Gratitude

I have read other books by Dr. Sacks and consider him to be a man of wisdom, insight, and constructive values. This is a nice piece at the end of his life, but nothing particularly remarkable. Rest his soul.

I was moved by this short group of essays. They were deeply personal and thought provoking. I enjoyed the author's way of expressing himself as he approaches the end of his life. The four essays were not enough. The book ended leaving me wanting more.

Long impressed by Oliver Sacks but this is a real disappointment. Very few pages, not as well written as expected and incredibly over hyped. Prefer to remember his many accomplishments rather than this, bluntly, celebrity ripoff. Sad

I purchased two of these for gifts. The book is wonderful, but the copies I received both had greasy sticky smear marks on the covers that I I couldn't rub off. I guess that I'll have to gift them with apologies and a joke about the fulfillment center.

I don't get the hoopla. The only thing I got out of this book is his love of the periodic table. I regret never having a chemistry course. So my age relates to cerium, a chemical element and atomic number 58. I'm going to start posting this on people's Facebook pages for their birthdays.

I haven't read anything else by this author, so I'm not influenced by his other works. I bought this book looking for inspiration and really only found 4 essays by a successful, white, 81 year old man who tells about his life, his books, and his gratitude. If I live to 81, I will be very grateful as well. A person who has lived that long has every reason to have gratitude. A younger person facing death and detailing their struggle would have been more of an inspiration. I was hoping for a book I could buy and gift to friends and family. Unfortunately, this isn't it.

When he died last year at age 82, Oliver Sacks, the neurologist, researcher, memoirist, and author of popular tales about people with mis-wired brains, had known his death was coming, and like he did about anything in which he took an interest, he wrote about it. The essay, “My Own Life,” appeared in _The New York Times_. It is republished in a gem of a book which includes three other essays about getting old and and leaving (but loving) life, _Gratitude_ (Knopf). This tiny book shows just why people loved Oliver Sacks, and why he got such an outpouring of friendship and goodwill when he announced his imminent death from cancer. It is a humane look at his own life, and death, told with good humor, acceptance, and that charming gratitude that had such a strong hold on him. If you know his writings, this will bring them to a thoughtful and enlightened conclusion; if you do not, the little book is a not just a farewell but will do for a grand introduction. For all of us, our days are numbered, but those of us who are getting along in years might realize it a little more often than the youngsters we see around us; but even those youngsters will profit from this happy glance backwards and glance forwards.

The first essay, “Mercury,” was written when Sacks was just about to turn eighty, and had no idea that cancer was to take him. He enjoyed the prospect of being eighty, with mercury having element number eighty. He reflects, “Perhaps, with luck, I will make it, more or less intact, for another few years and be granted the liberty to continue to love and work, the two most important things, Freud insisted, in life.” Alas, in “My Own Life,” he reflects, “My luck has run out.” A rare eye tumor had metastasized to his liver, and he knew he had but months to live. He tells us, at this late hour in his life, that his predominant feeling is gratitude: “Above all, I have been a sentient being, a thinking animal, on this beautiful planet, and that in itself has been an enormous privilege and adventure.” I teared up when I read those words when he first published this essay, and having read it several times more, it still makes me cry, with its grace and rightness. He is back to the elements in “My Periodic Table,” reflecting that he won’t get up to 83 bismuth, and didn’t want to get to the poisonous 84 polonium anyway. In “Sabbath,” Sacks reflects on his religious upbringing in a fairly orthodox Jewish community in London. He dropped such beliefs, but in his final words here, he reflects that it is the Sabbath of his life, time “when one can feel that one’s work is done, and one may, in good conscience, rest.”

And rest in peace, Doctor Sacks. I am filled with gratitude.

Writing a review of these beautiful and perfectly composed four last essays of Oliver Sacks is a difficult task. (According to the Foreword, he went over every word of the last essay “Sabbath” written just before his death on August 10, 2015 “again and again.”) It is almost like trying to review a good poem: they speak for themselves. I’ll give it my best inadequate shot though.

