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Price: $10.99
(as of Aug 17, 2024 12:23:50 UTC – Details)
By: Lawrence Weschler (Author)
The untold story of Dr. Oliver Sacks, his own…
And How Are You, Dr. Sacks?: A Biographical Memoir of Oliver Sacks
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Price: $10.99
(as of Aug 17, 2024 12:23:50 UTC – Details)
By: Lawrence Weschler (Author)
The untold story of Dr. Oliver Sacks, his own…
Walter D. Teague –
A brilliant man who had much more to offer had he lived relieved of his undeserved shame.
And this biography definitely adds to the understanding of Oliver Sacks the doctor and the man. I was very impressed by the YouTube presentation, but I bought the book to find out if it looked into what I consider most important aspect in question about why Dr. Oliver sacks was such a brilliant and innovative observer and clinician, but he did not could not overcome his own serious psychological barriers during his otherwise very productive life. It is said that until he was faced with death and his mortality that he finally was able to overcome the shame instilled in him about his sexuality as a child, and have a serious love relationship.Reading his books and appreciating his innovative work in so many areas, I used to wonder why he wasn’t more politically and socially active as a advocate. We desperately need intelligent and insightful leadership in a world that is socially and ecologically so sick. Reading Dr. Sachs by where he explains how he felt ashamed admitting to his Orthodox mother that he was homosexual, explained a lot to me. I have worked on and I’m continuing to explore the devastating trauma of childhood posttraumatic shame. It is perhaps the most neglected form of trauma in the world. So I understand that this exceedingly rational and creative man could not turn his abilities on his own emotional traumatic barriers. Doing over 35 years of psychotherapy with many brilliant wonderful people, who nonetheless could not logically erase the shame they experienced as children, let me to understand and suggest a new addition to the developing understanding of posttraumatic stress disorders. I call it childhood posttraumatic shame o CPTS. Sadly I learned the devastating nature of toxic shame that develops when the child’s instinct to be loved is defeated by their inability to resolve traumas beyond their youthful abilities. Shame is a necessary instinct for the bonding of young humans, but sick societies leave generations of unresolved trauma, and I believe Dr. Oliver Sacks like my late partner suffered the consequences of this as yet unrecognized disorder. I write about it on the page about the love of my life, SinaanSoc.com
Raluca Olsson –
Deeply moving and enriching
A book about an extraordinary person, with a life dedicated to science (neurology) and sharing his immense knowledge. What a personality he must have been! Thank you to Mr. Weschler for putting this together, it was a great biography.
K –
Very thorough and insightful
It is evident that the author knew the subject of this book very well. I especially enjoyed the parts that described the author’s personal interactions with Dr. Sacks, those that reflected on their friendship.
Anne –
Laughing and crying
And intellectually overwhelmed. As a biologist, I missed the protean intellectual side of Dr. Sacks. We are indebted to the author for bringing whole man to life.
Sue Barry –
A book that captures Oliver Sacks.
Many people have (or will) write about Dr. Oliver Sacks, but none have captured the man as well as Lawrence Weschler. In his book, Weschler concentrates on several years in the 1980’s when the two men saw each other and corresponded frequently, and Weschler kept careful notes. Sacks, who preferred to work in the back wards of nursing homes and hospitals, had a genius for bringing severely demented and disabled people back to life. Why was Sacks drawn to these patients and what did he see in them that others missed? Weschler’s book goes a long way to answering these questions and provides a sympathetic yet balanced portrait of this unusual and gifted man.
Charlene A Glorieux –
Loved this book
I’ve always like Oliver Sacks – it was great to learn more about his life from a close friend of his – plus an awesome writer.
Amazon Customer –
Interesting but not an “easy read.”
This is an interesting book, but the author’s writing style and the subject matter make it somewhat slow going. Still, it’s worth the effort.
Enrica Vani –
Incredible biography of one of my favorite heroes of all times.
Patricia Bish –
A book of rare insights into Oliver Sacks’ life, passions and endearing peccadillos. Lawrence Weschler, the author and close friend of Sacks, writes with skill, humour and sensitivity. A fitting and moving tribute to this beloved, brilliant, hyper-sensitive and deeply compassionate giant of a man.
Donald McEachren –
Lots of detail about Oliver. Perhaps a little too much about the author.