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The Diving Bell and the Butterfly
- A Memoir of Life in Death
- Narrated by: René Auberjonois
- Length: 2 hrs and 9 mins
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Publisher's summary
In 1995, Jean-Dominique Bauby was the editor-in-chief of French Elle, the father of two young childen, a 44-year-old man known and loved for his wit, his style, and his impassioned approach to life. By the end of the year he was also the victim of a rare kind of stroke to the brainstem. After 20 days in a coma, Bauby awoke into a body which had all but stopped working: only his left eye functioned, allowing him to see and, by blinking it, to make clear that his mind was unimpaired. Almost miraculously, he was soon able to express himself in the richest detail: dictating a word at a time, blinking to select each letter as the alphabet was recited to him slowly, over and over again. In the same way, he was able eventually to compose this extraordinary book.
By turns wistful, mischievous, angry, and witty, Bauby bears witness to his determination to live as fully in his mind as he had been able to do in his body. He explains the joy, and deep sadness, of seeing his children and of hearing his aged father's voice on the phone. In magical sequences, he imagines traveling to other places and times and of lying next to the woman he loves. Fed only intravenously, he imagines preparing and tasting the full flavor of delectable dishes. Again and again he returns to an "inexhaustible reservoir of sensations," keeping in touch with himself and the life around him.
Jean-Dominique Bauby died two days after the French publication of The Diving Bell and the Butterfly.
This book is a lasting testament to his life.
Critic reviews
“The book's tone, in Jeremy Leggatt's translation, is dominated by a sweet, even humorous, lyricism.” —The New York Times
“The real poignancy of these pieces is their ordinariness, [and their] moments of extraordinary sadness and beauty." —Publishers Weekly
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Story
Ruth Wariner was the 39th of her father's 42 children. Growing up on a farm in rural Mexico, where authorities turned a blind eye to the practices of her community, Ruth lives in a ramshackle house without indoor plumbing or electricity. At church, preachers teach that God will punish the wicked by destroying the world and that women can ascend to heaven only by entering into polygamous marriages and giving birth to as many children as possible.
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Unputdownable
- By Lesley A. on 01-16-16
By: Ruth Wariner
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Look Me in the Eye
- My Life with Asperger's
- By: John Elder Robison
- Narrated by: Mark Deakins
- Length: 9 hrs and 16 mins
- Unabridged
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Ever since he was small, John Robison had longed to connect with other people, but by the time he was a teenager, his odd habits, an inclination to blurt out non sequiturs, avoid eye contact, dismantle radios, and dig five-foot holes, had earned him the label "social deviant". No guidance came from his mother or his father. It was no wonder he gravitated to machines, which could, at least, be counted on.
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Interesting autobiography; not autism-informative
- By Steener on 03-13-15
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The God of Small Things
- By: Arundhati Roy
- Narrated by: Sneha Mathan
- Length: 11 hrs and 45 mins
- Unabridged
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Likened to the works of Faulkner and Dickens when it was first published 20 years ago, this extraordinarily accomplished debut novel is a brilliantly plotted story of forbidden love and piercing political drama, centered on the tragic decline of an Indian family in the state of Kerala, on the southernmost tip of India. Armed only with the invincible innocence of children, the twins Rahel and Esthappen fashion a childhood for themselves in the shade of the wreck that is their family.
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Worthy Booker winner!
- By Saman on 08-10-17
By: Arundhati Roy
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Out of My Mind
- By: Sharon M. Draper
- Narrated by: Sisi Aisha Johnson
- Length: 6 hrs and 49 mins
- Unabridged
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Melody is not like most people. She cannot walk or talk, but she has a photographic memory; she can remember every detail of everything she has ever experienced. She is smarter than most of the adults who try to diagnose her and smarter than her classmates in her integrated classroom - the very same classmates who dismiss her as mentally challenged because she cannot tell them otherwise. But Melody refuses to be defined by cerebral palsy.
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♡
- By KiNg35 on 11-17-16
By: Sharon M. Draper
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When Breath Becomes Air
- By: Paul Kalanithi, Abraham Verghese - foreword
- Narrated by: Sunil Malhotra, Cassandra Campbell
- Length: 5 hrs and 35 mins
- Unabridged
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At the age of thirty-six, on the verge of completing a decade’s worth of training as a neurosurgeon, Paul Kalanithi was diagnosed with stage IV lung cancer. One day he was a doctor treating the dying, and the next he was a patient struggling to live. And just like that, the future he and his wife had imagined evaporated.
