The Man Who Tasted Words: A Neurologist Explores the Strange and Startling World of Our Senses
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- Create Date：2022-03-10 20:21:36
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- Author：Guy Leschziner
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Summary
In The Man Who Tasted Words， neurologist Guy Leschziner leads readers through the five senses and how， through them， our brain understands or misunderstands the world around us。
Vision， hearing， taste， smell， and touch are what we rely on to perceive the reality of our world。 Our five senses are the conduits that bring us the scent of a freshly brewed cup of coffee or the notes of a favorite song suddenly playing on the radio。 But are they really that reliable？ The Man Who Tasted Words shows that what we perceive to be absolute truths of the world around us is actually a complex internal reconstruction by our minds and nervous systems。 The translation into experiences with conscious meaning―the pattern of light and dark on the retina that is transformed into the face of a loved one， for instance―is a process that is invisible， undetected by ourselves， and， in most cases， completely out of our control。
Leschziner explores how our nervous systems define our worlds and how we can， in fact， be victims of falsehoods perpetrated by our own brains。 In his moving and lyrical chronicles of lives turned upside down by a disruption in one or more of their five senses， he introduces readers to extraordinary individuals， like one man who actually “tasted” words， and shows us how sensory disruptions like that have wreaked havoc， not only on their view of the world， but also on their relationships。 The cases Leschziner shares are extreme， but they are also human， and they teach us that both our lives and what we perceive as reality are ultimately defined by the complexities of the nervous system。
Vision， hearing， taste， smell， and touch are what we rely on to perceive the reality of our world。 Our five senses are the conduits that bring us the scent of a freshly brewed cup of coffee or the notes of a favorite song suddenly playing on the radio。 But are they really that reliable？ The Man Who Tasted Words shows that what we perceive to be absolute truths of the world around us is actually a complex internal reconstruction by our minds and nervous systems。 The translation into experiences with conscious meaning―the pattern of light and dark on the retina that is transformed into the face of a loved one， for instance―is a process that is invisible， undetected by ourselves， and， in most cases， completely out of our control。
Leschziner explores how our nervous systems define our worlds and how we can， in fact， be victims of falsehoods perpetrated by our own brains。 In his moving and lyrical chronicles of lives turned upside down by a disruption in one or more of their five senses， he introduces readers to extraordinary individuals， like one man who actually “tasted” words， and shows us how sensory disruptions like that have wreaked havoc， not only on their view of the world， but also on their relationships。 The cases Leschziner shares are extreme， but they are also human， and they teach us that both our lives and what we perceive as reality are ultimately defined by the complexities of the nervous system。
Reviews
Steven Ridgely
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Very interesting
Katherine
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Fascinating accounts of congenital and acquired sensory challenges peppered with thought-provoking questions that will make you appreciate each of your senses all the more。 Explanations of the basic science behind each sense helps one better understand the plights of the people interviewed for this collection。 Great reread value that I plan to share out with my students。
Petra X the shoe is on the other foot now！
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In my unregretted youth， I tripped out on acid many times and each time one of the great pleasures was seeing music in colours and shapes dancing to their own rhythm not the rhythm of the music。 Is synasthesia simply a quirk we all have that is suppressed and only brought to light when drugs remove the filters or for those people who do not have them？ Or is it something we mostly lost from our evolutionary past？ It makes me wonder if any animals do this as a matter of course and it helps them in In my unregretted youth， I tripped out on acid many times and each time one of the great pleasures was seeing music in colours and shapes dancing to their own rhythm not the rhythm of the music。 Is synasthesia simply a quirk we all have that is suppressed and only brought to light when drugs remove the filters or for those people who do not have them？ Or is it something we mostly lost from our evolutionary past？ It makes me wonder if any animals do this as a matter of course and it helps them in their lives？ And how on earth we could test for this？__________I got this because Guy Leschziner's first book The Nocturnal Brain: Nightmares， Neuroscience， and the Secret World of Sleep was so good。 I very much like the way the author writes and his thoroughness in exploring a subject。 。。。more
Mama K
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Interesting study of how our senses function。 Interweaves medical terminology with personal stories。 Still， the medical verbiage is tough-going at times， and parts of the book read more like a med school textbook。I received an ARC from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review。
Irene