The first essay “Mercury” is a celebration of being 80. A lover of the Periodic Table since childhood, Dr. Sacks has always associated each of his birthdays with one of the elements; thus the title “Mercury” as that is the 80th element. He remembers that his father, who lived to be 94, had said that the 80’s had been one of the most enjoyable decades of his life. Dr. Sacks sees old age as a time of “leisure and freedom.”

Dr. Sacks wrote the second essay “My Own Life” after he learned that an ocular melanoma that had been removed in 2005 had metastasized to his liver. Although he is facing his mortality, he feels “intensely alive” and has reduced life to the things that are most important: no more watching the News/Hour or being interested in politics or arguments about global warming. Once again the essay reads as poetry: “There will be no one like us when we are gone, but then there is no one like anyone else, ever. When people die, they cannot be replaced.”

In the third essay “My Periodic Table,” the author discusses the progress of his disease but also reminds the reader that he always deals with loss by returning to the physical sciences. (And I will always be grateful to him for quoting Milton when Dr. Sacks saw the entire sky “powdered with stars.”)

In the final essay “Sabbath” this brilliant man recalls growing up in England and attending synagogue with his Orthodox Jewish family. At the age of 18, when questioned about his sexuality by his father, he admitted that he was attracted to boys but had not acted on these feelings. His mother responded by saying that he was an abomination and that she wished he had never been born. Sacks opines that his mother was relying on Leviticus (that book that some Jews and I suspect many more Christians delight in quoting to reinforce their hatred of homosexuals). “The matter was never mentioned again, but her harsh words made me hate religion’s capacity for bigotry and cruelty.” [Someone say amen.] Dr. Sacks, however, does make peace with his large family when he takes his partner Billy to a 100th birthday party for a cousin in Israel in June of 2014.

Dr. Sacks closes out this thoughtful elegiac essay in words much better than mine: “I find my thoughts, increasingly, not on the supernatural or spiritual abut on what is meant by living a good and worthwhile life—achieving a sense of peace within oneself. I find my thoughts drifting to the Sabbath, the day of rest, the seventh day of the week, and perhaps the seventh day of one’s life as well, when one can feel that one’s work is done, and one may, in good conscience, rest.”

XXXXX

“I cannot pretend I am without fear [of my diagnosis]. But my predominant feeling is one of gratitude. I have loved and been loved; I have been given much and I have given something in return; I have read and traveled and thought and written...

Above all, I have been a sentient being, a thinking animal, on this beautiful planet, and that in itself has been an enormous privilege and adventure.”

The above comes from the second essay in this slim book by Oliver Sacks (July, 1933 to August, 2015). He was a neurologist, professor, and author of thirteen books (most of them best-sellers). Sacks was called the “poet laureate of contemporary medicine” and “one of the great clinical minds of the twentieth century.” He was the recipient of many awards including honours from the National Science Foundation, the American Academy of Arts and Letters, and the Royal College of Physicians.

(Note that the title of this review is found on the dedication page of this book.)

This book consists of four essays. All of them originally appeared in “The New York Times.” The first essay was published in July, 2013 while the last three were published in February, July, and August of 2015 respectively.

The first essay was published just days before Sacks’ eightieth birthday. The next one was published after he was diagnosed with a terminal illness. The penultimate essay was published when Sacks was enjoying relatively good health while the final one was published just two weeks before his death.

What do these four essays reveal about Sacks? He faced aging, illness, and death with quite remarkable grace and clarity.

Of all the things you can learn from this book, here is my favourite in his own words:

“It is the fate...of every human being to be a unique individual, to find his own path, to live his own life, to die his own death.”

Six black and white photographs permeate this little tome. I found that they gave this book an intimate feel.

Yes, this is a short book. The question is: “Is it worth buying?” In my opinion, yes! This is a unique book since it gives the final thoughts and the life-long wisdom of a learned dying man. For those unfamiliar with Sacks’ other books, this book may inspire you to check them out.

Finally, another book that is similar to this one is entitled “Mortality” by Christopher Hitchens (1949 to 2011).

