A review by jackdawjones
An Anthropologist on Mars, by Oliver Sacks
3.0
Oliver Sacks was a marvellous clinician and writer, and clearly his books have shaped popular understanding of neurological differences. But this is not one of my favourite reads from Sacks, for two key reasons.
Firstly, an editorial/structural gripe: Sacks is far too fond of footnotes. They're littered everywhere, are often half a page long, and constantly interrupt the narrative flow, making for disjointed and confusing reading.
Secondly, and more importantly, some of Sacks' comments have aged incredibly poorly, particularly when he discusses autism (as with Temple Grandin), doubly so when he discusses autistic people with an intellectual disability (as with Stephen Wiltshire). I don't believe Sacks meant his cases to be unkind, in fact I get the impression he was an incredibly kind and compassionate person, but his descriptions of autism are discomforting, deeply patronising, and at worst, simply dehumanising.
I appreciate that this book is now 25+ years old, which is a testament to how rapidly the dialogue around neurodivergence has evolved. But, much like Rain Man, I'm sure there are readers who take these description as good authority into insights into autistic people.
Firstly, an editorial/structural gripe: Sacks is far too fond of footnotes. They're littered everywhere, are often half a page long, and constantly interrupt the narrative flow, making for disjointed and confusing reading.
Secondly, and more importantly, some of Sacks' comments have aged incredibly poorly, particularly when he discusses autism (as with Temple Grandin), doubly so when he discusses autistic people with an intellectual disability (as with Stephen Wiltshire). I don't believe Sacks meant his cases to be unkind, in fact I get the impression he was an incredibly kind and compassionate person, but his descriptions of autism are discomforting, deeply patronising, and at worst, simply dehumanising.
I appreciate that this book is now 25+ years old, which is a testament to how rapidly the dialogue around neurodivergence has evolved. But, much like Rain Man, I'm sure there are readers who take these description as good authority into insights into autistic people.