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It's absolutely fascinating how fragile we are and how the tiniest lesion in the brain or the nervous system can cause havoc in our lives。 We take our senses for granted and every day we have them is a day we should consciously appreciate them。The last section about the true nature of reality as a completely different thing than the construct our brains create was also particularly poignant。 Having read a few books about this topic and quantum physics， I've made my peace with the idea that we're It's absolutely fascinating how fragile we are and how the tiniest lesion in the brain or the nervous system can cause havoc in our lives。 We take our senses for granted and every day we have them is a day we should consciously appreciate them。The last section about the true nature of reality as a completely different thing than the construct our brains create was also particularly poignant。 Having read a few books about this topic and quantum physics， I've made my peace with the idea that we're all just playing pretend with the illusion of free will， and that everything is ridiculous。 The Absurdists had a point。 。。。more
Katie
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I appreciated the modern examples。 Neuroscience is definitely a hit science right now。 I initially picked up the book because synesthesia is fascinating to me。 I did get lost in a lot of the medical jargon。 I found some of the stories heart wrenching in a way I didn't expect from the title。 **Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review！***** I appreciated the modern examples。 Neuroscience is definitely a hit science right now。 I initially picked up the book because synesthesia is fascinating to me。 I did get lost in a lot of the medical jargon。 I found some of the stories heart wrenching in a way I didn't expect from the title。 **Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review！***** 。。。more
Bookoholiccafe
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This is a very well-written Nonfiction that takes readers through the five senses and how， through them， our brain understands or misunderstands the world around us。In this book， the author explains how our senses create our existence and what happens when even one of these senses malfunctions。It was really interesting to read about Paul， a man who could not feel any pain， I found it terrifying。 if you enjoy nonfiction then this would be a very interesting and educational book for you。
Susan's Reviews
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Another GR friend posted a stellar review on this very well written book about a series of highly unusual neurological disorders。 Her review intrigued me， so I immediately requested and happily was granted an ARC of this book from NetGalley。Try to imagine someone who can not feel pain of any sort - and then read the explanation or pathology as to WHY the patient has no physical sensory perception。 The psychological impact of this disorder was just as engrossing to read about as the description o Another GR friend posted a stellar review on this very well written book about a series of highly unusual neurological disorders。 Her review intrigued me， so I immediately requested and happily was granted an ARC of this book from NetGalley。Try to imagine someone who can not feel pain of any sort - and then read the explanation or pathology as to WHY the patient has no physical sensory perception。 The psychological impact of this disorder was just as engrossing to read about as the description of the physical ailment。 Note: The author obtained permission from his patients to write about their respective neurological anomalies。 It makes for riveting reading。A truly fascinating read that made me realize that our eyes， ears and senses work together to inform - and sometimes misinform - our thinking。 I highly recommend this collection of case studies， written in an engaging anecdotal style。 You will never take your five senses for granted again！My thanks to the author， publisher and NetGalley for an ARC of this novel in exchange for an honest review。 。。。more
Will Byrnes
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…sensation is not simply a process of gathering information from the periphery and funnelling it to the brain， but that actually the brain can influence the data being captured。 This is referred to as bottom-up and top-down processing， respectively。 But this two-way flow of information is not limited to sensation， or even our senses; it is a feature of how every tenet of our nervous system works。 -------------------------------------- …when we listen， what we hear is the result of the proce …sensation is not simply a process of gathering information from the periphery and funnelling it to the brain， but that actually the brain can influence the data being captured。 This is referred to as bottom-up and top-down processing， respectively。 But this two-way flow of information is not limited to sensation， or even our senses; it is a feature of how every tenet of our nervous system works。 -------------------------------------- …when we listen， what we hear is the result of the process of making sense of these pressure waves all around us， ascribing meaning to these tremblings of molecules。 It is an early warning system， an awareness of what lies in wait immediately beyond our bodies or outside our field of vision。 It is also an effective mode of communication。 As the authors of the textbook Auditory Neuroscience state， ‘Every time you talk to someone， you are effectively engaging in something that can only be described as telepathic activity， as you are effectively “beaming your thoughts into the other person’s head，” using as your medium a form of “invisible vibrations”。’ We tend to think of our senses as pure forms of data gathering。 Physical sense encounters external stimuli and transfers that information directly to the brain， where the info is incorporated。 Seems simple and direct， no？ It might be were it actually the case。 But it is most certainly NOT the case。 We know for a fact that people believe whatever they want to believe， regardless of extant reality。 January 6， 2021 and your crazy， Fox-addicted uncle offer prime examples of that。 But it is also the case that believing is， literally， seeing， on a much more immediate， personal， sensate level， extending far beyond the willful ignorance of political （and reportorial） bubble-think。 