Good Reads: Oliver Sacks' "Mind's Eye" and Simon Winchester's "Atlantic"

About half of Oliver Sacks' The Mind's Eye  is precisely what you've come to expect from the physician and professor of neurology and psychiatry: firsthand case studies of people facing unusual neurological obstacles, delivered by a kindly, curious observer.
A pianist has a degenerative condition that is slowly robbing her of the ability to read music (or anything else), another is stricken by aphasia following surgery to remove a blood clot. An author has a sudden stroke and loses his ability to read and remember much, but compensates by learning to read with his tongue; somehow, tracing the shape of letters with his tongue results in comprehension of the word he's spelled. If you're a long-time Sacks reader, you may find yourself learning less about neurology than the surprising amount of coping skills that people can marshal in these instances. ..Next