The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat: and Other Clinical Tales

By: Oliver Sacks

Narrated by: Jonathan Davis, Oliver Sacks - introduction

Length: 9 hrs and 33 mins

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.

©1970, 1981, 1983, 1984, 1985 Oliver Sacks (P)2011 Audible, Inc.

Critic reviews

"Dr. Sacks's best book.... One sees a wise, compassionate and very literate mind at work in these 20 stories, nearly all remarkable, and many the kind that restore one's faith in humanity." ( Chicago Sun-Times)

"Dr. Sacks's most absorbing book.... His tales are so compelling that many of them serve as eerie metaphors not only for the condition of modern medicine but of modern man." ( New York magazine)

I can only say...wow...

What made the experience of listening to The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat: and Other Clinical Tales the most enjoyable?

I wouldn't say "enjoyable"...the book discussed clinical cases from a neurologist's perspective for people with varying neurological disorders: Tourette's, autism, etc. It was eye-opening and fascinating.

What was one of the most memorable moments of The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat: and Other Clinical Tales?

The woman who envisioned her childhood in Ireland, and the music of it, but was ever-conscious of the presence of the doctor.

What about Jonathan Davis and Oliver Sacks (Introduction) ’s performance did you like?

They both kept my attention and Mr. Davis represented each case with the respect and dignity they deserved.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

Neither. It made me think a lot about how much in our lives that we take for granted. I'm very grateful to be of good physical health, and to have only anxiety and depression with which to contend. Those seem comparatively petty with the issues each patient faced in the cases.

Any additional comments?

It was very inspiring to know that despite their barriers, each individual was still functioning and, in the case of the "Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat" to be able to maintain high levels of function with activities held dear to the individual...in his case...music.

Creme de la Creme

I read this eighteen years ago. It was the most intriguing book I ever read to that date, as I was previously a fiction fan. This is a case by case story of Dr. Sacks most interesting patients, as well as other doctors patients that he met and found intriguing. I shared these stories with others years ago after first reading this, and you will, as I plan on doing again, have a blast sharing the idiosyncrasies of these marvelous humans, explored by a renowned neuropsychologist yourselves. The vernacular is heavy, and if you are not comfortable referencing a dictionary, google every once in awhile, or are a medical doctor it may be a minor disappointment for you, however I would guess context is enough for a layman to march through this still greatly satisfied.
Don't pass this by because of its publication date either. I listen to many psychology and science audio here, and this is not going to give you that out of the loop feeling some books do. Enjoy this new and updated gem!

Very insightful...

This definitely opened up my mind to the mysteries of the brain. Most of all it gave me more understanding to the plight of those who suffer when it does not work right. Very, very interesting. The author treated each case he had with great respect and dignity.

The narrator was very easy to listen to and had a great reading voice.

Simply wonderful human tales

Sacks brings out the humanity in people oft forgotten by the world in which they do not fit. I was not prepared for the sheet clarity and humanness of this work. Oliver Sacks will make up my reading list for the next few months I'm sure.

Jonathan Davis brought this work to life with expert characterizations and perfect inflection, even if there was the occasional English mispronunciation, he mastered those of names and foreign phrases quite satisfactorily.

A tad too much rambling for my taste

Although the stories were unique and interesting, I found this audiobook tedious. On many occasions I was left thinking, "Get to the point already." I would have been a little happier with it had he gone a more scientific route when sharing the stories.

2 Things to Recommend This Book

1. Narrator: Oliver Sacks does an excellent job with the narration. I will be seeking out other books he has narrated.

2. Content: The case studies/stories in the books are absolutely fascinating. Unfortunately, they are surrounded by other content that tends far too much toward the florid for my tastes. I would have preferred stories alone.

an indisputable classic

Where does The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat: and Other Clinical Tales rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

i love science books written for laymen, even the dense books. This is not dense, more approachable than Steven Pinker, Richard Dawkins or T.S. Ramachandran. i suppose by not the subject may seem, by now, a bit dated ("old hat" so to speak), but no one tells a story like Oliver Sacks.

Medical students surely will enjoy this

Some stories are surely moving. Started really well but pace was slow in second hour and picked up later. Not gripping like expected to be but satisfying to listen once.

Fabulous for Psych Buffs

Any additional comments?

Love learning about psychology? No one teaches quite like Oliver Sacks. His anecdotal style is highly engaging and entertaining.

Stories are great, but otherwise....

I had read this book decades ago, when it first came out. This rendering is both better and worse than the one on pages. The narrator has perhaps too smooth a voice for the material- I found him so smooth that he pulled me into sleep... multiple times!
The clinical stories are interesting; we have more discoveries in neurology since the book first came out, so there are some updates. That added some interest.
The philosophical part is when the lulling happened: once the story moved from the physical: symptoms, history of the disease process, etc. the voice just ushered me in to somnolence. That’s not necessarily bad: perhaps someone who had trouble sleeping could utilize the book as an aid to sleep initiative.
Every book can be useful, even if as a doorstop. This one fills multiple spaces.