Book #3 for 2009: The Diving Bell and the Butterfly

This is a short composition by Jean-Dominique Bauby (although I’m sure writing it was intensive) from his rehabilitation hospital in France after he became locked-in from a pontine stroke. Bauby gives a remarkable account of how active the mind remains after the body stops working. He “dictated” the work to his assistant through eye blinking, letter by letter, until he had nearly 140 pages relaying the details of his daily life as one unable to “speak” or move. A beautiful work, and a must-read for all neurologists and stroke victims.