I've read most of Sack's books over several years, because his writing style, scientific subject and authority kept me coming back for more. ( )

An interesting look into the connection between the eyes and the brain, and what can happen when that connection goes on the blink, so to speak.

I enjoyed this one up to a certain point, but then it began to feel like one case history anecdote after another, with not a lot of substance-like fleshing out. ( )

In this collection of essays the (sadly late) author describes and considers various problems with either the brain or the eyes which affect perception and vision. One chapter covers his own horrendous experience with a tumour in the eye which ultimately resulted in loss of all sight in that eye. The descriptions are rather grisly so I thought I would flag that up as a warning. It certainly emphasises the importance of regular eye check-ups which he had somehow skipped - and unfortunately the UK National Health Service only recommends these every two years and pays for them on that basis for those who qualify for a free one.

The book is fairly interesting though comes across as a bit 'dry' in places. There are quite a few patients or other people he knew who provide insights into their various conditions, showing that even where people are labelled as a category such as 'the blind' their experiences are very different - some had no visual phenomena, some had painter-type visualisations and one man could map out everything in his mind's eye so accurately he could envisage the insides of engines, allowing him to continue in his field of expertise, and even mend his own roof.

Overall I would give it 3 stars. ( )

Not *bad*, but not particularly exciting either. I agree with others who said that his own diary of dealing with cancer of the eye drags a lot. That sounds kind of cruel but it's weird because it focuses primarily on how it changes his vision, yet it's almost impossible to visualise or understand the changes he talks about, making it hard to read. There's also a personal element - as someone who's had vision problems for life that mean I have trouble with depth, field of vision and 3D images, it feels strange reading someone treating it as the worst handicap in the world. And I know that's unfair, but it didn't help my interest in it at all.

I found all the stuff about aphasia/alexia/agnosia really interesting and recognised some of my in stuff about not recognising spoken words (although not to a disabling level) and the personal anecdotes are nice but not *super* interesting. The last chapter is cool, about vision in the mind and how it interacts with sight. sorry this is incoherent, i liked it but was never really *grabbed* by it and really fascinated and there's nothing I'd be excited about taking away from it ( )

An excellent book about the wondrous adaptations our minds and brains can make when faced with various challenges related to diseases or injuries, especially concentrating on issues related to sight. The book includes many case histories of patients who have made wondrous adaptations to various visual traumas. The many unusual variations on "normal vision" that people face provide a testament to the remarkable resiliency of the human brain and to the adaptive coping abilities of many people.
I was especially intrigues by the chapter on "stereo visionDr. Sacks' work on topics relating to the brain and music is well known, but this book makes a nice addition to his offerings and documents that it is incredible capability of the brain which contributes so much to our everyday survival and enjoyment of life.