Review: The island of the colorblind
Editorial Review - Kirkus ReviewsSacks's fans are in for a treat: This is a magical medical mystery tour of South Sea islands that goes beyond the neurological lore to reveal the good doctor as historian, botanist, environmentalist, anthropologist, and, as always, caring human being. This is really two books. The first is an examination of natives of the Micronesian island of Pingelap, where a high percentage are born without color-sensing cells, or cones, in their retinas. Thus, they have no experience of color and also lack visual acuity; on the other hand, they have accommodated with increased sensitivity to texture. They are also acutely sensitive to light and squint in daylight, seeking the comfort of twilight or nightfall as their best times. Sacks is accompanied by an ophthalmologist and a Norwegian scientist who is also an ""achromatope."" History and politics explain how there can be such high prevalence of a rare genetic disease: With an island's population reduced by severe climatic catastrophes or by colonizers, a mutant gene can spread through the surviving inbred community. Guam is the site of the second neurological phenomenon--one that remains a mystery. Numbers of native Chamorros suffer from ""lytico-bodig""--a kind of triple-threat neuropathology that can take the form of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, various kinds of parkinsonism, or dementia. Here Sacks and his companionate physicians are revealed as marvelously empathic in their visits to afflicted families. There is more to the Guam story, however. The celebration of nature, the stories of Sacks's youth in England, his lifelong love of plants, and the fragility of the islands form a passionate subtheme. Military operation, and tourism with hotels and golf courses are the contemporary versions of the colonizer mentality that wrought havoc in the past. Yet scenes of surpassing beauty remain, and we have Sacks to thank for recording them along with the examples of indomitable will and adaption that humans can manifest.
Review: The Island of the Colorblind and Cycad Island
User Review - Britta - GoodreadsI read this book aloud to my father when he was in the hospital. It made a horrible experience bearable. When I think back, I have wonderful memories of the book. Sacks is such a wonderfully visual writer. He took us both to those tropical isles! Read full review
Review: The Island of the Colorblind
User Review - Lisa - GoodreadsGreat mix of story telling and hard core science, like all Sacks' books! Read full review
Review: The Island of the Colorblind and Cycad Island
User Review - Clio - GoodreadsEngagingly written. This book does not go into enough detail on elements that I regard as interesting, but the author delves into subjects of his passion, such as cycads. This book led me to research cycads, and I learned much about colourblindness. Read full review
Review: The Island of the Colorblind and Cycad Island
User Review - Dianna - GoodreadsAs with all of his books, Dr. Sacks does a terrific job creating the foundation for his premise and presenting cogent and exciting arguments. Read full review
Review: The Island of the Colorblind and Cycad Island
User Review - Jacklynn - GoodreadsI love Oliver Sacks' books. This one was about his travels to various island/island groups to study interesting medical conditions occurring in higher numbers than in other places. His books are ... Read full review
Review: The Island of the Colorblind and Cycad Island
User Review - Sally - GoodreadsCombines Sacks always fascinating recounting of diseases and individual cases with vivid description of the people and natural history of the Pacific Islands. Don't neglect to read the copious ... Read full review
Review: The Island of the Colorblind and Cycad Island
User Review - Kelsey - GoodreadsI didn't actually finish the book because I got it with the impression from the description that is was about the Colorblind on the Islands. This is really just a small part of it. The majority ... Read full review
Review: The Island of the Colorblind and Cycad Island
User Review - Nicholas Lapp - GoodreadsBasically two separate stories, both involving what happens to a small population on an island - one a group of colorblind descendants of a king, the other involving cycad seed-eating on islands and ... Read full review
Review: The Island of the Colorblind and Cycad Island
User Review - Mary Whisner - GoodreadsLike other books by Sacks, this looks at interesting and unusual neurological conditions. Unlike the other books, it is a travel book, as he describes his trips to (1) a Pacific island that has a high ... Read full review
