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Seeing Voices

by Oliver Sacks (Goodreads Author)

4.01 of 5 stars 4.01 · rating details · 1,351 ratings · 105 reviews

Like The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat, this is a fascinating voyage into a strange and wonderful land, a provocative meditation on communication, biology, adaptation, and culture.In Seeing Voices, Oliver Sacks turns his attention to the subject of deafness, and the result is a deeply felt portrait of a minority struggling for recognition and respect--a minority with...more

Paperback, 240 pages

Published November 28th 2000 by Vintage (first published 1989)

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The Devil in the White City by Erik Larson

A Short History of Nearly Everything by Bill Bryson

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The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat and Other Clinical Tales by Oliver Sacks

The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot

The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time by Mark Haddon

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Jan 02, 2012 Osho rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 2011

I enjoyed this, as I enjoy all Sacks, and it's not his best. It's light on neurology. Given its 1989 publication, it's quite out of date. It predates baby sign language and both behind-the-ear speech processors and fully implantable cochlear implants. In addition (and since I read it as an audiobook, I can't easily double-check this), Sacks makes two errors of a sort I don't usually see from him. First, he treats Kaspar Hauser is a viable example of late language attainment. I believe that by th...more

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Jan 08, 2008 Trevor rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: philosophy, language, science

When I was a child my cousin asked me if I would rather be blind or deaf. I didn't hesitate, I would much rather be deaf, I thought - a world of perpetual darkness was to be avoided at all costs.

To be honest, I never really thought about this question again until reading this book. I had no idea what costs deafness can bring with it.

Sacks go through many of these costs and explains, in remarkably simple language, some of the 'age dependent' structures that form our minds - how certain rules of l...more

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May 01, 2012 Nenia Campbell rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: x-1980s, reviewed

think about what you know about deaf people. anything? nothing?

ha, ha. very funny.

when we think of the 1800s, we generally like to think that we've come a long way since then. women's rights. civil rights. health care. clean food facilities and preparation. and in many ways, we have improved. but in seeing voices by oliver sacks, sacks points out a way that we have actually backtracked as a society: how we teaching the deaf/hearing impaired. sacks points out that in 1850s, half the deaf people w...more

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Apr 07, 2012 Melissa rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: nonfiction

Oliver Sacks is a fantastic writer; thus, this book is a fascinating read. The reason it got only 3 stars from me is because he did not write this book yesterday... he wrote it more than 20 years ago. I'm a speech therapist, and I work with many children who are deaf or hard of hearing in a school setting. So much of this book is now dated - the technology, the ideas, the arguments about deaf culture - even the words he uses to describe people who are deaf are outdated. Cochlear implants didn't...more

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Dec 08, 2011 Cindi rated it 3 of 5 stars

I am a huge fan of Dr. Sacks. When you ask me who I would most like to meet if I could meet anyone on this planet, well, Dr. Sacks makes the top 3.
This is the only book of his that I've had trouble with, and it was only because I spent 17 years as an educator of young hearing-impaired children. I believe strongly in teaching deaf kids to talk. There are very few children, regardless of their level of deafness, who can't learn to communicate in this way.
Unfortunately, Dr. Sacks, in his beautifu...more

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Jun 17, 2011 Bojan Tunguz rated it 5 of 5 stars

Most of the information that we get about the world comes through the sense of sight. Therefore it would seem that it there is one sense that we would be loath to part with, it would be this one. And yet, it is the sense of hearing that has the greatest impact on the acquisition of language and subsequently on the formation of our minds. If we don't acquire language really early on in our lives, we are bound to lead a very limited existence as compared to most other people. It is these facts and...more

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May 14, 2008 Adih Respati rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: 05-sciencewriting, 11-biology

'Seeing Voices' is Oliver Sacks' essay on sign language, divided into three parts: one, history of sign language; two, sign language as natural evolutional consequences of deaf people's neurological consequences; three, revolution of deaf culture and communities.

Sacks is known for his ability to move readers by capturing subjective, personal experiential aspects neuronal disorder. His famous books are among others: 'The Man Who Mistook His Wive for a Hat and The Awakenings.

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Oct 15, 2012 Paul rated it 4 of 5 stars

I was very excited by the prospect of reading about Sign Language and, in a broader context, the deaf community; in some aspects, this book delivered on (or exceeded) my expectations, but in other aspects, I was left wanting more. First, the positives...

