Books by author: Oliver Sacks

Sacks is a member of the pantheon of great popular science writers. As in his other books ( Awakenings, The Man Who Mistook His Wife For a Hat , etc.), he presents some of his case histories (he is a neurologist) in easy-to-digest form. His patients are marked by neurological deficiencies (often due to localized brain damage), but have skills or compensations that reveal the complexity and fragility of human consciousness. Sacks himself is constantly amazed at the brain's ability to adapt and compensate, and his enthusiasm is contagious. I find his approach and conclusions much more palatable than Damasio's (see Descartes' Error), and I highly recommend this collection.