The Man Who Mistook His Wife For A Hat: And Other Clinical Tales

Gifted writer who is able to take the non-medical reader into what it is like for those who are neurologically damaged

"The author who mistook himself for Freud"?
This book is a series of descriptions of patients with psychiatric and neurological problems, written by a neurologist. It is a nice read, but be warned: there are too many flattering reviews written, and they set me up for disappointment.

If you have never given a second thought to anybody with brain damage, and you take for granted that you are a better person than a person with psychiatric problems, and you unquestioningly accept all the labels ascribed to people with "deficits", then you'll really be taken on a ride.
It might be eye-opening reading for teenagers?

Sachs conveys what he will say about his patients very well, but to say he is a "gifted writer" and so on creates unfairly high expectations among readers. I don't understand the hype. Are people so lacking in compassion and a general interest in the world beyond their own noses that they have failed to ponder any of what Sachs writes about? Perhaps I was let down when I read it because of its high ratings, and the fact that it has been routinely advertised in every issue of the NYRB for decades. The old-fashioned tone of the book, and Sachs's tendency to drop signs of his own highbrow taste and education struck me as a vaguely irritating way to assert his credibility.

I thought it was a really interesting book, but i wouldn't recommend it for "light" reading. There are a few bits where its a little too clinical...but that might be what you want.

Fascinating! I developed a twitch under my right eye toward the end of the book and wondered how I'd contact Dr. Sacks to do a workup of this amazingly rare phenomenon (the hypochondriac in me loved this book!). The twitch vanished right after the holidays, unexpectedly. Imagine that! I really did enjoy the book and it helped to expand my compassion and patience for others. Who knows what challenges the people around us are facing?

If you think your family is weird, read this. Wonderful insight to how awful and quirky the brain really is.

An interesting look at how the mind works and the ways it sometimes gets a kink in the machinery. The writing is a little more dry than expected but the stories about real people are so interesting and easy to read that it doesn't make it any less fascinating.

interesting read. in contrast to what others say: you will not learn anything about the brain. maybe a vague description on some pathologies. very amusing read though and his `human' approach to describe some of the worst neurological disorders (regardless their cause) is superb

at first it was interesting, then i realized i was reading house episodes, watching house was much more entertaining. also, the author constantly references his book awakenings- never read it or saw the movie, so i was a bit lost there. overall, pretty interesting neurological/psychological connections but would not really recommend it.

Don't be confused. It's not a book of fiction. These are actual case studies. They left me depressed and scared of suffering from mental illness.

Em porugu~es temos a tradução publicada pela Relógio d'Água, sob o título 'O homem que confundiu a mulher com um chapéu', tem o ISBN 972-708-104-5.
É um livro de histórias, de pacientes com diferentes patologias, contado pelo seu autor com paixão e humanidade.