Books and senses

‘The mind is a tabula rasa until it receives information from the senses’ –

This is Oliver Sacks in 2012 quoting John Locke from his 1690 Essay Concerning Human Understanding.

I have been lucky in that almost as soon as I was notified by Oliver Sacks’s website that the newest book is in the shops I have it in my hands. To me it is no wonder that I cannot put it down having read the above quotation as early as page five!.

As always I have read just a few pages and have already seen many things that ring a bell with me.

I have bought and read each of Oliver Sacks’s books as soon as they are published, or in the case of the earlier ones revised, and in each case there has always been a lot that has rung bells that are familiar to me. I am only on page fourteen of the newest of his eleven books but still I just had to write and announce that it is another good one.

I am sure that once again there is much to learn for anyone in our line of work, especially for those of us working with elderly clients. Already I have read several accounts of his work and thought to myself – ‘Oh yes, I have come across that.’

As always I delight in the style of case-reporting that Oliver Sacks uses, it is such a pleasure to read as the information being imparted sort of soaks in on the side as I seemingly get to know his clients personally.

The book my Oliver Sacks that I am enjoying is called Hallucinations and is published by Picador. Its ISBN number is 978-1-4472-08259.

I hope others will enjoy it too.