This book opened my eyes to many issues concerning the deaf community. The first section of the book cast a spotlight on the struggles they’ve had over the last few centuries, e.g., overcoming the stigma that they were inferior or damaged; establ...more I was very excited by the prospect of reading about Sign Language and, in a broader context, the deaf community; in some aspects, this book delivered on (or exceeded) my expectations, but in other aspects, I was left wanting more. First, the positives...

This book opened my eyes to many issues concerning the deaf community. The first section of the book cast a spotlight on the struggles they’ve had over the last few centuries, e.g., overcoming the stigma that they were inferior or damaged; establishing methods of communication and education for themselves; and making inroads in the scientific community that for a long time neglected them and misdiagnosed them.

Also eye-opening to me was their newfound sense of community (described in the last section of the book), as was the realization of just how “newfound” many other aspects of their ordeal is—from the science to their education to their status—which kept jumping out at me throughout the book (granted, this book is two decades old, but relatively speaking that is not long ago at all). Further eye-opening was the notion that their newfound community served two functions, two “different perspectives on the same reality”, as Sacks puts it: one, that their community serves to unify them from the inside; and, two, that their community serves to isolate them from the outside. This provokes further thought as to whether they are in fact serving their best interests in doing so, or if that further sets them apart from the rest of the world in an unproductive way. Then, again, maybe a little of both.

The middle section of the book, which described the psychology of language was also very intriguing. Some stimulating topics were those comparing and contrasting the brain development and functions of hearing people, prelingually deaf people, and postlingually deaf people. Another very fascinating topic was that which hypothesized the idea that complex thought itself—as found in humans—is only possible following the development of certain underlying language/communication skills.

There were also many other thought-provoking ideas presented, such as the idea of teaching ASL to hearing children as part of a standard curriculum, thus developing those areas of the brain more. Or, even the notion of teaching infants to sign as a way of communicating with them much earlier and understanding their needs (which was mentioned only almost as an aside, but caught my eye).

Also, there were a few points made that would cause the average reader to think, “oh, I never even thought of that!”, such as the various issues of etiquette that hearing people take for granted, but must be completely changed among deaf people.

The many heartfelt observations of Sign (e.g., “One can have or imagine disembodied speech, but one cannot have disembodied Sign. The body and soul of the signer, his unique human identity, are continually expressed in the act of signing”) really resonated in me—so much so that I kept pausing in my reading to seek out YouTube videos which could illustrate this better for me (one such motivation was when Sacks described movingly how religious services are inherently perfect environments for Sign, leading me to browse quite a few “sign choir” videos). That, though, leads me to the negatives...

I unfortunately found myself augmenting a lot of the book’s theories and statements with Google. While I understandably couldn’t expect videos to be included in the book, and I know that by definition Sign (being a spatial language) is difficult to illustrate, I was still surprised at how little there was in the way of examples and illustrations. For example, the grammar and various “dialects” of Sign are mentioned many times in the book, but are not (in my opinion) adequately presented. Very few examples of the dialects and grammar are given (if any), and the points on that subject are often simply left with a few meager adjectives and little more. For example, in discussing the various “indigenous signed languages”, Sacks writes, “all have, beneath their specific differences, some generic resemblance to ASL. There is no universal sign language, but there are, it seems, universals in all sign languages, universals not of meaning, but of grammatical form.” And, with that, the point is made, case closed. Why couldn’t he provide even one or two examples of these universal grammatical forms? Had he done so, it would have shed so much more light on his points on the subject (which are numerous throughout the book). Yet, he never does so. I also would have greatly appreciated quite a bit more insight into Sign itself.

Finally, this book contains footnotes and then addenda to some of those footnotes—and this book has many footnotes! So, in the course of reading just a couple of pages, I routinely came across first the main text, then possibly some quoted text, then footnotes, and then addenda to the footnotes! It got distracting like that, with the flow sometimes getting lost. Sure, I could have ignored the footnotes (as Sacks offers in the introduction), but then I would have worried about missing something important (and, yes, I came across many interesting points in the footnotes that I am glad I didn’t skip!). So, while fascinating, I still couldn’t help but wish that Sacks had come out with a new and revised edition that would have incorporated much more of those footnotes and addenda into the main text.
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Sep 01, 2011 Wayne McCoy rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: non-fiction

I enjoy reading Oliver Sacks. He combines a brilliant scientific mind with the voice of a compassionate and empathetic clinician.

