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The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat

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The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat

By: Oliver Sacks
Narrated by: Jonathan Davis, Oliver Sacks
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About this listen

A classic work of psychology, this international bestseller provides a groundbreaking insight into the human mind. With an introduction by Will Self, read by Oliver Sacks.

If a man has lost a leg or an eye, he knows he has lost a leg or an eye; but if he has lost a self himself he cannot know it, because he is no longer there to know it.

In this extraordinary book, Dr. Oliver Sacks recounts the stories of patients struggling to adapt to often bizarre worlds of neurological disorder. Here are people who can no longer recognize everyday objects or those they love; who are stricken with violent tics or shout involuntary obscenities, and yet are gifted with uncanny artistic or mathematical talents. If inconceivably strange, these brilliant tales illuminate what it means to be human.

A provocative exploration of the mysteries of the human mind, The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat is a million-copy bestseller by the twentieth century's greatest neurologist.

©1985 Oliver Sacks (P)2011 Audible, Inc
Brain & Nervous System Essays Mental Health Neuroscience & Neuropsychology Nonfiction Human Brain

What listeners say about The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat

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Everything you want in a good book.

Simply brilliantly written regardless of the lens for critique. I can't wait to start Musicophilia.

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The beautifully described sharing of the lives and experiences of the people and the beautiful writing style of the author.

I really enjoyed the reader's reading of the book. Kept me wanting to keep listening and come back each time I had the time to listen.

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A very interesting yet terrifying story

this is a great story for any psychologist to listen to while also terrifying to hear what could have to you at any moment

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A magical mystery tour of the human brain

Medicine can be patriarchal and deficit-focused but Dr Sacks relates the brain and its maladies back to a mediation of humanity full of wonder, curiosity, compassion and incredible insight. The old medical terminology is no longer politically correct & can be jarring but the observations speak of a beautiful soul. I learned so much from this book and was brought to tears.

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Fascinating

Jonathan Davis does a perfect performance and is very easy to listen to. The book itself is incredible do yourself a favour and have a listen

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Fascinating and so well narrated

whatever your interests, this book will not disappoint. I've actually listened to this twice. A+++

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Fascinating topic - poorly delivered

Fascinating cases - long-winded story telling. Author is trying too hard to sound intellectual at the cost of being succinct and engaging.

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outdated but interesting

some outdated ways of thinking and terminology, overall interesting listen. people are odd. background listening

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Fascinating insight into the human mind

This was a really interesting collection of case histories involving patients with a collection of bizarre neurological disorders. I initially wanted to read it (or listen to the audiobook in this case) because the title case sounded so unlikely I needed to understand how it could happen.

It almost sounds like this is a Guinness World Record book. A man who mistook his wife for a hat, a man who woke up every morning thinking he was eighteen, a woman whose body feels completely alien to her. Something you'd flick through absentmindedly every once in awhile.

But Oliver Sacks wrote it with such heart, that it's more about the human ability to persevere and overcome these disabilities. The joy that can still be found in life for many of these people is quite inspiring. Of course it's not the case for all of the patients in this book, but I'm impressed by the determination by so many not to give up.

At times the book was too clinical for my tastes, a little dry and between chapters I had to listen to other audiobooks just to take a break from how intense it gets at times.

The audiobook was narrated by Jonathan Davis and I can't praise him enough. He talks in a fairly neutral American accent, I'd hazard a guess to say it's a transatlantic accent. It's neutral for the most part which helps in the clinical nature of this book but he gives each patient their own unique voice to help differentiate them from the author's voice.

It can be hard getting through such a medically focused book, but I Davis does it perfectly.

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