The Man Who Mistook His Wife For a Hat

Hello, again!

Well, you guess it - I finished another book, which means it's time for another book review :)

While I was reading The Sociopath Next Door, one of my coworkers recommended this book, mentioning that if I liked psychology books, I should definitely read this one. I added it to my list of books and thought that I would get to it some day... and some day I did!

Can you believe that I used to not have a library card??

Right. An avid reader like myself didn't have a library card. But, I finally got one a couple of months ago, and the first book I checked out was the one my coworker recommended:

Dr. Sacks is a neurologist, and his book, The Man Who Mistook His Wife For a Hat, is a compilation of a variety of clinical tales from Dr. Sacks' experiences with patients. These clinical stories aren't about your typical neurological conditions; generally, the patients he talks about in these stories experience disorders that are more uncommon or unfamiliar. And let me tell you - these stories are fascinating!

I don't know much about psychology. I never studied it or anything, but I have a general understanding of the brain and some mental conditions we as humans can suffer. In his book, Dr. Sacks does use a good amount of technical terminology, which (not going to lie) got confusing at some points. But, Dr. Sacks still does an excellent job of describing each patient's situation, as well as general condition symptoms, so that us general folk can understand.

Each story is anywhere from a page or two to ten or more, and each discusses its own different situation and patient. I loved learning about Dr. Sacks' various experiences and some of the neurological conditions that are out there. It was interesting to learn about conditions I've never heard of before, and to learn more about those I already know of.

What I particularly liked about this book was that Dr. Sacks didn't just tell the clinical side of the story. He talks about the people he visit with and treated. He talks about how their conditions affected them, about their concerns and questions and fears, about the joy they sometimes had as a result of their condition -- in short, Dr. Sacks kept his patients as real people in his book. He describes their stories in such a way that almost makes you feel like you know them, too, which makes it easy to sympathize with these real people and the challenges they face from their conditions. I very much appreciate Dr. Sacks' consideration as he tells these stories.

From patients who no longer recognize faces or feel disconnected to their limbs to patients who experience Turret's syndrome and incredibly math-centered minds, Dr. Sacks provides a variety of real stories that will both fascinate the mind and tug at the heart. If you're looking for a good psychology read, The Man Who Mistook His Wife For a Hat is an excellent choice!