Sherry Hinman answers “Is this book about patient's experiences...”

Mary C asked this question about The Mind's Eye:

Is this book about patient's experiences or about how the brain works?

Sherry Hinman In a way, it's about both. In each chapter, Sacks talks about one or more patients (and sometimes it's about people who contact him after they read ab…moreIn a way, it's about both. In each chapter, Sacks talks about one or more patients (and sometimes it's about people who contact him after they read about his patients in previous books). He describes their experiences and explains them the best he can, by relating them to what we know about the brain.

The theme of the book is disturbances related to vision. So a chapter might be about loss of depth of vision, blindness, loss of central vision, and so on. There is also a chapter on his own experience with a tumour on the back of his eye, including how a detailed description of how it changed how he saw the world and also how he coped with it emotionally.

His descriptions are so clear, personal, and compassionate, that you really feel you are getting to know the people and what they go through.(less)

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