Everything in Its Place

January 15, 2019
The acclaimed neurologist and author's spaciousness of mind, humanity, and attachment to all life has its last showcase in this posthumously published collection.Assembled here are a wealth of previously published and unreleased pieces by the gifted neurologist (1933-2015), justly called the "poet laureate of science." As in most of his books, Sacks (The River of Consciousness, 2017, etc.) includes clinical case studies from his medical practice. There is an unusually intriguing discussion of the many sides of Tourette's syndrome as well as a detailed analysis of the misleadingly named "bi-polar" disorder. While underscoring the physician's role in some of the most intimate decisions of a patient's life, the author discusses the aging brain; mania as a biological rather than psychological condition; the various manifestations of dementia; and the folly of a "premature sense of impotence and doom" that can accompany a diagnosis of Alzheimer's. In a lighter vein, Sacks discusses his early fascination with fossil botany and chemistry. He also offers odes to libraries, swimming, museums, the necessity of gardens, and the majesty of the ginkgo. His disquisitions extend further to the ancient building blocks of cyanobacteria and the evolution of earthlike planets, the premonitory power of dreams, photography's transformation of the way we perceive movement and the world, and the hallucinatory nature of out-of-body and near-death experiences, states that are far from supernatural in origin but rather "part of the normal range of human consciousness and experience." Among the many scientists and writers whose oft-forgotten work he praises (sometimes to excess), his essay on pioneering British chemist and poet Humphry Davy is particularly edifying. In the last days of his life, Sacks offered strong lamentations about the book as an endangered species and the loss of civility in an age of cellphones and social media.Balanced and insightful, this valedictory collection offers a fine coda to a remarkable life and career.

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March 1, 2019

This eclectic and satisfying collection of essays spans myriad topics: childhood remembrances, case histories, travelog, as well as explorations of various subjects that piqued the late neurologist Sacks's interest over his lifetime. Thirty-four pieces are included, some of which are published here for the first time (dates and location of earlier publications are noted in the sources and acknowledgements). Reading about Sacks's love of swimming, his lifelong fondness of gefilte fish, and his joy when browsing library stacks is as compelling as reading the more scientific essays chronicling various case histories, aging, and dementia. One noteworthy essay is the previously unpublished "Travels with Lowell," which recounts Sacks's friendship and travels with photojournalist Lowell Handler, who has Tourette's syndrome. In each informative and engaging selection, Sacks writes with his characteristic compassion and attention to detail. VERDICT Recommended primarily for fans of Sacks's earlier works. This final posthumous collection provides one last peek into the author's generous, curious, and brilliant mind. [See Prepub Alert, 10/15/18.]--Ragan O'Malley, Saint Ann's School, Brooklyn

Copyright 2019 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

March 1, 2019

The essays in this final volume from late, great neurologist Sacks move from his love of ferns, swimming, and horsetails to his final case histories investigating schizophrenia, dementia, and Alzheimer's. Included: a piece on Spalding Gray that appeared in The New Yorker and memories of Robin Williams.

Copyright 2018 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.