In conclusion, this short and sweet book is Oliver Sacks’ posthumous gift—a fittingly lovely farewell. I leave you with the final paragraph from this book and perhaps Sacks’ final published words:

“And now, weak, short of breath, my once firm muscles melted away by [my illness], I find my thoughts, increasingly, not on the supernatural or spiritual but on what is meant by living a good and worthwhile life—achieving a sense of peace within oneself.

I find my thoughts drifting to the Sabbath, the day of rest, the seventh day of the week, and perhaps the seventh day of one’s life as well, when one can feel that one’s work is done, and one may, in good conscience, rest.”

(First published 2015; forward; 4 essays/chapters; main narrative 45 pages; about the author)

<<Stephen PLETKO, London, Ontario, Canada>>

XXXXX

Gratitude includes the final words of Dr. Oliver Sacks, prolific writer and physician who wrote four essays during the last few months of his life. Sacks uses the platform to discuss his feelings about his life and how he chooses to usher in his own death.

There is not much here, as the book is exceedingly short, but it does include some pearls of wisdom. Gratitude gives the reader one person's perspective, a chance for Oliver Sacks to reflect on his life and leave something behind. I wish it were longer, as the book is just a small snapshot of this great man's existence. I would recommend Gratitude to readers who are familiar with Oliver Sacks and his works, as there is not enough in the book for it to be understood in any meaningful way by those who are new to his writings.

“Eighty! I can hardly believe it. I often feel that life is about to begin, only to realize it is almost over.” (p. 2)

To be able to face dying with the magnitude of gratitude your life deserved is a good thing. I think Oliver Sacks did—as he so eloquently expressed in the four brief essays of this short book: Gratitude—just that.

Recommendation: Few of us are as accomplished as was Oliver Sacks, yet his exhortations for and celebrations of gratitude still apply. Certainly this is worth reading.

“Above all, I have been a sentient being, a thinking animal, on this beautiful planet, and that in itself has been an enormous privilege and adventure.” (p. 16)

Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group. Kindle Edition, 64 pages.

This really brief book of four essays count among the most moving pieces I have ever read by anyone facing his own imminent demise. Having survived his unusual cancer for almost a decade, he was shocked to discover that although he felt wonderfully well, he was, indeed, now doomed. He took solace from his family and his friends, his memories and his accomplishments, recognizing that we all have a finite timeline. After reading his essays, it can only be said that he faced his death with dignity and grace, as well as with an appreciation and recognition of all that life had given him. I was moved emotionally to tears, but I was also moved to hope that I might face my death in much the same way, with an acceptance and a sense of joy for all I had been lucky enough to receive and enjoy as I “shuffled along on this mortal coil”.

