“A series of heart-rending yet ultimately uplifting essays….A
lasting gift to readers….unlike other writers who have reported from the
front lines of mortality, Sacks did not focus on his illness, his
medical ordeal or spirituality, but on “what is meant by living a good
and worthwhile life—achieving a sense of peace within oneself. Sacks not
only achieved that peace but managed to convey it beautifully in these
essays. He found positive ways to think about everything, including his
growing frailty: Perhaps, he suggests in the book’s final pages, he was
in the Sabbath of his life, “when one can feel that one’s work is done,
and one may, in good conscience, rest.” His tender book leaves readers
with a similar sense of tranquility and, indeed, gratitude.”
—Heller McAlpin, Washington Post “Elegant….a lovely slim volume.”
—Melissa Dahl, New York Magazine“Powerful….The
book chronicles the famous author’s thoughts, wishes, regrets, and,
above all, feelings of love, happiness, and gratitude even as he faced
the cancer that ended his life last year at 82….the material offers
incisive, poignant observations….A perfect gift for thoughtful readers,
and a title that belongs in science and biography collections.”
—Library Journal, *starred review*
“The neurologist and author died of cancer in August. Between 2013 and
2015, he wrote four moving essays, published in The New York Times,
reflecting on his life and facing mortality. They are collected in this
slim volume, a coda to Sacks’ remarkable career.”
—Tom Beer, Newsday “A book defined by celebration, not sadness.”
—Danny Heitman, The Advocate “This is a worthy little chapbook for the lovers of Oliver Sacks.”
—Edith Cody-Rice, The Millstone
“The volume is tiny—short enough to read easily in one sitting—but it’s
huge in heart. Oliver Sack’s just-published book “Gratitude,” consists
of four essays the famous neurologist and chronicler of human quirks
wrote in the months before his death of cancer this summer at 82. It is,
in effect, a mini-memoir, a beautiful meditation on what it means to
live a good life.”
—Sydney Trent, Washington Post
“In these four graceful essays written in the two years before he died,
Oliver Sacks looks at life, old age — and death, square in the
eye….First published individually in the
New York Times, together these pieces form a wise and profound quartet.”
—Laurie Hertzel, Minneapolis Star-Tribune “
Gratitude is a bittersweet and absolutely beautiful read in its entirety.”
—Maria Popova, Brainpickings.org
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