Dr。 Guy Leschziner - image from his Goodreads profileDr。 Guy Leschziner， a consultant neurologist in the Departments of Neurology and Sleep Disorders Centre at Guy’s and St Thomas’ Hospitals （where he runs the Sleep Disorders Centre） and at several other London institutions， presenter of several series for BBC on the brain and sleep， reports on a collection of people with unusual sensate experiences。 （Sadly， none look anything like the amazing sense-connections of the characters on the fabulous TV series Sense8）， If you were expecting an entire book on synesthesia， （which you might， given the somewhat misleading book title） you might have to feel that elsewhere。 Yes， there is a bit of that in here， but mostly the book explores the interactions between our senses and our brains， and even considers the nature of reality as it is， versus how we might perceive it。 And if you thought the doctor would limit himself to our five senses， well， mostly， but not entirely。 He does write a bit about other elements of our being that might be considered senses beyond the five。 Generally， the book is about the doctor figuring out what is causing strange sensations for his patients。 Case histories abound。Mark hears his personal noises （chewing， breathing， and other） at way too high a volume， while the sounds of the external world are muffled。 A TV personality has lost his ability to hear bird songs above a certain pitch， then starts hearing loud sounds everywhere， and a musical playlist that holds no appeal。Abi can experience basic tastes， but not flavor， as she has never had a sense of smell。 Leschziner riffs on the difference between the two， offering a very surprising （to me， anyway） conclusion about the latter。There is a wonderful section on how smell impacts a wide range of human activities， including， but not limited to， the obvious ones about the edibility of food， and repulsiveness of rot， but how we make many social decisions based on an unconscious （mostly） reactions to personal odors。 It certainly manifests in language。 This look at olfaction passes the smell test， does not at all stink to high heaven， or smell fishy， and if called by any other name， it would smell as sweet。 It is not to be sniffed at， or do you smell a rat？A sommelier loses her sense of taste， making it a bit of a challenge to do her job。 You will learn a lot about how flavor informs our lives， and how it is actually constructed。Miriam’ s feet always feel burning hot。 No matches in shoes involved。 Alison’s feel for temperature is reversed。 Dawn experiences massive pain in her face hundreds of times a day。 Paul feels no pain。 You might think this is a good thing， with obvious benefits。 But the downsides can really hurt。Synesthesia does put in an appearance。 For James， sounds have taste and texture。 Valerie sees color associated with sound。 Sometimes colors do seem too loud， even to those of us with the usual sense experiences。 Is this a case of synesthesia in language？ ‘My favourite Tube station was Tottenham Court Road， because there’s so many lovely words in there。 “Tottenham” produced the taste and texture of a sausage; “Court” was like an egg – a fried egg but not a runny fried egg: a lovely crispy fried egg。 And “Road” was toast。 So there you’ve got a pre-made breakfast。 But further along the Central Line was one of the worst ones， that used to taste like an aerosol can – you know， the aftertaste you get from hairspray。 That was Bond Street。’ It is the associations our sensate experiences have with our past， with our emotions with our thought processes， that give them value far beyond the immediate physical information they provide， whether one is a Proustian character recalling a large chunk of his past prompted by dipping a madeleine in a cup of tea， or one is a less literary sort， recalling a moment from early parenthood， prompted by the particular scents in the baby products section of a store。 not only is there an overlap between olfaction and emotion， but also olfaction and emotional memory。 Those regions of the brain involved in olfaction and emotional processing also have a strong role in memory。 Ranging beyond， Leschziner writes of a woman’s inability to construct internal visions， and of the phantom limb experience of many who have endured amputations。 Our sense of ourselves in space gets a look as well， prompting you to wonder just what the criteria might be for defining what does and does not qualify a bodily experience to be called an actual sense。 Leschziner has an engaging writing style and keeps the intel delivery at an accessible pop-science level， for the most part。 On occasion， a bit too much technical jargon does find a way in， but just skip past when it does。 There are occasional moments of humor， one actual LOL， for me， anyway。 But this is not a significant feature of his writing。 This book is brain candy of the first order （another synesthetic bit of language。 Once you get a taste for the stuff， examples do start to stand out。） Not only does Leschziner point out the ways in which what we consider normal， or at least typical， human sensation works， he shows how some senses work through intermediaries， while others get a direct-to-brain， no-TSA-line channel from input to processing。 That was news to me。 He also offers a discussion about how our brains function as biological time delays， in a way， gathering information to create a picture in the now based on data gathering of conditions in the immediate past， as our brains and senses have far too little bandwidth or supercomputer speed to gather and process all the incoming information in real time。 There is another fascinating consideration of the actual nature of reality。 It makes The Matrix seem a lot less fantastical。 ‘Perception is nothing more than a controlled hallucination。’ This is a commonly used sentence in the world of cognitive neuroscience。 Essentially， our brains work as guessing machines， interpreting what is coming in through our senses in the context of our model of the world。 