The book that seemed interesting is Gratitude by Oliver Sacks. It caught my attention mostly due to the title because sometimes people forget to be grateful for what they have in their life and take it for granted. At first, it is hard to make a connection between the word Gratitude and neuroscience because there is no clear connection between them at first. Gratitude is the feeling of appreciation and thankfulness and neuroscience is how the body and brain enable emotions, memories, and sensory experiences. However, Oliver Sacks was able to show the connection between neuroscience and gratitude in his book by discussing his life stages. Oliver makes it clear that he is thankful for his life for all the emotions, memories, and sensory experiences. Oliver Sacks was known as a British neurologist, naturalist, historian of science and author. Sacks focused a lot on how the brain worked and wrote about things such as neurological disorders and how people dealt with them. Another topic that Sacks wrote about was regarding his patient's experience and his own. It was interesting to see someone that is a neurologist write about his life and show everything he went through and wanted to share with his audience his feelings and thoughts through his last years of life.
The main concept of the book Gratitude would have to be how Stacks reflects on life, aging and confronting sickness and the end of his life. By relating it to neuroscience since his brain and body influenced his experiences. His book has four essays that focus on different topics that are based on his life during his journey with cancer.
The first essay really focuses on what it meant for him to be 80 years old. He talked about how he was mentally and physically challenged with that. My Own Life explains how he finds out about cancer he has in his liver and discusses how the future lies in the future generations. He explained that he cannot worry anymore about things that will take energy and happiness and rather focus on things such as traveling, write more, and learn new things. The third essay is Sacks comparing his life to the periodic table and explains his new treatment for his cancer. The fourth essay, explains his life from when he was a young boy that lived in a strict Jewish household. He also discussed his experience with his parents finding out he was attracted to men and how his mom’s reaction pushed him away from his religion and family. The style of the book is easy to understand so it can be for any audience. Even though the book is written by a neurologist the style seems to be more personal like a diary and less scientific approach.
Sacks slightly discussed how at the age of 80 he was in the early stages of dementia. In class, dementia was slightly discussed. Dementia is acquired and persistent syndrome of intellectual impairment characterized by memory and other cognitive deficits and impairment in social and occupational functioning. Sacks discussed how his memory and physical strength was not the same compared to his younger years. An example that he discusses in his book was being able to swim in a good time frame for his age. However, as the years passed he discussed that his body was having a harder time to complete the same distance with the same time record. Oliver Sacks really explained how people change not just physically but mentally as well when they get older. Sacks also discussed how his treatment had some difficult symptoms and how it helped his body at the beginning. After some while, his body got used to the medication and did not have the same result since his cancer got worse. With his book, the audience can see how the brain and body ages causing the person to reflect on life.
The book Gratitude does not feel like you are reading a neuroscience book because it is more about his life and all the experiences that made him. At first, there is no direct relationship between the book and neuroscience besides Oliver being a neuroscientist. But based on what is discussed in class neuroscience is a study of the nervous system and its role in behavior, thoughts, and emotions. Even though Oliver does not go into great detail how everything works in your brain biologically he does demonstrate his experiences to show that was all done because of his how his brain and nervous system influenced his behavior, thoughts, and emotion. It seems like Oliver was trying to use his life as a way to demonstrate what it means to be a human being. Oliver did a good work in letting the audience know that even though we all have a brain and body that enable emotions, memory, and sensory emotions we all have unique stories to share. The science is accurate and valid because he explains his life starting from childhood to the 80 years old and this is something that happens to everyone. As people age, there are physical and mental changes that people learn to adjust with. Oliver statements regarding his gratitude and neuroscience were strong by using his life experiences.
Oliver’s four essays capture the idea of what it means to be human from birth to death. He was able to talk about his life with his family and friends, religion and his cancer that was taking his life away. Through his experiences, he was grateful for what he went through and was due to neuroscience for influencing those behaviors, memories, and thoughts. I would say he was saying he was grateful for neuroscience. I really liked how he made it about him and his experience and relating it to neuroscience without directly taking the scientific approach. I would say that he made his book for a general audience because he wanted to share the relationship between gratitude and neuroscience by using his life experiences.

A beautifully produced collection of poignant, dignified and uplifting essays penned by the late, great Oliver Sacks shortly before his death this autumn. In his characteristically carefully crafted prose, he riffs on the meaning of knowing death lies shortly ahead of him and celebrates his thankfulness for a life well lived. His personal approach to the periodic table, wishing himself the appropriate happy birthday according to whichever element correlates to his years, deserves to become a classic custom, and encapsulates one of the many qualities that is so great about him as a writer: the ability to respond to science in a human, humane and engaging way that draws in even the most hardened sciencephobic. A wonderful way to commemorate the great good he did in his long career, an ideal gift (I bought it for my scientist husband for Christmas), and an ideal introduction to his writing for anyone who hasn't yet been won over by it.

A sweet book by a sweet man. This isn't like one of his many wonderful books on how the brain works. Rather it's a collection of thoughts at the end of his life. Something that I think many people who know they are in the process of dying should do...to leave to their families and friends. We should all practice gratitude in every aspect of our lives, even in times of great hardship and sorrow. It's good to remember what we have been given, and Sacks does a wonderful job of doing this.

I had the luck of meeting him one time, and listening to him speak. A very good man.