Most of his books that I've read are case studies based on different brain disorders. This book is a bit different. It's really 3 shorter pieces, all dealing with deafness that he wrote over a period of about 10 years. The first third is a New York Time Book Review piece that he wrote, the second is more of a paper expanding on the first third and the last section is a...more

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Feb 05, 2012 Jesse rated it 3 of 5 stars

Seeing Voices is a collection of three essays, each addressing a different aspect of the deaf experience. The first is introductory and historical, blending anecdotes about notorious deaf individuals with the author's commentary. This portion of the book is sometimes impossible to read because Sacks refuses to write in a straight line. The sentences are overwrought, criss-crossing between unrelated ideas separated by copious quantities of commas. The content, while fascinating, is obscured by it...more

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Aug 08, 2012 Ula rated it 5 of 5 stars

Rewelacyjna książka, napisana w zupełnie inny sposób niż pozostałe książki autorstwa O. Sacksa, w których opisuje on przypadki swoich pacjentów. Analizuje w niej problem społeczności głochoniemych, przedstawia historię ich walki o prawa (bunt w uczelni Gallaudet w 1988). Przedstawia również teorie dotyczące rozwoju języka migowego, jego analizę ligwistyczną. W przeciwieństwie do pozostałych książek, w których analizuje schodzenia swoich pacjentów z punktu widzenia neurologa (choć nie brak w nich...more

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Aug 03, 2010 Megan rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: courier, 2010, nonfiction, science, adult, favorites, accessible-reads

Seeing Voices was originally published in 1989. That was a big in-between year for the deaf. In 1988 Gallaudet students successfully pushed for a deaf president of the university. And in 1990, the Americans with Disabilities Act would be signed into law.

As for me, in 1989 I was three years old. I had not yet been diagnosed with my own hearing loss. I had no idea who Oliver Sacks was, what "deafness" means, where Gallaudet is, or what American Sign Language is. Two years later my worried parents...more Seeing Voices was originally published in 1989. That was a big in-between year for the deaf. In 1988 Gallaudet students successfully pushed for a deaf president of the university. And in 1990, the Americans with Disabilities Act would be signed into law.

As for me, in 1989 I was three years old. I had not yet been diagnosed with my own hearing loss. I had no idea who Oliver Sacks was, what "deafness" means, where Gallaudet is, or what American Sign Language is. Two years later my worried parents and grandparents would hear that I have a progressive sensorineural hearing loss, which began as a mild loss and has since progressed to a severe loss in one ear and a profound loss in the other.

Since I was "mainstreamed" as a child - educated without special education classes in a typical public school environment - I essentially knew nothing of other deaf people except Helen Keller. It was only when I began to take American Sign Language courses from the local community college (to avoid having to take two years of a spoken foreign language, which just confused me) that I learned of a Deaf culture, a Deaf identity, and the struggle that Deaf people have faced over hundreds of years. In that class I watched videos and read books and learned about the culture from my Deaf professor. And I learned American Sign Language.

ASL is an interesting language. Although it is functionally very beautiful, with flowing hands and a rhythm all its own, it can be off-putting to people not used to it. The gestures can be forceful (depending on the meaning behind the sign). Facial expressions are exaggerated along with the signing. Deaf people can be pushy: putting themselves directly in your line of sight, smacking you on the arm to get your attention, waving their hands all up in the air. So it was kind of uncomfortable at first. But there is something about sign language that draws you in. It feels right when you sign, even if you are hearing. It feels like you are just learning another skill, not another language.

I picked up this book because I've read Oliver Sacks' books before and never realized he'd published one about Deafness and Sign. And because I have a blog, Hearing Sparks, and wanted to write about this book for it, so that people know if they ought to pick it up. I think I will publish both this review and some more in-depth blog posts about the subjects touched upon by the author there.

Sacks splits his book up into three parts, which were all written at different times.