What we perceive relates to our existing beliefs about the world， to how what the information our senses provide us interacts with our virtual-reality simulation of the universe。 Very much worth a look or a listen， maybe a touch， if you read braille， The Man Who Tasted Words is a treat for your brain， and your senses， however they work。 the brain is not simply an absorber of information。 It is a prediction machine。 Our perception of the world is based upon predictions of how we expect our world to be， a necessary shortcut to deal with those three flaws， of data capacity， inherent delay and ambiguity。 Review posted – February 25， 2022Publication date – February 22， 2022I received an ARE of The Man Who Tasted Words from St。 Martin’s Press in return for a fair review。 Thanks， folks。 It smelled and tasted great。 This review will soon be cross-posted on my site， Coot’s Reviews =============================EXTRA STUFFLinks to the author’s personal， Instagram， and Twitter pagesLeschziner is a consultant neurologist in the Departments of Neurology and Sleep Disorders Centre at Guy’s and St Thomas’ Hospitals （where he runs the Sleep Disorders Centre） and at several other London institutions。 He has presented several series for BBC on the brain and sleep。 The Man Who Tasted Words is his third book， the second intended for general readers。 Interviews-----The Observer - Guy Leschziner: ‘Reality is entirely a construct of our nervous system’ by Andrew Anthony-----Intelligence Squared - Exploring the Senses， with Guy Leschziner by Helen Czerski – audio – 47:59Items of Interest from the author-----BBC Radio - Mysteries of Sleep - Three lectures，， about a half hour each-----BBC – The Compass - The Senses - audio – 26:29-----The Daily Mail - The bizarre condition that keeps a choir singing Land of Hope and Glory inside Bill Oddie's head: New book reveals what happens when our senses go haywire。。。 including a woman who smelled rotting flesh for years， and another who felt scalded by cold water- an extract-----Owltail - 17 Podcast EpisodesItem of Interest-----WebMD – on Synesthesia 。。。more
Carolyn Amate
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THE MAN WHO TASTED WORDS BY Guy LeschzinerPublisher: St。 Martin's Press Release date: February 22 2022This is a fascinating book about the 5 sences of sight smell touch taste and hearing and how the brain effects these senses and our sense of re a reality。 He asks an interesting question from the start 。。。what sense could you live without if you had to choose？ I first picked hearing as I'm losing my hearing now anyway。 But as I read on I realized that I'm glad I chose hearing because I definitel THE MAN WHO TASTED WORDS BY Guy LeschzinerPublisher: St。 Martin's Press Release date: February 22 2022This is a fascinating book about the 5 sences of sight smell touch taste and hearing and how the brain effects these senses and our sense of re a reality。 He asks an interesting question from the start 。。。what sense could you live without if you had to choose？ I first picked hearing as I'm losing my hearing now anyway。 But as I read on I realized that I'm glad I chose hearing because I definitely couldn't live without the sense of touch as it is important to your place in the world。 I loved this book as he had such interesting cases to showcase his examples of what he was trying to teach us which of course made the book so readable。 If your interested in neurology or just interesting cases involving the 5 senses I highly recommend this book！ It's an easy read and very informative！ Thanks to Netgalley and St Martin's Press for this advanced copy in exchange for my honest review。 。。。more
Victoria
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I must admit that this was a rather unexpected pleasure to receive in the mail， directly from the publisher！ But this type of nonfiction has long been one that I am drawn to。 Leschziner breaks his chapters into focusing on not just the traditional senses - sight， sound， touch， taste and smell - but also a few subsets of them （like balance， the mind's eye， knowing where your body is）。 Each chapter gives one or two examples of a person/patient who either due to genetics， injury or illness experien I must admit that this was a rather unexpected pleasure to receive in the mail， directly from the publisher！ But this type of nonfiction has long been one that I am drawn to。 Leschziner breaks his chapters into focusing on not just the traditional senses - sight， sound， touch， taste and smell - but also a few subsets of them （like balance， the mind's eye， knowing where your body is）。 Each chapter gives one or two examples of a person/patient who either due to genetics， injury or illness experiences the world differently。 Often， the road to a diagnosis is fraught and makes for an integral part of the story。 He also explains the way a "typical" brain interprets the senses - and just how differently this can go in these specific examples。 It's not quite as lively as some of the books that blend entertainment with education。 It can be a bit dry at times。 My preferred reading method for this one was just to read one chapter and then set it down for a bit before diving back in。 It certainly feels current with a few mentions of Covid-19 sprinkled throughout （though other than the message that the loss of taste/smell symptom is not neurological， this felt a bit distracting and I am sure will date this book in years to come）。 Many of these examples - if not all - will leave the reader in awe of just what the brain really does for us。 It made me so thankful for my senses， and also more aware of the fragility of the human body - as well as its incredible adaptations， too。 But， perhaps because this wasn't written in the most hopeful of times this emphasis is not totally unexpected。 There are some heartbreaking stories here and definitely some fascinating ones as well。 。。。more
Lolly K Dandeneau
