Reviews tagging 'Chronic illness'

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

10 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A collection of case studies viewed through a slightly outdated lens (that may have been progressive for its time).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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Content Warnings

Moderate: Ableism and Chronic illness

Minor: Medical content

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

pinkpanther's review against another edition

challenging informative reflective slow-paced

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Chronic illness, Mental illness, Medical content, and Schizophrenia/Psychosis

Minor: Sexual content

mariekejee's review against another edition

 DNF'ed at chapter 6. While this book is fascinating and details really interesting neurological disorders, I am just not in the right frame of mind to deal with story after story of people spontaneously losing (and never regaining) part of their functioning. It tickles the curious scientist in me, but currently, it is tickling too many other things. I might pick it up at a later date, though. The other three parts are "Excesses" "Transports" and "The World of the Simple", so I might enjoy them a bit more. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Chronic illness

meganjeg's review against another edition

reflective slow-paced

3.5

 This book is part detailed medical journal and part poignant human stories. Whilst my brain did not retain many of the medical terms or details, the individual stories were memorable and at times moving. This book gives you a glimpse into the lives of people who have been affected by various neurological conditions through the eyes of a neurologist. This book is a reminder that the good health we often take for granted is nebulous and that poor health is more complicated than purely physical symptoms. As an aside, this book was originally published in 1985 and I wonder how much scientific and medical thought on these subjects has progressed since then. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Chronic illness

sunn_bleach's review against another edition

challenging hopeful informative medium-paced

3.0

Interesting but in a way I didn’t expect. This is very much a neurology book written in the early 80s, with all the language and paradigms that implies. The dead-serious use of the word “retarded” and unironic appeals to Freud and Luria are kind of shocking for 40+ years later. But I’m kind of struck at how much Sacks so obviously cared for his patients as people, not just case studies. That kind of narrative is important for humanizing the humans we treat.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism, Chronic illness, Mental illness, Forced institutionalization, and Medical content

Minor: Panic attacks/disorders and Schizophrenia/Psychosis

zoebill96's review against another edition

challenging informative slow-paced

2.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Chronic illness, Drug use, Forced institutionalization, Medical content, Medical trauma, Death of parent, and Injury/Injury detail

angelfireeast24's review against another edition

informative reflective medium-paced

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Body horror, Chronic illness, Mental illness, Medical content, Medical trauma, and Schizophrenia/Psychosis

chelsm123's review against another edition

informative inspiring reflective fast-paced

3.75

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Body shaming, Bullying, and Chronic illness

Despite it being a very interesting and informative book. It is a book of its time (being written in the 70s) So there is frequent reference to people that have intellectual disability/ autism referred to as being ‘retarded’ or a variation of.

avadore's review against another edition

challenging emotional funny informative medium-paced

Not my favourite Oliver Sacks I have to say, but I think that's because the language is a lot more clinical and dated than everything else I have read by him. The empathy and love is still there though, just be prepared for words like 'imbecile' and 'retard' to be thrown around without the nuance I would usually expect. 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Ableism, Chronic illness, and Forced institutionalization