The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat and Other Clinical Tales
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
The first time I heard of Man who Mistook His Wife for a Hat, I was amused that anyone would do that–see his wife and think ‘hat’? How silly! I figured when I read the book, I’d find this was a clever play on words. It didn’t take long, though–less than a chapter–to find out that this was the world of one man and his psychosis. His brain couldn’t collect the pieces picked up by his eyes and put them together sufficiently to determine what was his wife and what was the thing he’d put on his head to keep it dry.
Sacks tells this story, and many other odd illnesses that our fellow humans suffer, with empathy and knowledge but no pity. I like that. He approaches these individuals with an interest in helping them recover a reality they’ve lost, not with any attitude that they are somehow lessor individuals because their bodies have stopped functioning like those around them. As a writer, I want to 1) include these fascinating oddities into my characters, and 2) share his sense of wonder about what is outside the norm with my readers.
I came away from my time spent with Oliver Sacks and his patients wondering what I’ve missed when watching others, what goes on in their brains that I can’t see and maybe haven’t taken the time to understand. Is the human race more different than the same? Now, one book richer in my intellect, I’m quite sure that the slight difference in DNA between us and chimps and other life forms doesn’t nearly tell the real story of life and its many forms.
Jacqui Murray is the author of the popular Building a Midshipman, the story of her daughter’s journey from high school to United States Naval Academy. She is webmaster for six blogs, an Amazon Vine Voice book reviewer, a columnist for Examiner.com and TeachHUB, Editorial Review Board member for Journal for Computing Teachers, Cisco guest blog,Technology in Education featured blogger, IMS tech expert, and a bi-monthly contributor to Today’s Author. In her free time, she is the editor of a K-8 technology curriculum, K-8 keyboard curriculum, K-8 Digital Citizenship curriculum, and creator of technology training books for how to integrate technology in education. Currently, she’s editing a thriller that should be out to publishers next summer. Contact Jacqui at her writing office or her tech lab, Ask a Tech Teacher.
[...] This post was mentioned on Twitter by Neuro Now, Jacqui Murray. Jacqui Murray said: Man Who Mistook His Wife For a Hat: http://wp.me/p90mx-wX [...]
By: Tweets that mention Man Who Mistook His Wife For a Hat « Word Dreams… -- Topsy.com on May 5, 2010
at 5:57 pm
This is a great book! It’s been a few years since I last read it…but if I recall there was a man in the book that described the taste of chicken as “pointy” – his taste was related to shapes. Amazing…
By: cafegirlchronicles on May 5, 2010
at 8:55 pm
Sacks had so many real life people, it made me feel small for judging people who might not have had a choice. Another learning curve.
By: worddreams on May 6, 2010
at 1:14 am
This is such a wonderful book. I had the distinct pleasure of working with (I’m a mental health counsellor) with a gentleman who believed he was from a different country, and spoke with the accent, although he had never been there. Mental illness is such a fascinating entity.
Chris Curry
http://peeringbetweenthevoices.wordpress.com/
By: peeringbetweenthevoices on May 6, 2010
at 5:05 am
I laid on my kitchen floor today and looked at its walls from the point of view of my 1 1/2 year old son, trying to imagine how he sees them. Does he admire the granite counter tops, or does everything revolve around the milk waiting for him in the fridge?
Perspective is a wonderful and powerful thing.
Have you seen The Diving Bell and the Butterfly? It’s an excellent showcase of how a man trapped inside his body perceives the world around him. I think you’d like it.
By: s0beurself on May 10, 2010
at 4:06 am
You’ve made the argument for perspective powerfully with such a quick story. I love it. So true.
I’ll check out the book you mentioned. Sounds good. Thanks for visiting.
By: worddreams on May 10, 2010
at 11:26 pm
[...] The Man Who Mistook His Wife For a Hat by Oliver Sachs [...]
By: Thriller Writers: These Books Are For You « Word Dreams… on January 20, 2011
at 7:52 am
[...] Man Who Mistook His Wife For a Hat « Word Dreams…May 5, 2010 … By: Tweets that mention Man Who Mistook His Wife For a Hat « Word Dreams… — Topsy.com on May 5, 2010 at 5:57 pm … [...]
By: Ahat word | AfricanXpressions on March 4, 2011
at 3:49 am