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via my blog: https://bookstalkerblog。wordpress。com/𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐬𝐢𝐝𝐞𝐫 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐟𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐬𝐞𝐧𝐬𝐞𝐬。 𝐏𝐥𝐚𝐜𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐦 𝐢𝐧 𝐨𝐫𝐝𝐞𝐫- 𝐚𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐭𝐨𝐩 𝐩𝐮𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐞𝐧𝐬𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐜𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐬𝐮𝐫𝐯𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐭， 𝐚𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐛𝐨𝐭𝐭𝐨𝐦 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐰𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐬𝐚𝐜𝐫𝐢𝐟𝐢𝐜𝐞 𝐟𝐢𝐫𝐬𝐭。It’s an interesting thing to consider， what sense you would give up。 Personally， I would like to keep all of mine。 This is a fascinating， intelligent study of the senses。 My interest in neurology has been born of neurological disorders in my own family， including my meningioma， which can be a ter via my blog: https://bookstalkerblog。wordpress。com/𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐬𝐢𝐝𝐞𝐫 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐟𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐬𝐞𝐧𝐬𝐞𝐬。 𝐏𝐥𝐚𝐜𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐦 𝐢𝐧 𝐨𝐫𝐝𝐞𝐫- 𝐚𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐭𝐨𝐩 𝐩𝐮𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐞𝐧𝐬𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐜𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐬𝐮𝐫𝐯𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐭， 𝐚𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐛𝐨𝐭𝐭𝐨𝐦 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐰𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐬𝐚𝐜𝐫𝐢𝐟𝐢𝐜𝐞 𝐟𝐢𝐫𝐬𝐭。It’s an interesting thing to consider， what sense you would give up。 Personally， I would like to keep all of mine。 This is a fascinating， intelligent study of the senses。 My interest in neurology has been born of neurological disorders in my own family， including my meningioma， which can be a terrifying reality。 I know all too well about not being able to function after a severe migraine episode， one that had me behaving as if I was having a stroke。 I also have always been drawn to the subject of mental health， how our brains are wired。 The most amazing truth I take away from this book is that people are incredible and resilient， some of the patient stories are uplifting and others crushing， devastating。 As stated within these pages， “As ever in the world of neurology， it is through understanding the system when it goes wrong that we gain insight into normal functions。” Those of us whose systems have crashed realize how vital every single function is and thank our lucky stars there are people out there looking for answers。It’s fascinating to me how our nervous system runs much of our lives， how we rely on all of our senses for survival， they keep us safe from danger， give us warnings about our own health。 No one wants to feel pain， but what would we do without it？ Not feeling pain isn’t quite the superpower one would suppose it to be。 We experience the world with our senses and losing even one can upend our lives。 The senses are tied up in memories from birth， what we taste， touch， smell， see， hear。 Learning， we learn with our senses， don’t we？ What about the state of our mind， how our emotions alter our senses？ How can that be？ There is a reason they say the mind is a powerful thing， that it can change our reality。 Why do depressed people often have dampened senses？ How can someone taste words or see without eyes？ Why do people experience auditory hallucinations， even after hearing loss？ How does our brain process certain information and know what to discard？ How can we trust our senses when they are often deceptive？Randomness （like accidents， injuries）， genetic mutations， auto-immune diseases， seizures， blindness， strokes， loss of taste， smell， illnesses， trauma-there is no end to causes that can disrupt our senses。 How is the attention that we give to them an important factor？ This is a provocative read， I was pondering the senses in a different light and learning much more about the brain and the circuitry of our nervous system than I imagined。 What a mystery the human body is， despite all our scientific advances。 I was engrossed by the patients， the journey each was on and all that they shared with the reader。 Many people are unique and present a challenge to doctors。 It is through studying these deviations from the ‘norm’ that understanding expands， hope is born that help is on the horizon for so many of us。 An intelligently written book。Publication Date: February 22， 2022St。 Martin’s Press 。。。more
Kathleen Gray
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This is an accessible and highly readable book about， well， the five senses and what happens when one of them （or more） is compromised。 The anecdotes to support the arguments Leschziner presents make this shine and kept me turning the pages。 Synethesia might be familiar but imagine developing gruesome hallucinations after losing your sight。 Fascinating stuff well presented。 Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC。 An illuminating and educational read。
Nima Morgan
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Wow， what a fascinating， intriguing， mind-bending book， written by an expert in the field。 Definitely gives you a new perspective on the five senses。 A must-read by anyone who is remotely interested in how our senses work and how it can go wrong。 Thank you to Netgalley and St。 Martins Press for providing a free electronic copy of this book in exchange for an honest review。 #TheManWhoTastedWords #NetGalley
agata
