Reviews with content warning for Ableism - L'uomo che scambiò sua moglie per un cappello

Reviews tagging 'Ableism'

L'uomo che scambiò sua moglie per un cappello by Oliver Sacks

39 reviews

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A collection of case studies viewed through a slightly outdated lens (that may have been progressive for its time).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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lenorayoder's review against another edition

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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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gothgf1567's review against another edition

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3.0

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

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jennswan's review against another edition

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challenging funny informative inspiring mysterious reflective sad medium-paced

4.0

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jetpackdracula's review against another edition

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challenging informative reflective medium-paced

3.5

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em_the_wallflower's review against another edition

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hanjackson's review against another edition

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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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samcsmith's review against another edition

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challenging emotional hopeful informative mysterious reflective sad fast-paced

4.0

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vale_reading's review against another edition

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bludgeoned_by_hail's review against another edition

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challenging hopeful informative inspiring reflective sad medium-paced

3.5

A warm, empathetic approach to the harrowing existential horror pit of neuropathology.
While sometimes it may get a bit slow or overly technical for a lay audience, I believe the book balances the tasks of presenting thorough neuropathological case studies, making interesting narratives of them, highlighting the human individuals behind the conditions, and analyzing the broader patterns these cases reflect in science and society with a lot of poise, compassion, and curiosity.
Very recommended to anyone looking to pursue a career in the field.

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