

This book is a fascinating collection of accounts of right-hemisphere injury and the bizarre and complex symptoms it can produce. It was written in 1985 and somehow every patient in this book has some talent or skill that makes them seem larger than life; they sing like Fischer-Dieskau, quote Tolstoy in the original, and everyone is a musician. I wonder whether the internet has made people so much less cultured that these patients now seem unreal to the reader. Or Dr. Sacks may have embellished them… Despite this, it really is a fascinating and well-written book.

Some of the cases related in this were very interesting and informative to read (especially the one that gives the book its title and a couple of others on cognitive disorders). But some took a rather sentimental and sometimes even religious and esoteric route, which is really not the kind of thing one looks for in a non-fiction book about science. At least I don't. As someone who works in this specific medical field, I was able to follow this book pretty easily, and it is in fact quite basic at some points. But there are a couple of concepts that might fly by someone who isn't familiar with them. The audiobook is not hard to focus on, though, especially since each case and chapter is mostly independent. I would recommend reading it if you work or want to work with neurology or if you are someone who is curious about the human brain. It is worth reading for the title and first case alone. A couple of other favorites were The Lost Mariner, The Disembodied Lady, The Dog Beneath the Skin.