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The Man Who Tasted Words is an absolutely fascinating look into how our senses work and， sometimes， how they don't。 The author is a neurologist with years of experience but he is also a talented writer - while a lot of this book is pure science， he writes about it in an easy-to-understand way and uses real-life examples of human senses acting wrong。 I loved how much Leschziner managed to change my mind and make me reflect on things I considered obvious - for example， at the beginning of the book The Man Who Tasted Words is an absolutely fascinating look into how our senses work and， sometimes， how they don't。 The author is a neurologist with years of experience but he is also a talented writer - while a lot of this book is pure science， he writes about it in an easy-to-understand way and uses real-life examples of human senses acting wrong。 I loved how much Leschziner managed to change my mind and make me reflect on things I considered obvious - for example， at the beginning of the book he asks the reader to rank the senses they feel are most important to living a full life。 Of course， most of us would probably rank sight or hearing first， with smell and taste at the end of the list。 But Leschziner proves that it's not that simple - being unable to hug your loved ones or even be in the same room as them because suddenly their smell is unbearable， or possibly losing your dream career as a sommelier because you can't taste the wine anymore are examples that we don't think about often， but that happened in real life。 I struggle a lot with health anxiety so this book was at times scarier than any horror book I could've picked up， but it was simply so captivating I couldn't stop reading。 It's a perfect read for anyone who is interested and curious about how we perceive everything around us， but also wants to understand how many elements must come together for us to experience the world in the way that we do。 。。。more
Bakertyl
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This is a nerdy book for those nerds who like to nerd out about things they like to nerd about。 Not to technical and very human， Leschziner walks through human senses one at a time， giving case studies and enough biological background to help show how important each sense is。 From a woman losing her sight several times to a man who can't stop hearing everything around him to a person who can lose their balance while sitting still， the story goes in depth while keeping the focus on the people inv This is a nerdy book for those nerds who like to nerd out about things they like to nerd about。 Not to technical and very human， Leschziner walks through human senses one at a time， giving case studies and enough biological background to help show how important each sense is。 From a woman losing her sight several times to a man who can't stop hearing everything around him to a person who can lose their balance while sitting still， the story goes in depth while keeping the focus on the people involved。**I received this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review。 。。。more
Nancy
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An interesting look at the affect of our senses， or lack thereof， and how we function。 the case studies the doctor shares are helpful for the casual reader without a depth of medical knowledge。 The author's discussion of what is "reality" left me with additional points to ponder。 An interesting look at the affect of our senses， or lack thereof， and how we function。 the case studies the doctor shares are helpful for the casual reader without a depth of medical knowledge。 The author's discussion of what is "reality" left me with additional points to ponder。 。。。more
Amaranthine
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4/5Leschziner doesn’t tread new ground with this book。 I was a tad disappointed since I expected he would be going more in depth。 This would， perhaps， be a great introductory read on the subject。 I， however， appreciated how he easily articulated his idea and structured each point around concrete examples。 He strikes this remarkable balance， that can be at times rare to find from authors stemming from academia。 He effortlessly kept my interest during my reading， never making the subject too dry a 4/5Leschziner doesn’t tread new ground with this book。 I was a tad disappointed since I expected he would be going more in depth。 This would， perhaps， be a great introductory read on the subject。 I， however， appreciated how he easily articulated his idea and structured each point around concrete examples。 He strikes this remarkable balance， that can be at times rare to find from authors stemming from academia。 He effortlessly kept my interest during my reading， never making the subject too dry and academic， proving his mastery of the subject and， just as important， knowledge of his audience。 （ An Advance Reading Copy of the book was provided for this review） 。。。more
Nigel
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In brief - Fascinating insight into our senses and the "reality" of our lives！ 4。5/5 In fullIn this book the author， a neurologist， takes us through our senses from his perspective。 He starts by looking at the idea of which sense we might be prepared to do without。 Given there are generally considered to be five senses this seems like quite a challenge from the start。 Indeed the further you delve into this book and the subject the more complex it gets。 Are there really only five senses and what In brief - Fascinating insight into our senses and the "reality" of our lives！ 4。5/5 In fullIn this book the author， a neurologist， takes us through our senses from his perspective。 He starts by looking at the idea of which sense we might be prepared to do without。 Given there are generally considered to be five senses this seems like quite a challenge from the start。 Indeed the further you delve into this book and the subject the more complex it gets。 Are there really only five senses and what would being without one be like？ The introduction has me more than interested very quickly。The book combines specific cases， generally the author's own， with related aspects of neurology。 It also looks at some of the more general challenges he has faced in his career。 