This short book is a series of essays by a renowned medical expert and author which was written during his demise. I am sure the publisher was thrilled to have one more chance to publish a successfully selling author. Unfortunately, it is not focused so heavily on gratitude, and I found nothing at all worth quoting. For those who still want to read it, I suggest borrowing it because it is a quick read.

Disappointed. Started listening to an audio version of this in the car and after about a minute became so emotional I thought I had better not listen to it driving and bought the book. That was the high point. Expectations not fulfilled. I found it neither uplifting or revelatory. Pretty much mundane observations and recollections most of us would make. Extremely short, maybe 10-15 minutes to read the whole "book".

Oliver Sacks fills the pages of this short book with four touching, thought-provoking essays on aging, work, love, and...well...the meaning of life. Readers who know his work will recognize his gentle voice and keen insights, while those who know little about him will discover why so many of us cherish his writings. "Sabbath," which recounts some of Sacks' vivid memories of his childhood, is especially poignant. I read this book as a digital loan from my local library, and found it a wonderful way to spend 90 minutes; anyone expecting a deeper dive into Dr. Sacks's subjects will be disappointed, as the essays are really more like op-ed pieces than extended ruminations. Ultimately, 'Gratitude' is a kind of last will and testament for the author, who died not long after he finished the last of these pieces.

I read these essays when first published individually in the New York Times. I found them to be tremendously moving.
The subject of how one faces one's own final illness and one's inevitable death is one which interests me and I suspect most other human beings when reaching our advanced years.
Oliver Sacks gives in his way a kind of ideal example of how to go through the final months of one's life.
The surprising and shocking news that the cancer he had thought contained has metastasized in such a way as to give him only months to live is not greeted by him with denial, outrage, or furious effort to reverse the inevitable.
Instead he meditates on the whole of his life, and in the four short essays makes a summary appreciation of his life story.
He shows a deep appreciation for the life he has had, for those people and activities that he has loved.
The title of the four essays 'Gratitude' does I think express the fundamental mood of these essays.
In one he speaks of his gratitude for having been a sentient being on this beautiful planet. In the final one he goes home and speaks about the Shabbatot ( The Sabbaths of his childhood home) and the special sanctity of rest he felt in them. He speaks then of his death as a kind of rest after the work and life he has had.
Sacks remarkable work in caring for others, in investigating and understanding illnesses of the mind, in narrating so movingly the stories of patients he cared for makes him in the minds of many the outstanding medical writer of all time.
I like so many other readers have a gratitude not only for this small book but for much of his work and story.
In the worlds of the religion he rejected but which nonetheless informed his life and to a degree inspired his work 'Yehi Zikhro Baruch' May his Memory be for a Blessing' ..

“Gratitude” is the valedictory address of the legendary neurologist, Oliver Sacks. In four succinct and poignant pieces, Dr. Sacks eloquently expresses his thoughts and feelings about his childhood, personal life, and profession. The earliest essay was written shortly before the author turned eighty, in July 2013. The final essay, “Sabbath” was published two weeks before Sacks died, in August 2015.

When one faces mortality, “there is no time for anything inessential.” Therefore, Sacks chose to put aside regrets and resentments, and spent his remaining months doing what he adored—writing, swimming, traveling, interacting with the people he cared about, and exploring science and nature. As a newly qualified doctor, Sacks moved from London to the United States in 1960, but found himself adrift, and became addicted to amphetamines, a dependency that nearly killed him. Fortunately, he recovered and found meaning in a hospital in the Bronx, where he worked with chronically ill patients. Dr. Sacks told their moving stories in “Awakenings.” He became a much-admired storyteller, whose fascinating medical narratives shed light on various aspects of the human condition.

Dr. Oliver Sacks was gratified to have written books that brought pleasure and enlightenment to millions of people. Although he enjoyed the unique perspective that living until eighty provided, Sacks was not naïve about old age. “The marks of decay are all too visible,” he admitted. He faced his impending death openly and with “a sense of peace,” since, in his words, “I have been given much and I have given something in return.”

