Scan barcode
jennswan's review against another edition
challenging
funny
informative
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
sad
medium-paced
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Ableism
Moderate: Confinement and Dementia
Minor: Suicide attempt
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.
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.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Ableism, Chronic illness, Mental illness, Medical content, Dementia, and Schizophrenia/Psychosis
kat_smith24's review against another edition
hopeful
informative
reflective
slow-paced
3.5
Though the language is outdated and paternalistic, this book offers a surprisingly nuanced approach to (at the time) rarer neurological disorders.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Ableism, Confinement, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Forced institutionalization, Dementia, and Schizophrenia/Psychosis
gotothecorner's review against another edition
dark
hopeful
reflective
slow-paced
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Mental illness and Dementia
beca_reads's review against another edition
informative
reflective
slow-paced
1.0
This book was alright until he started talking about Tourette's. As someone with a tic disorder in the process of getting a diagnosis of Tourette's and an ex Psychology student I was let down massively down at the way he portrayed those who have tics. It started off bad during a chapter titled "Whitty, Ticcy, Ray" Sacks discussed mainly how he used a drug called Haldol (an antipsychotic which is commonly used for those with Tourette's) had completely got rid of rays tics, personally this is hard to believe as there is no current cure for Tourette's, and I felt that the way Sacks wrote about this gave false hope to those that have the condition. Medications are commonly used for Tourette's syndrome, but they are only able to control motor and vocal tics, I can't fully get rid of them. Sacks also spent time talking to Ray about curing his tics and life without tics, if the medication had not worked the way it did this would have given a sense of false hope which is damaging. Sacks does make some good points more at the beginning of the chapter- "was it possible that Tourette's was not a rarity, but rather common" This is completely true 1 in 100 school aged children have Tourette's. May Main issues with Sacks writing is the use of the word "possessed" in relation to those with Tourette's and titles his other chapter on Tourette's this. This frustrated me as this is a medical professional using such damaging language about a condition where people are very much not "possessed or need an exorcism" as some people like to think. By him using this language it perpetuates the idea that those with Tourette's are possessed. This book is one of the top books on Psychology students reading lists and these are students that are likely to work in the future with people who have Tourette's. Learning this language at an early stage in their career from some who is widely looked up to in the field is just dangerous. It is going to stop those with Tourette's accessing the help they need from medical professionals as they have a warped perception on the condition. After the second chapter on Tourette's I choose to DNF the book.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Ableism, Mental illness, Medical content, Dementia, and Schizophrenia/Psychosis
therolypolybird's review against another edition
challenging
hopeful
sad
Content Warnings
Graphic: Ableism, Forced institutionalization, and Dementia
Minor: Medical content
More...