Certainly one of his general points is how badly doctors communicate with their patients at times。In terms of cases and among others， we meet Paul who has no feeling of physical pain at all。 The challenges of living life without necessary danger signals through pain are very big。 Rahel is unable to walk/stand as she has no perception of her movements。 Dawn has a "benign" tumour。 Despite it being benign it is affecting her vision and this is during the pandemic which simply adds to the problems of treating patients。 There are a number of other patients and cases mentioned。 While I found them all interesting these ones seemed to stand out for me。 The challenges of attempting to help people with some of these sort of conditions are substantial。 All too often there is little that can be done。In terms of general neurological issues a number are covered in the course of this book。 I found the insights into how our brains offer us reality very interesting。 During a chapter largely on vision I discovered that "blind spots" are actual a reality。 The author tells us how we can check this and sure enough you can find your blind spot。 What is remarkable is that we generally don't realise it as the brain "fills in" the gaps。 Aphantasia is discussed in a later chapter which concerns an artist in the main。 After she had a stroke she lost her internal visualisation ability which helped her with her painting。 I guess what I hadn't realised before I read this book is that something like this ability may not be common to everyone anyway。 Until you ask someone what they can see/feel/experience they may have no idea that they lack something that others take for granted。I guess no review of this book would be complete without referring to Synaesthesia。 This is the state where the man in the title can taste words。 However there are other forms of synaesthesia。 The colours that some people find in music of music would be one and the chapter was again very interesting。Towards the end of this book the author points out to the reader that "the way we experience the world is reliant upon the chemical and physical properties of our bodies （。。。） as much as on the physical properties of objects"。 In that alone the book is fascinating - what is reality？ The epilogue continues considering that theme in part。 It reflects on "what is reality" really even name checking The Matrix。 Indeed it is clear from the book that the reality we each perceive might not be experienced the same way as others regardless of whether we are considered medically "normal"。 If no one asks us how we see/feel the world in its broadest sense we may be unaware that our senses are different to other peoples。I did find some of these chapters quite dense。 I would honestly suggest trying to read a whole chapter at a time for some ease of understanding。 At times the reintroduction of cases I'd already read about in later chapters felt a little awkward。 This may well not be a book for a real layman although I feel it should be appreciated by anyone with an interest in the subject。 Allowing those thoughts this is a book that I really enjoyed reading。 Parts of it were really fascinating and I learned a lot about senses generally and mine too。 4。5/5Note - I received an advance digital copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for a fair reviewhttps://viewson。org。uk/non-fiction/th。。。 。。。more
James Gribble
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A very good book for those that want to know more about how we experience the world but still simply enough for those with out a degree
Yolanda Vega
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The Man Who Tasted Words is an absolutely fascinating exploration of our senses。 Neurologist Guy Leschziner expertly weaves his own experiences and observations with his patient's stories and uses clear easy-to-understand language， to explain complex medical conditions。 We believe that our senses—what we rely on to perceive the reality of our world—are incredibly accurate。 But Dr。 Leschziner shows that our senses aren't really all that reliable and are defined by the complexities of our nervous The Man Who Tasted Words is an absolutely fascinating exploration of our senses。 Neurologist Guy Leschziner expertly weaves his own experiences and observations with his patient's stories and uses clear easy-to-understand language， to explain complex medical conditions。 We believe that our senses—what we rely on to perceive the reality of our world—are incredibly accurate。 But Dr。 Leschziner shows that our senses aren't really all that reliable and are defined by the complexities of our nervous system。 Our senses can be deceived by everything from genetic mutations and tumours to the brain lacking input and filling in those gaps by inventing images （hallucinations） and sensations of touch （phantom limb pain）。 The book raised some philosophical issues， that even days after finishing the last chapter， I am still reflecting on。 Reality， whatever your experience， is constructed by the brain。 My reality is most likely different than your reality and the truth is not necessarily what we perceive it to be。Each chapter of this book leads the reader through a new sense and explores， through engaging storytelling， how the brain understands （or misunderstands） the world around us。 Honestly， this book was amazing and I had a hard time putting it down。 I highly recommend it， just make sure to clear your schedule as you won't want to stop reading！My review was based on the Advance Reader Copy I won through a Goodreads First Reads giveaway。 。。。more
Lynda
