The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat: and Other Clinical Tales

By: Oliver Sacks

Narrated by: Jonathan Davis, Oliver Sacks - introduction

Length: 9 hrs and 33 mins

Publisher's summary

In his most extraordinary book, "one of the great clinical writers of the 20th century" (The New York Times) recounts the case histories of patients lost in the bizarre, apparently inescapable world of neurological disorders. Oliver Sacks' The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat tells the stories of individuals afflicted with fantastic perceptual and intellectual aberrations: patients who have lost their memories and with them the greater part of their pasts; who are no longer able to recognize people and common objects; who are stricken with violent tics and grimaces or who shout involuntary obscenities; whose limbs have become alien; who have been dismissed as retarded yet are gifted with uncanny artistic or mathematical talents.

If inconceivably strange, these brilliant tales remain, in Dr. Sacks' splendid and sympathetic telling, deeply human. They are studies of life struggling against incredible adversity, and they enable us to enter the world of the neurologically impaired, to imagine with our hearts what it must be to live and feel as they do. A great healer, Sacks never loses sight of medicine's ultimate responsibility: "the suffering, afflicted, fighting human subject".

PLEASE NOTE: Some changes have been made to the original manuscript with the permission of Oliver Sacks.

©1970, 1981, 1983, 1984, 1985 Oliver Sacks (P)2011 Audible, Inc.

Critic reviews

"Dr. Sacks's best book.... One sees a wise, compassionate and very literate mind at work in these 20 stories, nearly all remarkable, and many the kind that restore one's faith in humanity." ( Chicago Sun-Times)

"Dr. Sacks's most absorbing book.... His tales are so compelling that many of them serve as eerie metaphors not only for the condition of modern medicine but of modern man." ( New York magazine)

The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat

While this personal style of scientific study is a bit dated now, it's perhaps what gives this book enduring appeal. Sacks saw his subjects as people, and it was their personness and how their lives were impacted that were the focus of his work, not so much their neuropathys.

This book raises a lot of questions of what it means to have a human experience, to be human. Who are we without our memories? What is it that gives value to existence? How do we define disability.

I'd recommend this to anyone interested in pondering their own construct of reality and what gives them meaning.

Elegance of the mind

Sacks has such a love for the human mind and spirit, it shines through in this (now older) compilation of stories.

A MUST, but

I have been always fascinated by the brain science, how the mind work and psychology. But I found myself always gravitating to the non-clinical side of it, but the cognitive and social sides, that is "How the normal minds work and how the average person behaves", so I thought a clinical cases book by the great Dr. Sacks can help. I WAS RIGHT.

Why not 5 stars then? because the author didn't in some parts take into consideration that some non-professionals like myself would read it :) A lot of neurological terminology and drug names can sometimes get to my nerves.

After all, a must.

interesting case studies

Interesting case studies are presented, but I would have preferred to hear a little more in depth input on the theories of what caused these abnormalities and what malfunctioned in the brain. The collection of stories and cases studies seemed to be rather disconnected to one another. It might have been a better read had they focused on only one aspect of brain malfunction and dove deeper into the symptoms and cause.

An Amazing Look at the True Final Frontier

Two of my sister's professors recommended this book to her and she recommended it to me. As the mother of a child who has some problems similar to some of the neurological disorders in this book it has special significance for me. I do think that the Brain is the TRUE final frontier. For so many years we were told about our five senses and this book shows that truly there are more than that. These disabilities, many of them, are invisible. Imagine an individual who looks fine and still struggles to function. No one knows how to act or what to expect and many times people are either surprised, confused or offended. Many people and agencies won't even recognize what is going on as a true disability.

The vocab is steep and I looked up more than a few words online guessing at spellings. Even when I didn't know every single word, I got the general meaning of things. The narrator is awesome. My husband has heard so much about the book, he's told me he's going to read it next.

I was continually amazed by the poignant and compelling stories told. I was also extremely grateful for the author's compassion and recognition of the humanity of his patients. The common thread of each person trying to find the balance and their own version of normal was very interesting. Going through testing and trying to get services is so dehumanizing, and yet, each life sings its own melody; each life must be appreciated for its own goodness and uniqueness. This is an aspect which so often gets lost in society or modern medicine's quest for what they call normal.

This book is truly amazing in every way. The author alludes to so many other works and studies and makes even the bizarre behavior of these real-life characters understandable. The patients and the problems are interesting. The way the author talks about them is interesting. The way some of them find "normal" is interesting.... Interesting is too bland a word. Maybe Fascinating, Surprising, jaw-dropping, eye-opening, as well as heart-rending. It gave me hope that surprising answers are still being found.

This book is definitely worth your time and credit. I good solid break from fantasy, sci-fi, mysteries and YA fiction.

Great clinical case studies!

Where does The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat: and Other Clinical Tales rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

Great author and narrator

What was one of the most memorable moments of The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat: and Other Clinical Tales?

Great book

Which scene was your favorite?

All of them

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

It made me smile and chuckle. Made me appreciate life

Any additional comments?

Recommend it

Very moving and absolutely fascinating

I hated pausing this book. This gave me incredible insight to cases and situations I never would have imagined. As a teacher and having had challenged students mainstreamed into my classroom, I have observed many strengths from them emerge that I and no one else would have ever thought. this book was incredibly helpful.

Stand out narration for a excellent book!

Would you listen to The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat: and Other Clinical Tales again? Why?

Yes. There is so much to grasp as Dr Sacks moves between the medical and the philosophical as he explores each unique patient in his writings.

What did you like best about this story?

I was left with an appreciation of Dr Sacks humane and compassion aspect of the stories.

What about Jonathan Davis and Oliver Sacks - introduction ’s performance did you like?

Jonathan Davis was able to not only carry the gentle tone of Oliver Sacks writing and the author himself but brought life to the narrative by allowing the patients to have their own emotional voices. I found the book was sometimes challenging to read but the audio version really heightened my appreciation of it. It was also lovely to hear Dr Sacks's introduction in his own voice now that he is no longer with us.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

Each one of these patients moved me.

Had to stop

What did you like best about The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat: and Other Clinical Tales? What did you like least?

Some of the case studies were so interesting. I disliked all the references to earlier work. There are times he goes on and on and on about his opinions and thoughts. He also very much discounts people. If he thinks they are intelligent or worthwhile, he will treat them with a modicum of respect. If not, they become their disease.

What was the most interesting aspect of this story? The least interesting?

When the people were actually described as human beings. The science behind some of the cases. The least interesting was Sacks' opinions and waxing poetic.

What did you like about the performance? What did you dislike?

The performance was fine. I think that I attached some of my dislike to the reader.

Do you think The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat: and Other Clinical Tales needs a follow-up book? Why or why not?

NO.

Amazing case presentations

The mind is an amazing instrument. Even damaged it can still bring awe and wonder. In many cases it can even heal.