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Phenomenal book!
- By A. Potter on 01-16-16
By: Paul Kalanithi, and others
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I Am Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter
- By: Erika L. Sánchez
- Narrated by: Kyla Garcia
- Length: 9 hrs and 41 mins
- Unabridged
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Perfect Mexican daughters do not go away to college. And they do not move out of their parents' house after high school graduation. Perfect Mexican daughters never abandon their family. But Julia is not your perfect Mexican daughter. That was Olga's role. Then a tragic accident on the busiest street in Chicago leaves Olga dead and Julia left behind to reassemble the shattered pieces of her family. And no one seems to acknowledge that Julia is broken, too. Instead, her mother seems to channel her grief into pointing out every possible way Julia has failed.
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FOR LATINAS WHO ARE OFTEN TOLD THEY "SOUND WHITE"
- By Alex on 12-14-18
By: Erika L. Sánchez
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The Glass Castle
- A Memoir
- By: Jeannette Walls
- Narrated by: Jeannette Walls
- Length: 10 hrs and 25 mins
- Unabridged
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Jeannette Walls grew up with parents whose ideals and stubborn nonconformity were both their curse and their salvation. Rex and Rose Mary Walls had four children. In the beginning, they lived like nomads, moving among Southwest desert towns, camping in the mountains. Rex was a charismatic, brilliant man who, when sober, captured his children's imagination. Rose Mary painted and wrote and couldn't stand the responsibility of providing for her family; she called herself an "excitement addict."
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What's normal?
- By Kmrsy on 11-30-13
By: Jeannette Walls
What listeners say about The Diving Bell and the Butterfly
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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- january
- 03-21-13
Short but well written
I've been meaning to read this book since it came out in the late 90's. I'm glad I finally got to it. What an interesting perspective on a condition that none of us could imagine enduring. I love reading books that can make us see out of the eyes of people for whom we would give no thought otherwise. (Thinking in Pictures and Middlesex come to mind.) Jean-Dominique Bauby tells of his loneliness and degradation of locked-in syndrome with grace and dreaminess. I am truly amazed at the effort it took to write this book. I wish he could have lived to see his story reach people.
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9 people found this helpful
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- Samer Chidiac
- 10-20-18
Inspiring
When you know how the book was written and the effort that it took the author to narrate it letter by letter, you can't but get inspired!
RIP Jean-Dominique.
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- Rachel Israel
- 01-25-15
Depressing
Great narration. Depressing as hell.
I applaud his resolve however. I'm not sure I could have such a good attitude.
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- Jean Tanner
- 08-28-16
Thought Provoking.
This book certainly makes me think differently. It is extremely thought provoking and insightful into a new life.
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- Robert Barrett
- 06-21-20
Touching and revealing
Interesting to hear a personal account of locked in syndrome. Beautifully written and quite touching.
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- Kathy Campbell
- 10-21-22
Excellent
My heart is stirred and my dedication to perform more service has increased. Beautifully written words from a man locked - in.
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- jemm
- 11-02-19
Uniquely Excellent!
soulful perspective one of a kind. true amazement, courage and observation on writers part. must read for in healthcare field personnel . introspective outlook on illness that took over writers life. his touching internal growth , sadness and stillness present an unseen and unknown view. this book was in a strange way uplifting. depth of human mind and perserverance of not giving up and living it to the fullest.
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- Laura
- 06-05-15
Amazing, heart wrenching and inspiring!
This was an incredible story of a man who found a way to add value into his life when his body had betrayed him. I couldn't turn it off!
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- eden
- 03-19-12
an original
i thought this was a really interesting and unique insight into the life of someone who has become completely paralyzed and unable to communicate through normal means. pretty short, so it didn't take me long to get through it. i hadn't really thought of what it would be like to be in a body unable to do anything, while your mind is fully functional. i'm grateful that jean-dominique bauby and his transcriber were able to put this together. such an interesting story.
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- David Desilva
- 03-16-21
Beautifully poetic and moving
Bauby writes with a beautiful lightness like poetry but never avoiding the truth of his situation. His ability to transcend his situation is very moving and inspiring.
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2 people found this helpful