A review by hannahmarkezich
An Anthropologist on Mars by Oliver Sacks
4.0
Engaging and thought-provoking.
I really enjoyed this! Sacks does a great job closely examining the lives of these individuals: both their personal lives and the aspects of their minds that make them so fascinating to study from a psychological perspective. Some of his terminology/information is a little dated since this book is from the 90s, but I can forgive that. For the most part, he does a great job at painting an image of these individuals and connecting their stories to current (at the time) psychological, philosophical, sociological, and medical perspectives.
I will say that I found some of the chapters stronger than others. The story of the colorblind painter was...painfully boring, BUT that's probably because I know very little about the mechanics of the eye/vision and found it confusing. The other stories were much more accessible and interesting.
I really enjoyed this! Sacks does a great job closely examining the lives of these individuals: both their personal lives and the aspects of their minds that make them so fascinating to study from a psychological perspective. Some of his terminology/information is a little dated since this book is from the 90s, but I can forgive that. For the most part, he does a great job at painting an image of these individuals and connecting their stories to current (at the time) psychological, philosophical, sociological, and medical perspectives.
I will say that I found some of the chapters stronger than others. The story of the colorblind painter was...painfully boring, BUT that's probably because I know very little about the mechanics of the eye/vision and found it confusing. The other stories were much more accessible and interesting.