Part 1 is a cohesive and very readable history of deaf people as well as information about deafness (both medical and cultural) and Sacks' own introduction to the world of the deaf. We learn in school about history from the point of view of American colonists (if we are American) and slaves, basically. Reading about decades passing from the viewpoint of the deaf introduces not only a third viewpoint but the idea that there are many other viewpoints from which history could be told. In this chapter, Sacks draws a line between prelingually and postlingually deaf. The postlingually deaf are relatively often the most successful deaf people, because they have the memory of spoken language, grammar, sentence structure. Prelingually deaf people face challenges distinct to them, and forcing spoken language on them can lead to unforeseen consequences.

Sacks' position on oral vs. signed education for the deaf is subtly introduced in this part. He isn't forceful or annoying with his position; he simply lays out the way Sign is beneficial for the deaf, particularly prelingually deafened individuals. He closes with a visit to Martha's Vineyard, where nearly one in every family on the island was affected by deafness and every single individual knew Sign, deaf or not. (The knowledge of Sign drifted away as Martha's Vineyard became focused on tourism.)

Part 2 is a systematic view of American Sign Language itself and the way people naturally create grammar and syntax from essentially nothing. This is the longest chapter, and unfortunately suffers from an excess of footnotes and a rather dry tone. As usual, Sacks shines when writing about individuals, and the case studies he recounts in this chapter are very interesting. He quite easily demonstrates that American Sign Language is a full-fledged language in its own right, and demonstrates how languages are developed.

Part 3 was the most interesting chapter for me. Sacks details the 1989 student revolt at Gallaudet for a deaf president. He was there, and his writing about the sense of community at the college and the fervor the students felt is very interesting. The protest culminated in the appointment of King Jordan, whose resignation in 2005 would lead to further controversy when the board tried to appoint someone who was not fluent in ASL - only this time the protests also occurred online.

Overall, although parts of Sacks' books are now quite dated, it's still a very interesting read. Sacks does a good job of bringing together a lot of viewpoints, a lot of individuals, and a lot of ideas, and making them all fit together. (less)

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Apr 13, 2010 Cynthia Karl rated it 2 of 5 stars

This was not my favorite Oliver Sacks book; my favorite is his memoir "Uncle Tungsten" which I really enjoyed. This book about the deaf and sign language seemed slow and repetitive especially with the copious footnotes but I did gain a much better understanding of sign language. It is a language in its own right with structure, grammar and nuances just like a verbal language. It gave me a much greater appreciation of the importance of sign language and why some deaf people do not envy those that...more

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Oct 20, 2012 Kathryn rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This is a fascinating and richly detailed book, as with all of Oliver Sacks's work. I like the way he combines psychology, neuroscience, and anthropology to create a truly nuanced and empathetic portrayal of his subjects. However, this book (published in 1989) is very outdated and a lot has changed since then in the fields of linguistics and disability rights, so I would not recommend this book to someone who is new to d/Deaf culture and the issues faced by the community. It was originally inten...more

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Dec 30, 2010 Nicole rated it 3 of 5 stars

Never met a Sacks I didn't like - this one is no exception, although I really wish the extensive notes had been footnoted and not crammed at the end like an unusually important epilogue. Quite a bit here that I knew about (had a few friends, Deaf and hearing both, who were part of the Deaf community growing up), but much that I didn't. One interesting/heartbreaking bit? How Sign was initially adopted and then abandoned until recently. Best stuff? The examination of the linguistics and neurology...more

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Feb 17, 2011 Georges rated it 3 of 5 stars

Vendo Vozes é um livro por um lado datado. Foi escrito nos anos 80 e revisado nos anos 90. Um período pré internet que fica evidente ao longo da leitura. São três livros em um e acabam se repetindo um pouco. Diferente de outros livros do mesmo autor, Vendo Vozes tem em alguns momentos uma estrutura de ensaio sobre a importância da linguagem no desenvolvimento da inteligência e do indivíduo. Claro que ele não se restringe à lingua falada, mas principalmente pelo estudo de casos de surdez ele expl...more

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Apr 20, 2008 Kat rated it 3 of 5 stars

The subtitle of this book is: "A journey into the world of the deaf". Written in three parts at different points in Sacks' exposure and familiarity with deaf culture, it's filled with the perfect mixture of his pure human curiosity and his neurological expertise. It feels as if the reader is meant to learn along with Sacks as he explores the topic. He writes about the history of the treatment and education of deaf people, explaining how the non-deaf world's view of deafness and sign language has...more

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Jan 18, 2008 Jenny rated it 4 of 5 stars Recommends it for: pregant ladies, folks with no idea about deaf studies

