Rating: 
Summary: Sheds Some Light On the Mind-Brain Relationship
Review: An Anthropologist On Mars sheds some light on the mind-brain relationship and the concept of one's self. Oliver Sacks, a neurologist, takes the reader through seven case studies of people with neurological disorders, exploring not only the particular disorders, but also his patients' individual personalities. Read the seven amazing stories in this book, entitled "The Case of the Colorblind Painter", "The Last Hippie", "A Surgeon's Life", "To See and Not See", "The Landscape of His Dreams", "Prodigies", and "An Anthropologist on Mars". Oliver Sacks presents his seven case studies of neurological disorder in an intruiging manner, and I recommend An Anthropologist On Mars to anyone with an interest in the workings of the human mind.
Rating: 
Summary: There are people in these sick people
Review: Before he even begins, Sacks tells us where we're going with a quote attributed to William Osler: "Ask not what disease the person has, but rather what person the disease has."
In each chapter, Dr. Sacks introduces us to another person who happens to have some neurological disoder or difficulty, including autism, colorblindness, regaining of sight after 40 years, and Tourette's syndrome. The chapters are less about the disorders than they are about the people who live with the disorders.
We learn through Sack's accounts that humans are capable of amazing adaption and often can conquer afflictions that one would think inconquerable. The lives of Sacks' "persons who the diseases have" is often lived out far more fully than the reader would imagine. Perhaps our lives, too, can be lived out beyond our perceived limitations.
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Summary: Should be required reading for neuroscientists/educators!
Review: Boy, if I had any say in what they should require as reading for students in neuroscience, I would definitely put this book up there right along with any textbooks. This book, as usual for Dr. Sacks, puts a human face on neurological injury or trauma, so that everyone can understand. Unlike many doctors, Dr. Sacks sees not only the diagnositic testing, but the person inside who has to learn to adapt to their disability to survive. Each of these stories are poignant, and as a Deaf person who underwent a cochlear implant which failed, I found his story about the blind man Virgil, who became sighted (somewhat) and then lost his sight again, hitting very close to home. I actually borrowed this book from the library, but I am planning to buy it at first chance because there are so many intelligent quotes in this book, that I have already used in my own writings and plan to use it in teaching students. Dr. Sacks is one of the most intelligent medical writers we have today, and I for one am profoundly grateful he decided to write books on neurology. I wish that I had been exposed to his books earlier when I was in medical school for neuroscience. These stories about the people make neurology real and made neurological concepts understandable. It is not the research, the neurophysiology, the diagnostic testing which is so important, though they have their place in medical school: it is the fact that the people who have autism or who undergo strokes can teach us so much about ourselves, and many of them have surmounted huge obstacles to make something of their lives. It is all too easy in medical school, and in education to forget this. If you buy only one book on neuroscience this year, this should be the book. It is magnificent. Karen Sadler, Science education, University of Pittsburgh
Rating: 
Summary: Sporadically wonderful, consistently immersive.
Review: By no means do clinical case histories hold boundless interest; the cases themselves are only as interesting as they are far from analogy. The book opens with an outstanding treatise on perception (The Case of the Colorblind Artist) but, from then on, Sacks manages to enumerate merely interesting tales of various misperceptions without the neurological backdrop of the first history. This is not a bad thing -- often, by keeping the cases anecdotal Sacks is able to build a very good narrative. Make no mistake -- the book is indeed very good but doesn't set a consistent rhythym (there is a constant battle between clinical examination and anecdote) that is required for any work to be spectacular. I suspect this is in the writing and organization of the material; the material, standing alone, is of a great interest.
Rating:
Summary: Encapsulating the human condition.
Review: Could one be an artist without having a
real "self"?
The fascinating story of the autistic artist
Stephen Wiltshire makes one wonder. Apparently the
whole visible world just flows through him -
without making sense, without becoming part of him.
Yet, he can make excellent drawings!
This story and the others in the book are
indeed very interesting reading and does enlarge
ones understanding of what the human is.
To quote the book - It is possible that persons
with these traits (malfunctions) are more creative.
If science eliminated these genes, maybe the whole
world would be taken over by accountants!
And lets hope not!
It is so much more fascinating with all
its current mental richness! -Simon
Rating:
Summary: Excellent in every way!
Review: Expertly written, the stories are fascinating, endearing, & enlightening. You'll learn so much about how your own mind is wired by reading the stories of these very special people. The medical and literary communities need more people like Oliver Sacks.
Rating:
Summary: Illuminating in more ways than one ;-)
Review: I absolutely love the book and use it as a discussion point when I teach my introductory psychology students about brain and behavior relationships. The case of the color-blind painter is especially helpful at getting students to understand how consciousness and memory and perception all tie in together. A brief aside on the hardback and the somewhat cryptic title to this review. The power went out in my apt this morning and as I was stumbling about looking for matches I noticed a glowing line on my bookshelf. I touched it and realized that one of my volumes had a glowing dust jacket... sure enough the publisher (or maybe Dr. Sacks?) really wanted us to know that this book **IS** illuminating. It seems that the front cover has been treated with some kinda florescent material. Trivia at its best! Z
Rating:
Summary: The humane psychiatrist
Review: I am filled with awe for a psychiatrist like Sacks, who takes personal interest in every special person he comes across in his professional life. He has the rare insight to recognise each individual as a unique, never-to-be-repeated creation of the Creator, and to accord the respect and awe due to each patient he comes across; even to observe, sometimes with a sense of humour, the relativity of our definitions of 'normaility'. The time Sacks takes to just be with each special person, and appreciate the uniqueness of each, is commendable, and goes way beyond a mere call of duty. When an autistic person, featured in this book, commended that she feels like "an anthropologist on Mars" because she has to study human behaviour and interactions to be socially adaptable, Sacks picked up on her standpoint, and recognised, with unusual humility, that as a psychiatrist of special persons, he too is like an anthropologist on Mars, not always understanding their world, but not being too quick to pronounce them stereotypically abnormal and himself normal...a sensitive, insightful work that reflects a sensitive, insightful author.
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Summary: One of my favorite books
Review: I know very little about psychology, but I found this book to be both informative and touching. I first heard about it when a cook at my summer camp read us "The Last Hippie" during an evening program. I was fascinated by the story. Finally, when I picked up a copy of the book for myself, I read through the whole thing in a day. I actually cried during one of the stories. Oliver Sacks teaches you a lot about how the human brain works without getting too clinical, and lets the humanity of the people he profiles shine through. This is a really good book.
Rating:
Summary: Great reading even for those who know little psychology...
Review: I received "An Anthropologist on Mars" as a Christmas gift, and, having never been very interested in psychology, was hesistant to pick it up at first. After reading the first chapter (on an artist who goes color blind), however, I was hooked. Each of the seven amazing accounts of different neurological disorders kept me more than interested; I found the author's details and descriptions of the his subjects absolutely fascinating. In addition, the separate stories are different enough to provide variety, but are similar enough in the way they are presented and written about to maintain contingency throughout the book. Again, without knowing a lot about psychology, one can read this book and get a lot out of it. It's really, really interesting (and fun!) stuff, and it gets you to think. Overall, a great book.
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