PositiveThe National PostAs in previous books, Sacks is more observer than doctor, using these individual cases as a jumping-off point for his reflections. This leads to an uncomfortable thought: The stories of these afflictions are compelling, but is Sacks just presenting a highbrow freak show for our entertainment? ... After the second case study, however, it becomes clear the focus of these stories is not the patients’ ailments, but their remarkable ability to compensate for their cognitive and perceptive deficits ... Sacks’ emphasis on compensation and adaptation becomes even more poignant when we are introduced to his final case study: himself ... Sacks’ portrayal of himself as a patient serves to humanize him, almost too much.
