On the Move: A Life

INTERNATIONAL BESTSELLER - A "wonderful memoir" (Los Angeles Times) about a brilliantly unconventional physician and writer, a man who has illuminated the many ways that the brain makes us human. - "Intimate.... Brim[s] with life and affection." --The New York Times

When Oliver Sacks was twelve years old, a perceptive schoolmaster wrote: "Sacks will go far, if he does not go too far." It is now abundantly clear that Sacks has never stopped going. With unbridled honesty and humor, Sacks writes about the passions that have driven his life--from motorcycles and weight lifting to neurology and poetry. He writes about his love affairs, both romantic and intellectual; his guilt over leaving his family to come to America; his bond with his schizophrenic brother; and the writers and scientists--W. H. Auden, Gerald M. Edelman, Francis Crick--who have influenced his work.
Show more

BUY THE BOOK

448 pages

Average rating: 7.14

7 RATINGS

|

2 REVIEWS

Community Reviews

richardbakare
May 30, 2023
9/10 stars
The life detailed in this memoir is an example of brilliance and beauty in every conceivable way. I have long enjoyed Oliver Sacks’ writing which is capable of transplanting you firmly into the experience of one of his patients. I had no idea that his own life would prove to be so transfixing and exemplary of how life should be lived. A life that as a fan of his, I am ashamed to have known nothing about until picking this book up. Sacks still t...read more
E Clou
May 10, 2023
6/10 stars
I especially enjoyed the parts where he focused on his scientific life, but it was interesting to see how his personal and professional life intermingled. He faced a lot of difficulties both personally and professionally and it seems like he didn't overcome these difficulties so much as he was just able to keep going which is inspirational to those of us who aren't skilled at "overcoming."

At times though the narrative dissolved into a list of int...read more

See why thousands of readers are using Bookclubs to stay connected.