The Diving Bell and the Butterfly (Vintage International)
by Jean-Dominique Bauby
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Book Summary Information
Author: Jean-Dominique BaubyEdition: Paperback
Audio: English (Original Language); English (Unknown); English (Published)
Published: 2007-11-20
ISBN: 0007790155
Number of pages: 144
Publisher: Vintage
Product features:
- ISBN13: 9780307389251
- Condition: NEW
- Notes: Brand New from Publisher. No Remainder Mark.
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Book Reviews of The Diving Bell and the Butterfly (Vintage International)
Book Review: Not as good as I hoped. Have better suggestion
Summary: 4 Stars
I was disappointed in this book. A much better book on the same subject is "Look Up For Yes" by Julia Tavalaro. Her story started in 1966 when awareness of locked-in syndrome was much less known, and technology to help was not available but had to be invented and improvised for her. She wasn't even recognized as being anything other than brain dead for 6 years, but she was very aware of everything and tells us of the treatment she received and the remarkable story of her progress once this was discovered. She was 31 when she went into a coma for 7 months as a result of two strokes. She lived until she was 68.
Summary of The Diving Bell and the Butterfly (Vintage International)
In December 1995, Jean-Dominique Bauby, the 43-year-old editor of French Elle, suffered a massive stroke that left him permanently paralyzed, a victim of "locked in syndrome." Once known for his gregariousness and wit, Bauby now finds himself imprisoned in an inert body, able to communicate only by blinking his left eye. The miracle is that in doing so he was able to compose this stunningly eloquent memoir.In a voice that is by turns wistful and mischievous, angry and sardonic, Bauby gives us a celebration of the liberating power of consciousness: what it is like to spend a day with his children, to imagine lying in bed beside his wife, to conjure up the flavor of delectable meals even as he is fed through at tube. Most of all, this triumphant book lets us witness an indomitable spirit and share in the pure joy of its own survival.
We've all got our idiosyncrasies when it comes to writing--a special chair we have to sit in, a certain kind of yellow paper we absolutely must use. To create this tremendously affecting memoir, Jean-Dominique Bauby used the only tool available to him--his left eye--with which he blinked out its short chapters, letter by letter. Two years ago, Bauby, then the 43-year-old editor-in-chief of Elle France, suffered a rare stroke to the brain stem; only his left eye and brain escaped damage. Rather than accept his "locked in" situation as a kind of death, Bauby ignited a fire of the imagination under himself and lived his last days--he died two days after the French publication of this slim volume--spiritually unfettered. In these pages Bauby journeys to exotic places he has and has not been, serving himself delectable gourmet meals along the way (surprise: everything's ripe and nothing burns). In the simplest of terms he describes how it feels to see reflected in a window "the head of a man who seemed to have emerged from a vat of formaldehyde."
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