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The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat: and Other Clinical Tales
- Narrated by: Jonathan Davis, Oliver Sacks - introduction
- Length: 9 hrs and 33 mins
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The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat: and Other Clinical Tales
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Publisher's Summary
In his most extraordinary book, "one of the great clinical writers of the 20th century" (The New York Times) recounts the case histories of patients lost in the bizarre, apparently inescapable world of neurological disorders. Oliver Sacks' The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat tells the stories of individuals afflicted with fantastic perceptual and intellectual aberrations: patients who have lost their memories and with them the greater part of their pasts; who are no longer able to recognize people and common objects; who are stricken with violent tics and grimaces or who shout involuntary obscenities; whose limbs have become alien; who have been dismissed as retarded yet are gifted with uncanny artistic or mathematical talents.
If inconceivably strange, these brilliant tales remain, in Dr. Sacks' splendid and sympathetic telling, deeply human. They are studies of life struggling against incredible adversity, and they enable us to enter the world of the neurologically impaired, to imagine with our hearts what it must be to live and feel as they do. A great healer, Sacks never loses sight of medicine's ultimate responsibility: "the suffering, afflicted, fighting human subject".
PLEASE NOTE: Some changes have been made to the original manuscript with the permission of Oliver Sacks.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars 15
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Performance5 out of 5 stars 15
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 11
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Performance5 out of 5 stars 8
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 8
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Excellent Narration
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 12
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 10
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 10
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What the critics say
What listeners say about The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat: and Other Clinical Tales
Average Customer RatingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Michael
- 2021-11-13
Truly excellent
A wonderful book and an exceptional narrator. A fascinating and engaging look into the realm of neurological issues.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Doily
- 2023-03-01
ABSOLUTELY FASCINATING
Fascinating true stories of real people who are amazing in their way! Wonderful to hear how many of them were affected positively with music, art, theater etc! Much to learn from this book. some of it was a little slow but worth it for the learning journey. I hope this positively affects some people who have brain-affected people in their lives.
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Overall3 out of 5 stars
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Performance1 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- anne deleurme
- 2023-01-05
oh dear not good
Narration very poor. Little or none of the delight or humor evident when these stories were narrated by Oliver Sachs himself. Hard to stay awake, great for insomnia.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Candace
- 2021-02-11
Fascinating stories, soothing narration
So, I've technically "finished" this book a couple times. As much as I find the stories captivating, the narrator's voice is just so calm and soothing that I have fallen asleep to it a few times and slept right through until the end of the book. Really, truly, the stories are interesting and not in the least boring! But I just find the voice so easy to fall asleep to. So this book serves dual purpose for me - riveting stories by day, and a cure for insomnia by night.
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Anonymous User
- 2022-06-24
Digestible and Fascinating
Oliver Sacks writes narratives that connect the science of the brain to real, human connection. The stories are fascinating, and Sacks informs, educates, and enthralls. However, he writes also as they did before the era of political correctness and so much of the lingo as pertains to developmentally disabled people may be considered both outdated and offensive.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- A. Gray
- 2018-04-04
Unexpectedly good!
I really was not sure what to expect when I purchased this book. I was so pleasantly surprised - I could not stop listening. The fascinating stories that were encountered are phenomenal, and yes... I do 'geek out' a bit over this kind of thing. I usually do not subscribe to listening to this kind of book though, as often I have been bored. You will not be disappointed if you take the time to delve into these accounts!
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4 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story3 out of 5 stars
- Richard Morrison
- 2019-07-11
Neurological disorders for the layman
Dr. Sacks shows how respect for the patient, combined with compassion and curiosity are necessary in treating those with neurological disorders and other mental health issues. I wonder how many people, through no fault of their own, are arrested or otherwise cruelly confined because of circumstances over which they have no control. I recommended this Audiible book to a friend and told her about Dr. Sacks and his book Awakenings. I explained that Robin Williams played Dr. Sacks in the movie version of Awakenings. After listening for a minute, my friend asked if Robin Williams was the narrator. No, it's not, but the narrator sounds so much like Robin Williams that it's difficult not to picture him while listening.
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- Roberta W
- 2021-08-16
Intriguing insights into other’s lives
This is the first Oliver Sacks book I have read, and I expect I will read others. I have more empathy and respect for those dealing with severe mental health issues, something that I thought I already had. I was often inspired by the stories, so was disappointed when the last story, at first so promising, ended on such a dismal note. But perhaps this was meant to bring the reader down to earth. It leaves me with mixed feelings, again appropriate.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- Mom Lady
- 2018-06-26
Fascinating
I find the human condition fascinating and often marvel at how often it goes RIGHT when there are so many things that could go WRONG...
I found this book compassionate, interesting, fascinating, and, in places, funny!
A great read.
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2 people found this helpful
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Overall3 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story3 out of 5 stars
- Dan
- 2018-04-14
dated, but well read and entertaining
Was neat to see a neurologist from the 80s arguing for the intelligence of a patient he still called "a retard" while questioning whether the terminology of the day was appropriate.
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1 person found this helpful