Is a person on his death bed allowed to indulge in this sort of self absorbed reflection? Yes, probably. Are there some thought provoking points made by Mr. Sacks and beautiful prose? Yes of course. Yet it's so intimate, like a conversation with a close friend or therapist that for those uninitiated into his career or body of work, it feels an uncomfortable proximity.

After reading this short book all I ever can think about is if I will have the same thoughts, or the time to have the same thoughts, when I will be old. Will I be ready to die? He wasn't anyway, but still with all his grace, the same we got to know trough his books, he was still happy for all he had had.
Farewell Oliver, you were a great man and you will be remembered.

Dopo aver letto questo breve libro, tutto quello che riuscivo a pensare era se e quando sarei morta, avrei avuto lo stesso tipo di pensieri, o almeno il tempo di pensare. Sarei mai stata pronta per morire? Lui non lo era, ma comunque e con la stessa grazia che abbiamo imparato a conoscere in tutti i suoi libri, era comunque grato per tutto quello che aveva vissuto.
Addio Oliver, sei stato un grande uomo e verrai ricordato.

I suppose this is a good book if you're into the philosophical, but $9.99 is an awful lot of money for 64 pages when you're settling in for a good read and find yourself done in no time. The guy is good and popular and well respected but the book should be titled Gratitude in 64 Kindle Pages. My original source about the book didn't mention the book's brevity and it never occurred to me to look for the page count when I looked up the book here.

A beautiful collection if essays. I had lived hearing Dr. Sacks in various podcasts. He was an amazing story teller. I am moved by his storytelling and I am not easily. Of these particular stories, it is amazing how eloquently, insightfully, and earnestly he documents his own coming death.

Very brief essays written while Sacks knew of his diagnosis and his limited time left on Earth. Glad he had the strength to share his thoughts and glad I took the time to read them. They take less than 30 minutes to read but every minute is worth it.

I read this during the week of my 51st birthday. What revelations. What creativity. What insight. This wise man's words melted into my heart where they will serve to strengthen my resolve not to waste the years I have beyond now.

One of the most important doctors in field of Neurology, reading Sacks should be a requirement for anybody looking to expand their horizon both spiritually and intellectually. On The Move is his best work.

A beautiful little book full of insights and wisdom expressed simply and with grace. 4 essays written by Oliver Sachs not long before his death - especially the last one - and about his journey with metastatic eye melanoma. He speaks in that well-loved way making you remember why you've always loved his work and fiercely admired him. Shalom and good Shabbat!

While I enjoyed this book, I wouldn’t recommend it to others who have not read his other works. The author’s reflection on his life is the only substance in this collection of essays. Without context, and even with context, this is not his most accessible work.

It is very, very short.

There are some great short books. The Art Of War comes to mind, but then again it is only $4.

I love almost anything in print, but even for me this was a disappointment.

I don't think anyone could write anything more moving, convincing, genuine, and true to character on the subject of the very, very end of life. Oliver Sacks brings something to his writing I can't quite describe - maybe "understated joie de vivre" says it best. He's so obviously thrilled with life, yet manages to make it all so down to earth. His take on mortal illness and death is no different. Rest in peace, Dr. Sacks. Yes, you do live on.

There is little to attract one to this book other than it's name. Having seen the glowing reviews in several magazines I was attracted to the book and actively sought it out. The sad fact is that this book was written in anticipation of death and appears to have been published solely for the purpose of providing for another grab for dollars. There is little of appeal here, there is nothing profound or insightful. On finishing the book I commented to my wife ,who had also read it that it was disappointing, she said "Thank God, I thought it was just me." I am amazed at how a publicist can foist this off on an unsuspecting public, more amazed that others would buy into the hype. Simply put save your money this book is a waste. There is nothing to be gained by reading this. The author had a very long and good life, Read that last line and you will have gotten all that there is to get out of the book.

What a rip off ! Far too expensive. Also: the contents sound quite familiar to one who has followed this man's publications. Unfortunately, neither contents nor presentation show what often distinguishes truly great men: humility. Instead: extravagant self-indulgence in the disguise of a tribute to everything and everybody else. I hope this ist just the publisher's doing.