The Mind's Eye
About this audiobook
Navigating the World with Impaired Vision: Stories of Resilience and Adaptation
In The Mind's Eye, renowned neurologist Oliver Sacks explores the fascinating ways in which the brain perceives and interprets visual information, and the remarkable adaptations that occur when this process is disrupted. Through captivating case studies, Sacks introduces us to individuals who have lost the ability to recognize faces, sense three-dimensional space, read, or even see, yet manage to navigate the world and communicate with others despite these challenges.
As Sacks delves into the complexities of the visual system and the brain's incredible plasticity, he reveals the myriad ways in which humans are capable of rising to the challenges posed by visual impairments. The Mind's Eye is a testament to the resilience of the human spirit and the brain's extraordinary ability to adapt and compensate in the face of adversity.
‘Oliver Sacks is a perfect antidote to the anaesthetic of familiarity. His writing turns brains and minds transparent.’ – Observer
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About the author
Oliver Sacks was born in 1933 in London and was educated at Queen's College, Oxford. He completed his medical training at San Francisco's Mount Zion Hospital and at UCLA before moving to New York, where he soon encountered the patients whom he would write about in his book Awakenings.
Dr Sacks spent almost fifty years working as a neurologist and wrote many books, including The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat, Musicophilia, and Hallucinations, about the strange neurological predicaments and conditions of his patients. The New York Times referred to him as 'the poet laureate of medicine', and over the years he received many awards, including honours from the Guggenheim Foundation, the National Science Foundation, the American Academy of Arts and Letters, and the Royal College of Physicians. In 2008, he was appointed Commander of the British Empire. His memoir, On the Move, was published shortly before his death in August 2015.
