The point for me with biography is that the book captures the voice of the subject. This book really made Oliver Sacks live for me. The author had an enduring friendship and access to Dr. Sacks over decades. Additionally, he had detailed notes and interviews with friends and acquaintances as well as papers, journals, and letters.
I was familiar with Dr. Sacks through his works, Awakenings, and The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat, and thought at the time that he would be a fascinating person to know. This book has cemented that to a certainty. What a fascinating man he was!
In a lot of ways, Sacks reminded me of Richard Feynman, both polymaths, both incredibly brilliant, both quite odd in a lot of ways, brutally (unwittingly?) honest, especially with people. There's also a lot of wit and humor here. The retelling of him being in a rage and, in the absence of alcohol, chugging a bottle of Worcestershire sauce which made him hiccup violently, made me giggle out loud.
This is a brilliant biography and is told with honesty, kindness, and warmth. The author is a prodigiously talented writer and the prose (even with difficult or sad subjects) is written with generosity and fairness. The story of his and his brother's experiences as children at boarding school moved me to tears.
Five stars. I recommend it unreservedly to lovers of biography, science bio, nonfiction, medical bios, etc.
Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.
No comments:
Post a Comment