Recommended to Jenny by: Laurel

I wish Oliver Sacks were my grandfather and I could go to him at his rocker in front of a roaring fire and have him tell stories of people and their brains. This book works somewhat as a story even though its more of a science and history text because Sacks puts a lot of the dry factual stuff in endnote form (and believe me, the endnotes take up half the book. I was tempted to razor the spine so I wouldn't have to flip back and forth all the time) and in the body text he tells stories of people...more

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Apr 16, 2010 Carol Catinari rated it 3 of 5 stars

This book is about the language of the deaf... I'd have to describe the book as very interesting content, but not so interesting to read. Til I got Chapter 3, and it became more readable. This was about the students at Gallaudet organizing to effect the selection of a deaf president. The book conveys the deaf community as a community of its own, with its own language and culture, and the trials it has gone through over time. Also the learning of language by those who don't hear, and the universa...more

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Nov 26, 2012 Delores Cook rated it 5 of 5 stars

Interesting, finally understand more about deaf and why my sister is like she is. I remember going with her as a child to the deaf and blind center in Dallas and telling the lady she needed her hands to talk. I must have been about four. Something so obvious to a four year old was thought to be not the best way by the educators. This book should be read by all educators. Please don't think you know everything, it is important to keep an open mind.

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Sep 02, 2009 Cerealflakes rated it 3 of 5 stars

I really enjoy Oliver Sacks' books. His writing style is informative and engaging. His enthusiasm for learning always shines throughout his books. This book was less effective than some of his other books because it's three essays about deafness joined in one book. There was repetition within some of the essays. Still, I learned a lot about sign language and how it came about. I found the book really interesting.

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Dec 21, 2008 Anna rated it 4 of 5 stars

Really fascinating to read someone as brilliant as Sacks discover the Deaf community. Probably better for someone who knows very little about Deaf culture and would be really great for an intro ASL class. Sacks spends a good deal of time writing about how ASL really is its own language and this can get a bit redundant if you're already familiar with the Deaf culture.

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Feb 24, 2009 Leslie Erin Quinn rated it 3 of 5 stars

I have read some of his other books and I did not like this one as much. It was by no means bad but his style seems a lot dryer than in his other books. Like in his other books, the topic is interesting but it seems like he does not explain it as well as he has other topics in his other books. Also, a good portion of the book is his notes and sources which makes the book seem much longer than it actually is.

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Feb 27, 2012 Linda rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Fascinating information about how pre-lingual deafness differs from those who learned a spoken language before they lost their ability to hear. The connections of language to thought, the mis-assumptions of hearing people and the impact of using sign language has on the brain are wrapped together in a free-flowing, almost stream of consciousness. There were some bits that were technical enough so that I would like to re-read them. Most, however, was very understandable by the amateur.

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Jun 15, 2007 Eoin rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: people with language or minds

Shelves: nonfiction

Not done yet, so this is a temp. The subject is facinating (to me) and important (to everyone) and Sacks has that greatly excited tone of his that makes you think, probably rightly, that everything about the human mind is so *facinating*. The difficulty with this book is formating. In the edition I'm reading, there are footnotes (I love me the foot-notes, don't get it twisted) that take up as much as half the page, often running into the feet of subsequent pages. So lots of tangents and flipping...more

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May 05, 2011 Lorena rated it 4 of 5 stars

Wonderful and interesting book about the deaf community. I had much to think about and lots to bring up to discussion. However, the there were so many footnotes that they themselves could have been another book. He should have just added them to the book and made it that much better. Overall it was so interesting.

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Jul 13, 2012 Heather rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: nonfiction-or-memoir, own-fl

Not as memorable for me as The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat & Other Clinical Tales but not much would be.

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Jun 04, 2012 Sarah rated it 5 of 5 stars

Excellent intro to the history and theory of deafness and deaf culture. Highly readable & friendly style, intriguing and thoroughly satisfying read. Good for anyone interested in topics revolving around any kind of language and human expression of self.

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Nov 23, 2011 Brittany rated it 4 of 5 stars

A clear, well-written book about the culture and linguistics of the deaf. It's a little dated having been published in the late 80's but for a nonfiction book about deaf culture, it is flawless. I even cried at the end when he discusses the "Deaf President Now" campaign at Gallaudet. My hat's off to Oliver Sacks.