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This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 Most times we never truly focus on the value of our senses in our everyday life。 Day in and day out we expect our senses to be automatically helpful and ready when needed but what happens if your reliance on one of your senses became compromised， what then？ “The Man Who Tasted Words: A Neurologist Explores The Strange and Startling World of Our Senses” presented an exercise within its pages。 Prioritize your senses。。。seemed simple enough to me。 Naturally my list was written to my satisfaction。 It Most times we never truly focus on the value of our senses in our everyday life。 Day in and day out we expect our senses to be automatically helpful and ready when needed but what happens if your reliance on one of your senses became compromised， what then？ “The Man Who Tasted Words: A Neurologist Explores The Strange and Startling World of Our Senses” presented an exercise within its pages。 Prioritize your senses。。。seemed simple enough to me。 Naturally my list was written to my satisfaction。 It wasn't long before my mind was opened to just how much each of the senses contribute to other areas I never considered before。 Written in an easy-to-understand format， not the dry textbook style I feared。 I absorbed an abundance of information with extreme cases referenced to show correlation or emphasis of a point in a clear manner。 Each case was interesting。 The cases were introduced to fit each topic detailing its progression and its current status at the time of the writing of the book。 My interest to know more grew as I continued to read。 Without a doubt， “The Man Who Tasted Words: A Neurologist Explores The Strange and Startling World of Our Senses” was well-researched and its resources identified。 Great care was taken to give the reader an expansive view of their senses including how the nervous system works， perceptions that can be altered and a deeper understanding that further knowledge is needed to cure or treat issues。 By the end， my prioritized list changed a bit and my appreciation of my senses grew immensely。 I now realize my senses give me security， trust and perception （although it could be inaccurate at times， so I've learned）。 It deepened my firm commitment to treasure and enjoy the senses I hold dear。 My review was based on the Advance Reader Copy I won through a Goodreads First Reads giveaway。 。。。more
Jennie Richmond
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A truly fascinating insight into how senses and the nervous system can impact people！ It had me hooked from the first page， I felt like I learnt so much from this and ended up really interested in absolutely everything！ Would love to read more on the subject， definitely recommend！
Matt Kelland
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A superb book for anyone who’s interested in how our brains work and how this affects our perception of reality。 We’re taught that there’s a real world out there， and our five senses feed information to the brain that tells us what it is。 Turns out， that’s all wrong。 For a start， there are a lot more than five senses。 Second， the senses feed a tiny fraction of the available information to the brain， and the brain just kind of guesses at the rest。 And third， the brain doesn’t just passively accep A superb book for anyone who’s interested in how our brains work and how this affects our perception of reality。 We’re taught that there’s a real world out there， and our five senses feed information to the brain that tells us what it is。 Turns out， that’s all wrong。 For a start， there are a lot more than five senses。 Second， the senses feed a tiny fraction of the available information to the brain， and the brain just kind of guesses at the rest。 And third， the brain doesn’t just passively accept information， it feeds back predictions to the senses on what it expects to see。 （And， perhaps most fascinating of all， it calls into question whether there even is such a thing as objective reality - who’s to say one brain’s model of the world is more or less accurate than somebody else’s， or whether they’re actually the same？）This has some important implications。 When the sensory system is damaged， either by genetic mutation， physical injury， neurochemical imbalance， or whatever， the information it sends can be inaccurate， incomplete， or unreliable。 So the brain fills in the rest， based on faulty data。 And sometimes， it gets it very， very wrong。 So you get people whose senses are completely mixed up - they perceive tastes or colors associated with vision or sound （synesthesia）， or they can’t perceive objects in part of their field of view but they can tell if they’re moving。 If you’ve read The Man Who Mistook His Wife For A Hat， you’ll be familiar with this kind of thing。Leschziner， a consultant neurologist in London， digs into dozens of case histories to illustrate how different people perceive the world differently。 His style is very easy to read， and always entertaining， but informative and packed with valuable information。Highly recommended。 （Note: I received a free pre-release copy from the publisher。 Illustrations were not included。） 。。。more
Beth
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Despite needing proofreading （I understand the copy I received is an ARC）， this book was a fascinating look into our senses and how our brain perceives things differently。 I did feel that some of the author's political commentary was not needed as those thoughts were not relevant to the topic。 There is medical jargon that may put off a casual reader; however， the personal experiences the author discusses makes up for any deficiencies。 If you want an interesting read， check out this one。I receive Despite needing proofreading （I understand the copy I received is an ARC）， this book was a fascinating look into our senses and how our brain perceives things differently。 I did feel that some of the author's political commentary was not needed as those thoughts were not relevant to the topic。 There is medical jargon that may put off a casual reader; however， the personal experiences the author discusses makes up for any deficiencies。 If you want an interesting read， check out this one。I received this book for free from the author/publisher from a Goodreads Giveaway。 Thank you for the opportunity。 。。。more
Jen Juenke
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