On the Move: A Life

Really adorable, as Dr. Sacks is. A totally elliptical book, with many digressions and parenthetical paragraphs, about his totally interesting, totally unexpected (in many ways! for me!) life. For those who don't know, Dr. Sacks writes awesome, sensitive, heartfelt pop neuroscience books about weird brain stuff: The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat is one classic. Musicophilia. Awakenings (which became a wonderful movie). I saw Dr. Sacks give a talk in 2010, and he confirmed many of my assumptions about him: a natty, fusty, adorable Oxford don-type old British man. I remember he spoke of loving salmon sandwiches and having a morning swim and I was like, OF COURSE YOU DO, you wonderful teddy bear British person.

But if old/current Dr. Sacks conforms to my preconceptions about him now, young Oliver Sacks is - like - what!!! He was a really big, beefy beefcake!? Who was hugely into weightlifting (setting squat and deadlift records on Muscle Beach?!) and motorcycles?! He got addicted to amphetamines?! He's gay!? I had no idea! And then he had a whole slobbish, giant Allen Ginsberg beard period in the 1980s that I also had no idea about and discombobulates my expectations!

I actually found it sort of wonderful and inspiring how disconcertingly varied he is, how he's super-shy and completely socially awkward, loves salmon sandwiches, and SQUATS 600 POUNDS. This book made him seem so completely unique, so adorable. So full of life! And empathy! I can't believe he did so many drugs!? (Well, I guess it was The Sixties.) And his first Amsterdam trip, what!?

OK, I'm not articulating this clearly. He seems like such a wonderful person. This book is wonderful, if not completely straightforward. I guess it's mostly for people who already admire him. But if you don't admire him - then get thee to Awakenings and marvel at your brain, his brain, everybody's brain! And come back and read this.