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Oct 21, 2007 Earnest rated it 4 of 5 stars

Fascinating insights into the world of the deaf... you begin to appreciate the intricacies of sign language. I have learned it is truely a language; not just a pictorial pantomime of symbols, but a complex 3D movie of idiosyncratic edits, expressions, and points of view that is not bound or restricted emotionally in any way... it has equal access to as many expressions as spoken language... nay I have learned that sign can do more than spoken language. I have also learned that without language w...more

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About Oliver Sacks

Oliver Wolf Sacks, CBE (born July 9, 1933, London), is a British neurologist residing in the United States, who has written popular books about his patients, the most famous of which is Awakenings, which was adapted into a film of the same name starring Robin Williams and Robert De Niro.

Sacks was the youngest of four children born to a prosperous North London Jewish couple: Sam, a physician, and E...more Oliver Wolf Sacks, CBE (born July 9, 1933, London), is a British neurologist residing in the United States, who has written popular books about his patients, the most famous of which is Awakenings, which was adapted into a film of the same name starring Robin Williams and Robert De Niro.

Sacks was the youngest of four children born to a prosperous North London Jewish couple: Sam, a physician, and Elsie, a surgeon. When he was six years old, he and his brother were evacuated from London to escape The Blitz, retreating to a boarding school in the Midlands, where he remained until 1943. During his youth, he was a keen amateur chemist, as recalled in his memoir Uncle Tungsten. He also learned to share his parents' enthusiasm for medicine and entered The Queen's College, Oxford University in 1951, from which he received a Bachelor of Arts (BA) in physiology and biology in 1954. At the same institution, he went on to earn in 1958, a Master of Arts (MA) and an MB ChB in chemistry, thereby qualifying to practice medicine.

After converting his British qualifications to American recognition (i.e., an MD as opposed to MB ChB), Sacks moved to New York, where he has lived since 1965, and taken twice weekly therapy sessions since 1966.

Sacks began consulting at chronic care facility Beth Abraham Hospital (now Beth Abraham Health Service) in 1966. At Beth Abraham, Sacks worked with a group of survivors of the 1920s sleeping sickness, encephalitis lethargica, who had been unable to move on their own for decades. These patients and his treatment of them were the basis of Sacks' book Awakenings.

His work at Beth Abraham helped provide the foundation on which the Institute for Music and Neurologic Function (IMNF), where Sacks is currently an honorary medical advisor, is built. In 2000, IMNF honored Sacks, its founder, with its first Music Has Power Award. The IMNF again bestowed a Music Has Power Award on Sacks in 2006 to commemorate "his 40 years at Beth Abraham and honor his outstanding contributions in support of music therapy and the effect of music on the human brain and mind".

Sacks was formerly employed as a clinical professor of neurology at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine and at the New York University School of Medicine, serving the latter school for 42 years. On 1 July 2007, Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons appointed Sacks to a position as professor of clinical neurology and clinical psychiatry, at the same time opening to him a new position as "artist", which the university hoped will help interconnect disciplines such as medicine, law, and economics. Sacks remains a consultant neurologist to the Little Sisters of the Poor, and maintains a practice in New York City.

Since 1996, Sacks is a member of The American Academy of Arts and Letters (Literature). In 1999, Sacks became a Fellow of the New York Academy of Sciences. Also in 1999, he became an Honorary Fellow at The Queen's College, Oxford. In 2002, he became Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences (Class IV—Humanities and Arts, Section 4—Literature).[38] and he was awarded the 2001 Lewis Thomas Prize by Rockefeller University. Sacks has been awarded honorary doctorates from the College of Staten Island (1991), Tufts University (1991), New York Medical College (1991), Georgetown University (1992), Medical College of Pennsylvania (1992), Bard College (1992), Queen's University (Ontario) (2001), Gallaudet University (2005), University of Oxford (2005), Pontificia Universidad Católica del Perú (2006). He was appointed Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in the 2008 Birthday Honours. Asteroid 84928 Oliversacks, discovered in 2003 and 2 miles (3.2 km) in diameter, has been named in his honor.
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“We speak not only to tell other people what we think, but to tell ourselves what we think. Speech is a part of thought.” — 26 people liked it

“And language, (...) is not just another faculty or skill, it is what makes thought possible, what seperates thought from nonthought, what seperates the human from the non human.” — 1 person liked it

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