The Mind's Eye
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Summary
Dr. Oliver Sacks is not only an observer in this book but also someone who has experienced illness himself. He vividly recounts the intense inner turmoil and strange sensations brought on by losing the sight of his right eye to eye cancer. Through these stories, Sacks ponders fundamental questions about perception and consciousness: How do we see? How do we think? Does the picture of the world exist only in our eyes?
As a globally renowned "neuro-literary writer" of the twentieth century, Sacks interprets the neurodiversity of the brain through a narrative that lingers between science and romantic poetry, revealing the wonder and poignancy of human mental activity.
Editor's review
Who it's for
A good fit for
- General readers interested in neuroscience and psychology
- Readers who enjoy medical humanities narratives and literary popular science
- Practitioners in medicine, rehabilitation, and special education
- Readers who want to understand the real situations of people with sensory disorders
Not a good fit for
- Readers expecting a systematic neuroscience textbook or clinical manual
- Readers who prefer strong plot and fast-paced narrative
- Readers easily unsettled by detailed descriptions of illness
Reading tips
- Read it as a short story collection, one or two chapters at a time, leaving intervals for digestion and reflection.
- When you reach the parts where Sacks recounts his own illness, slow down and feel the tension of observer and firsthand sufferer overlapping.
- Jot down perceptual details that surprise you; looking back after finishing, you will find they form a thread about "how the mind works."
About the publisher
Beijing United Publishing Co., Ltd. is a publisher known for its literature and history titles, with 2,065 books in the collection. Its publishing covers foreign literature, contemporary Chinese prose and essays, history, folk literature, and cultural books. Its list ranges from Sima Qian's complete edition of the Records of the Grand Historian to foreign classics such as The Book of Disquiet, All Quiet on the Western Front, Snow Country, The Stranger, and Jean-Christophe, as well as modern Chinese works including Teahouse and Dawn Blossoms Plucked at Dusk. Its authors and translators include Yasunari Kawabata, Fernando Pessoa, Erich Maria Remarque, Jin Xinyi, Zhou Miao, and Chen Chao. Public information is limited, but its catalogue reflects a balance between Chinese and foreign literary classics and historical and cultural works.
Contents
- 版权信息
- 序言
- 1 视奏
- 2 重返生活
- 3 写字的人
- 4 脸盲
- 5 苏教授的立体视觉
- 6 视觉暂留——我的日记
- 7 心灵之眼
- 参考文献
- 别册
FAQ
Do I need a neuroscience background to read this book?
How much of the book is taken up by the author's own illness?
Will reading about these illnesses make people anxious?
Comments
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About the author
Oliver Sacks is an author who writes from the perspective of a neurologist. Public information about him is limited, yet his works have already gained a certain influence among Chinese readers. The library holds six of his works, including A Neurologist's Journey of Healing (3 volumes), The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat, Uncle Tungsten: A Young Genius's Path to Scientific Enlightenment, Hallucinations, Every Wrong Turn Leads to the Self, and The Mind's Eye. These works often start from real cases in medicine and neuroscience, and also include autobiographical reminiscence and reflections on the mind and perception. Their subjects span health, foreign literature, biography, social science, and inspirational growth. Sacks's writing often turns professional observation into readable narrative and builds connections between illness and human nature, appealing to both medical readers and general readers.
Gu Yebo is an author about whom limited public information is currently available; the name appears in the Chinese book database as the author of the foreign-literature title The Eye of the Mind. Judging from its existing classification, the work belongs to foreign literature, suggesting that the author writes fiction that has reached Chinese readers through translation or through writing in a foreign language. As no reliable records of birth and death dates, nationality, education, or writing career have been found, it is difficult to trace the author's life, and little should be inferred about their identity. The Eye of the Mind is the only work by Gu Yebo in the database so far; its title hints at themes of observation, perception, and the inner world, though the specific subject matter, characters, and narrative technique should be judged from the book itself. For readers, Gu Yebo remains an author whose work precedes their reputation, and the writing style and literary influence can only be assessed once more information becomes available.
