Rating: 
Summary: A victory of the human mind and spirit.
Review: Jean-Dominique Bauby's achievement deserves to go down in history with Helen Keller's and Christy Brown's. A friend lent me her copy of "The Diving Bell and the Butterfly," praising it as one of the most inspiring books she ever read. I have to admit I was halfway through the book before I overcame my horror at his predicament, and my fear of the same thing happening to me: Bauby was 43--four years younger than I am now--when he suffered his catastrophic stroke, and 45 when he died, his sophisticated, gracious mind still locked in his useless body. But by the end I was moved to tears of gratitude to see what a man could achieve when left nothing but his mind and one eyelid. Imprisoned in the wheelchair with Bauby, suffering every agony and indignity he does, we travel with him across continents, reviewing his rich and eventful life, ennobled by his determination to enjoy whatever life he has left to him, no matter what the circumstances. "The Diving Bell and the Butterfly" is a remarkable testament to the primacy of the human mind.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent
Review: Puts into perspective the mind that works and how is it treated when the body seems useless. It is very telling about us as human beings and how little we value humanity itself
Rating: 
Summary: Impressively written yet still cold
Review: I was recommended this book by my English teacher, who found it the most inspiring book that she's ever read. So I bought it and managed to get through it in two days. The true story of Jean-Dominique Bauby and his struggle to cope with a rare disease known as locked-in syndrome is certainly horrific beyond belief. This book tells of the last months of this amazing man's life, amazing because he not only had to cope with this disease but also managed to write this book using only his eyelid.However, despite that I didn't find the book to be as inspiring as my teacher had described. Don't get me wrong, I truly admire this remarkable man and find it to a terribly upsetting story. Yet the book mostly seems to describe the events of his life rather than the effects of his illness and there's an awful lot of narrative but not a great deal of emotion. Therein, perhaps lies Bauby's dignity and certainly his life should not merely consist of his illness, yet I did find the book to be rather uninvolving. As a story this is both inspiring and sad, yet it doesn't work as a book.
Rating:
Summary: A memoir worth reading
Review: Some great books come in small packages!!!This a short but phenomenonally inspirational book written by a truly gifted writer. Instead of writing with computer, he used his left eye to blink each letter out because he was paralyzed from a condition called "locked in syndrome." He used his short time left to share his story describing his love for his children and his regrets around the life he had carved out for himself before suffering from this LIS affliction. His last months spent paralyzed actually set him free to describe his realities and fantasies. I found this book sad yet somewhat miraculous that someone could maintain a sense of strength and spirit with so little physical life left. I would recommend this book without any hesitation.
Rating:
Summary: A doctor's perspective
Review: I have cared for several "locked-in" patients in my career. I have only barely imagined the inner life of these poor unfortunates. I was fascinated by the author's observations of the medical staff at his hospital, and I can clearly see that they are authentic. Sensitive staff members can feel his pain. Others are detached and even uncaring.
What is remarkable about this man is the life he was capable both before and during his illness. His strength, his humor, and his insight. His book gives us an insight not only into his particular illness, but into the isolation of any serious illness. He describes the fears and frustrations, the loneliness, and the need for inner strength.
I haver recommended this book to all the neurologists I know, and to patients and hospital staff. I feel this book teaches us about being human. You cannot but gain by reading it.
Rating:
Summary: must read for any human
Review: If you've ever taken for granted the smell of french fries, Father's Day, or your remote control, you must read this book. I have recommended this book to all of my friends and family!
It's very simple to read, but at the same time, it's very heavy. Jean shows us through his book the simple joys of living, those joys we all too often take for granted. In a world, where it is so easy to become overwhelmed, "Diving Bell" helps us to re-center, and prioritize.
Rating: 
Summary: A Very Moving Story
Review: This is a very moving book recommended to me by my girlfriend, about a man who turns the merest shred of hope into a quality of life, based on a richness of memories and experiences, that is almost enviable. Great read.
Rating:
Summary: My Daughter's Condition Mirrors Author's
Review: This is the most remarkable book I have ever read. I make this comment because my own daughter, age 26, was suddenly "locked-in" two years ago due to a stroke from birth control pills. Her condition mirrors the author's. I used his spelling method and shocked the doctors with her communication abilities. (They had told me she was vegetative.) Bauby's little book has changed our lives. I was deeply saddened by his death from a heart attack. He was beginning to do a great wonder for the unfortunate people with this rare syndrome by starting a newsletter and being the subject of a documentary. The Diving Bell and the Butterfly is a clever account of what it's like to be locked-in and a combination of some personal slices of life which ironically relate to the author's terrifying condition.
Rating:
Summary: Small Book With A Large Impact
Review: A small book with a large impact. This is one of the best great books from a real thinker, one who could live in this mind using his emotions in the place of actions. And write a book in his head. This is what should be called a great IQ with excellent emotional intelligence to round it out. It is a shame that the world lost a man with his capabilities.
Rating:
Summary: stunning - literally
Review: This is a most powerful, beautiful book that will affect your perception of life, of your life and of the phenomenon of death. This true story touches on many day to day issues and emotions from a new perspective and through its reading we are reminded that life is for living. Seriously. This is not a miserable self-pitying book about death, but an uplifting read-in-one type of book. You feel for the man and his dreadful predicament and you rejoice in your own relative well being. I am always in awe of the power of the written word. Very few books move me to tears. This one did.
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