snailwhisperer's review against another edition
4.0
Very interesting book. The first few chapters flew by and were so entertaining. The last half of the book was more academic and took me much longer to get through.
It's forever changed the way I view hallucinations and distorted reality.
If I ever develop a hallucinatory condition, I hope I'm half as entertained by it as some of the subjects included in the book.
It's forever changed the way I view hallucinations and distorted reality.
If I ever develop a hallucinatory condition, I hope I'm half as entertained by it as some of the subjects included in the book.
lucrazy's review against another edition
informative
slow-paced
3.75
I usually love Oliver Sacks' books, however, this one was just too packed with clinical cases, to the point where I would sometimes forget what condition he was even talking about.
galliexyc's review against another edition
4.0
Exhaustive exploration of the complexities surrounding hallucinations that nonetheless energizes the reader, not enervates them! Required reading for the curious-minded!
ari_reading_'s review against another edition
3.0
3.5
This was a fascinating and interesting book, albeit, sometimes disturbing.
This was a fascinating and interesting book, albeit, sometimes disturbing.
erinray82's review against another edition
5.0
Really interesting book. An account of various forms of hallucinations from delirium to self-induced altered states. It not only reports on visual forms, but also delves into auditory hallucinations and phantom smells. It felt very complete and covered many common misconceptions about the variety of hallucinations. Not deeply scientific as to the specifics of how and why these things occur, but a relatively complete account of experiences nonetheless. He shares his findings with enough of an explanation that I felt both informed and consistently entertained, while not having to be a schooled in neuroscience to understand him. It gave a sound history and clarification of various hallucinatory occurrences without overwhelming me with jargon. Oliver Sacks has a way of writing in a way that feels very conversational, but doesn't underestimate his reader either. I really enjoyed this book.