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A review by faerietale_princess
The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat and Other Clinical Tales by Oliver Sacks
challenging
informative
reflective
medium-paced
4.5
Really fascinating book. Incredibly thought-provoking. I enjoyed the little philosophical musings as well.
There were some points where I struggled to continue because Sacks would go on some tangents that were neither philosophical nor about neurology, but I was able to push through regardless.
The language is outdated, as this was published in the 80s. I did cringe a bit, because I live in modern times where we refer to these things more gently and with more respect, but I wouldn’t say Sacks regards his patients with disrespect. It’s just the language that was used that the time. It was interesting to see how far we have come. However, the phrasing and language used here is not for all readers, so if you’re especially sensitive (I don’t mean that in a bad way) to ableism, you probably shouldn’t read this.
If you aren’t and enjoy philosophy and neurology, it’s definitely worth the read, despite some tangential writings sprinkled throughout.
There were some points where I struggled to continue because Sacks would go on some tangents that were neither philosophical nor about neurology, but I was able to push through regardless.
The language is outdated, as this was published in the 80s. I did cringe a bit, because I live in modern times where we refer to these things more gently and with more respect, but I wouldn’t say Sacks regards his patients with disrespect. It’s just the language that was used that the time. It was interesting to see how far we have come. However, the phrasing and language used here is not for all readers, so if you’re especially sensitive (I don’t mean that in a bad way) to ableism, you probably shouldn’t read this.
If you aren’t and enjoy philosophy and neurology, it’s definitely worth the read, despite some tangential writings sprinkled throughout.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Ableism