Vintage Readers are a perfect introduction to some of the great modern writers presented in attractive, accessible paperback editions. "It is Dr. Sacks's gift that he has found a way to enlarge our experience and understanding of what the human is." --The Wall Street Journal Dubbed "the poet laureate of medicine" by The New York Times, Oliver Sacks is a practicing neurologist and a mesmerizing storyteller. His empathetic accounts of his patients's lives--and wrily observed narratives of his own--convey both the extreme borderlands of human experience and the miracles of ordinary seeing, speaking, hearing, thinking, and feeling. Vintage Sacks includes the introduction and case study "Rose R." from Awakenings (the book that inspired the Oscar-nominated movie), as well as "A Deaf World" from Seeing Voices; "The Visions of Hildegard" from Migraine; excerpts from "Island Hopping" and "Pingelap" from The Island of the Colorblind; "A Surgeon's Life" from An Anthropologist on Mars; and two chapters from Sacks's acclaimed memoir Uncle Tungsten.
Customer Reviews:
Avg. Customer Rating: 4.0 / 5.0
The Best of Oliver Sacks:
Vintage Sacks is a compilation of excerpts from his other books. Oliver Sacks is a neurologist who writes about science. His writings are for the lay person yet they give great insight into various aspects of human nature. He has excerpts from Awakenings about how a group of patients come out of catatonia with the administration of an experimental drug only to later go back into catatonia. He talks about tourette's syndrome, the deaf coummunity, an island of color blind people, and his boyhood experiences... more info
All of Mankind is enriched by this man's work:
I have read a good share of Oliver Sacks books. I share completely the view of one excellent Amazon reviewer who spoke about Sack's special gift for understanding others. His great brilliance and originality in thought combine with a tremendous capacity for listening to, and observing others while respecting them for what they are. His researches seem to thus add a dimension to our sense of the wondrous quality of the human mind and creation. There really is more in Sacks researches, more in his case... more info
A Pleasent 200 pages.:
This book is most likely the last novel I will be reading this summer. Unfortunately, I have other pressing engagements. But what a brilliant way to end my summer reading stint by reading Sacks! The title "the poet laureate of medicine" is clearly a befitting one for Oliver Sacks. He has an uncanny way of making science lively, fun, and enjoyable. "Vintage Sacks" is a hodgepodge of his various works like "Uncle Tungsten", "Awakenings", "Seeing Voices" and others. The first two chapters are autobiographical,... more info
An introduction to Sacks:
I heard Dr. Oliver Sacks speak on BookTV recently. What caught my interest was his obvious love for science and the warm, humoruos manner in which he presented the studies and experiments borne of his curiosity. Looking at the list of books he has written in the last 30 or so years I chanced upon, Vintage Sacks. Having never read any of his works before this anthology, of sorts, seemd like a good place to start.
The narrative literary form brings a "human" dimension to science and Dr. Sacks uses it to... more info
