Reviews tagging 'Ableism'

The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat: And Other Clinical Tales by Oliver Sacks

42 reviews

s_mj_f's review against another edition

dark hopeful informative fast-paced

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism, Child abuse, Mental illness, Terminal illness, Forced institutionalization, and Medical content

mrtrower's review against another edition

emotional informative reflective medium-paced

3.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism

thechocolatefinger's review against another edition

informative reflective sad fast-paced

3.75

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Forced institutionalization

Minor: Ableism and Medical content

It has good intentions but it’s old so it uses the r slur and it has incorrect assumptions about autism and learning disabilities, but you can tell the author genuinely supports and humanises them

blymanor's review against another edition

challenging informative reflective slow-paced

A collection of case studies viewed through a slightly outdated lens (that may have been progressive for its time). An interesting look back in time

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Ableism and Chronic illness

Minor: Medical content

lenorayoder's review against another edition

informative reflective

2.0

These cases are interesting, but I don’t like the way they’re written about. On a structural level, some chapters feel out of order. For example, chapter 7 takes the time to define and discuss proprioception - but it comes after chapter 3, which focuses on a case where a patient lost proprioception. 

As for the content, I don’t like the author’s attitude towards his patients. The way he talks about them, philosophizes, and speculates about their inner lives really rubs me the wrong way. He seems to be taking more care than a lot of doctors did at the time (yikes), but it still doesn’t really feel like Sacks truly sees his patients as real, actual people. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism

Minor: Alcoholism, Child abuse, and War

gothgf1567's review against another edition

3.0

so much ableism but i guess thats the 80s for you

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism

jennswan's review against another edition

challenging funny informative inspiring mysterious reflective sad medium-paced

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism

Moderate: Confinement and Dementia

Minor: Suicide attempt

jetpackdracula's review against another edition

challenging informative reflective medium-paced

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism and Medical content

Moderate: Mental illness and Forced institutionalization

em_the_wallflower's review against another edition

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism, Forced institutionalization, and Medical content

Moderate: Schizophrenia/Psychosis

Minor: Suicide

hanjackson's review against another edition

challenging informative reflective medium-paced

2.25

This is a difficult one to rate. It has almost 40 years of raving reviews and is on the '100 books to read before you die' scratch off I have had for 10 years now... But part of me thinks this is on the poster for genre diversity. The one word I can think to describe this nowadays: dated.

I can see why in 1985, Sacks' time as a neurologist and his stories were taboo. However in 2024 it is lacking. The dated language and words when speaking of certain conditions makes it a hard to listen to the book, even though the words we see as insults now were clinically accepted in the 80s.

Definitely an insightful look into the medical past but as a book, hard to make it through -- especially when comparing it to the modern stars of the medical memoir such as Adam Kay and Kathryn Mannix. The book needed to be a tad more self-aware.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Ableism, Chronic illness, Mental illness, Medical content, Dementia, and Schizophrenia/Psychosis