Skip to main content
PBS logo
 
 

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

The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat and Other Clinical Tales
The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat and Other Clinical Tales
Author: Oliver Sacks
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's The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat tells the stories of individuals afflicted with fantastic perceptua...  more »
ISBN-13: 9780671554712
ISBN-10: 0671554719
Publication Date: 1985
Pages: 233
Rating:
  • Currently 3.9/5 Stars.
 19

3.9 stars, based on 19 ratings
Publisher: Summit Books
Book Type: Hardcover
Other Versions: Paperback, Audio Cassette, Audio CD
Members Wishing: 0
Reviews: Member | Amazon | Write a Review

Top Member Book Reviews

Leigh avatar reviewed The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat and Other Clinical Tales on + 378 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 7
The individual case studies in this book were incredibly interesting, but Sacks, I think, has an ego problem that emerges when he spouts his technical medi-speak. That seriously detracts from any enjoyment one can derive from the book.
reviewed The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat and Other Clinical Tales on + 71 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 5
I first heard about this book when the author, Oliver Sacks, did an interview on NPR (National Public Radio). He had many interesting things to say, including the story that forms the title of this book. Upon reading the story, I was struck by the fact that the retelling of the story has a different tone than the actual printed version: neither bad nor good, just different. Dr. Sacks gave himself a far more active role in the radio version than in the printed version.

Overall, the book's stories are fascinating. However.....a big However: the author writes with a very clinical tone. I've been in the medical field for 22 years and found the going rather heavy at times. The typical layperson will probably do a lot more skimming through the tough stuff, but all in all, it is a fascinating look at what can go wrong in the human mind, yet life goes on.

Another note: The first copyright of this book is 1971; therefore, today's reader may encounter various terms (as applied to race and mental illness) which may be somewhat offensive. Keep in mind that context is everything!
sari-lynn avatar reviewed The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat and Other Clinical Tales on + 207 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 3
An entertaining look at the inate people with strange neurological maladies. Oliver Sacks writes engagingly, with compassion. He never loses sight of the humanity of his subjects.
reviewed The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat and Other Clinical Tales on
Helpful Score: 3
Oliver Sacks is a neurologist that has chronicled patient studies in a very readable, literary way. His attention to humane detail makes his books (The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat, and An Anthopologist on Mars, in particular) true literature, so much more than dry medical reports. A deep kindness and fondness for humanity in all its magnificient oddity runs through his writing. Included are portraits of people with autism, Tourette's, Parkinson's, etc.
mugndoli avatar reviewed The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat and Other Clinical Tales on + 91 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 1
very interesting book. not too clinical.
Read All 19 Book Reviews of "The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat and Other Clinical Tales"

Please Log in to Rate these Book Reviews

PatchesMom avatar reviewed The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat and Other Clinical Tales on + 91 more book reviews
I'm interested in nuerology so it fit my interests very well
reviewed The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat and Other Clinical Tales on + 48 more book reviews
The copy of this book that I am listing is softcover, not hardcover. It also may be considered a large-print edition, although it is not so labeled. The print is smaller than I have seen in other books labeled large-print, but I would guess it is 14- or 16-point, certainly larger than used in most books.
lyn-antiphon avatar reviewed The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat and Other Clinical Tales on + 134 more book reviews
After seeing Sacks on Nova, I felt I had to collect his works. He explains neurological issues in such a plain, non-judgmental way. Very refreshing in this judgemental world.
reviewed The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat and Other Clinical Tales on + 72 more book reviews
Interesting but not as good as "An Anthropologist on Mars".
demiducky25 avatar reviewed The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat and Other Clinical Tales on + 161 more book reviews
I FINALLY finished this book after starting it in like January (it's June now). I think it was difficult to read because 1) I kept reading it at bedtime and thus fell asleep during it 2) it was heavy on the clinical terms and references at times 3) it was a collection of different stories so I didn't feel compelled to finish it since each time I read one story, I read it from beginning to end. I still enjoyed it though and would recommend it to anyone who is interested in the field of psychology.
thameslink avatar reviewed The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat and Other Clinical Tales on + 723 more book reviews
Fascinating reading! You don't have to be a student of psychology to be riveted by these interesting conditions and quirks of the human brain. Entertaining and thought provoking!


Genres: