minty's review against another edition
3.0
I've long been a RadioLab fan, and so I have always intended to read an Oliver Sacks book. I picked this one because I have had recurring sleep hallucinations for my entire adult life (actually, I didn't identify one type of sleep hallucination as such until I read this book). I suppose all this book does is reassure me that this is a common phenomenon, that there's nothing to be concerned about, and to be thankful that I'm not having some of the scary ones that people in the book described! It really was interesting to learn how common different types of hallucination is, though, and it certainly could explain all paranormal sightings as well as religious ones.
kurtwombat's review against another edition
4.0
Oliver Sacks is always entertaining. Give him a topic like hallucinations and he’s guaranteed to keep your attention. The appeal of much of his work is the plethora of patient & personal anecdotes that he peppers his books with. And the breadth of his coverage here is impressive: hallucinations derived from physical & emotional trauma, the blind missing their eyesight, epilepsy, drug use, sleep issues, eye disease, migraines, delirium etc. Within these strengths though is a modest weakness. So much is covered with so many rich anecdotes that I wanted time to breath. There were areas I would like to have been expanded upon. What was involved in the study of these various issues. Where are these studies going. What of the myriad repercussions teased—why don’t blind people realize that their hallucinations aren’t real simply because they know they can’t see—if 19th century literature was influenced by authors either having or being aware of the euphoria before epileptic seizures, then how far does that influence go—if the fortification illusion universally caused by migraines shows up in art patterns around the world, then what else shows up around the world in this way and what does it say about migraines. No book can cover everything and it is definitely a plus that Sacks brought up so many thoughts that tantalize, but some expansion somewhere would have been welcome. It’s all interesting, the chapter on drugs less so because our culture manages to talk about drugs a lot already, but most interesting to me were the chapters on migraines and sleep deprivation because they have a more personal relevance. This is the third Oliver Sacks book I’ve read and you can pretty much apply my overall response to this book to all three. All have been worth the time.
marcylouder's review against another edition
2.0
So che la valutazione sembra cattiva ma hear me out.
L'argomento è anche interessante, ma l'esecuzione troppo ripetitiva.
Il tutto infarcito di numerose descrizioni di singoli episodi allucinatori che, anche se all'inizio possono affascinare, alla lunga annoiano e sembrano voler solo allungare il brodo.
Sicuramente qualche gradino sotto il celebre "l'uomo che scambiò sua moglie per un cappello".
L'argomento è anche interessante, ma l'esecuzione troppo ripetitiva.
Il tutto infarcito di numerose descrizioni di singoli episodi allucinatori che, anche se all'inizio possono affascinare, alla lunga annoiano e sembrano voler solo allungare il brodo.
Sicuramente qualche gradino sotto il celebre "l'uomo che scambiò sua moglie per un cappello".
sfletcher26's review against another edition
3.0
As always Sacks is an interesting writer and his books are always facinating. This though lacks some of his usual flair, wit and precision.
I felt too that it also finished to abruptly. It really needed a short conclusion to tie the whole book together.
Not his best book but still well worth reading and certainly so if you work in a healthcare environment.
I felt too that it also finished to abruptly. It really needed a short conclusion to tie the whole book together.
Not his best book but still well worth reading and certainly so if you work in a healthcare environment.
juliana_aldous's review
3.0
If you've never read Oliver Sacks--read the Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat or the Anthropologist from Mars. Those are excellent books. This one feels more like just a survey of medical information and research about various types of hallucinations. Interesting if that is your field or you have a deep interest in hallucinations but I just wasn't feeling it with this one. It did whet my appetite though for his upcoming memoir which I will be buying in hardcover as soon as it publishes. In this book he talks about his own self-induced drug experimentation which made me wonder more about this strange man who has done so much to teach us about our inner world.