The Man Who Mistook His Wife For A Hat: And Other ... (ISBN 0684853949)

The Reader Who mistook Dr. Sacks as a Patient.:
This book is written in an unusual prose; one that is off-putting in the very beginning, but as the author establishes his pace, the writing improves drastically; as does the story line. Actually, the author is a medical doctor, but he spends microseconds of time defining what he does. The reader is flung into stories of patients and at times, the good doctor uses such demeaning terminology to describe the developmentally disabled. It is cruel, and I mean to tell you that Dr. Sacks should never be cruel in order to be kind. The stories are quite facinating and the one I liked most was "WItty Ticcy Ray" in the description of Tourette's Syndrome. Dr. Sacks teaches us that there is so much more to know about mental disorders; most of us only understand in the most basic vantage point. In any case, I enjoyed the book; it was a bit jagged in style, but I think I will blame it on the period in which it was written; first copyright being 1970. I think any person would learn a great deal from reading this thin little volume; good job for Dr. Sacks who I hope to read more from in the near future.

That's Horrible! (not the book, the book is good):
I read this book quite awhile ago, so I can't be too detailed right now. I'll add to and edit this review later, but for now, I just remember it spent about six months on my nightstand. That's impressive. - Jane

Medically Sound, Literally Vivid & Educationally Positive:
Dr. Sacks is an adept reporter, a consummate observer and sensitive human being; in addition to being a good physician. The book describes many interesting syndromes, neurological, that tax ones credulity except for the fact that humans are "suffering" these illnesses. It is through expositions such as these documented by Dr. Saxks that one can become appreciative and understanding of the suffering and plight of individuals experiencing the vissisitudes of physical and mental aberrations. The seemingly "bizarre" cases described in the volume present significant insight into the function and structure of what we call "the mind." FACS

I thought I've heard it all:
I thought I've heard it all after reading Phantoms in the Brain by Ramanchandran and Musicophilia by Sacks. This book was delightful to read and study. Oliver Sacks has become one of my favorite authors and neurology and the body/mind connection has become one of my favorite topics. His readable style without becoming too simplistic is definately his forte (much like Ramanchandran). This is a relatively short book but the cases it contains will give you something to ponder on for a long time. We can really appreaciate the complexity of the human mind/body by reading books like this and it also gives us a good foundation for further study/reflection.

At times dry, but very interesting overall:
This is a great read. A few portions got a bit dense, but the book really changed the way I think about those who have the neurological abnormalities described by Sacks. The best part is the length of each story; even if you have a limited amount of time you can read an entire case study.