Into The Silent Land

by PaulBroks (Author)

• Used

  Hardcover
  2003

  $3.25

  The unforgettable debut work of the Oliver Sacks for the twenty-first century and a staggering new additional to psychological writing: 'Behind every face there is a person. The illusion is irresistible. We see the signal of consciousness in a gleaming eye and imagine some ethereal space beyond, somewhere beneath the vault of the skull, lit by shifting patterns of feeling and thought, charged with intention. Some kind of essence; a person. But what do we find in that space behind the face, when we look? The brute fact is there is nothing but material substance: flesh and blood and bone and brain. I know, I've seen. You look down into an open head, watching the brain pulsate, watching the surgeon tug and probe, and you understand with absolute conviction that there is no more to it. There's no one there. It's a liberation of sorts.' Into the Silent Land marks the debut of an astonishing new voice. Paul Broks draws on his many years as a neuropsychologist to present an unforgettable narrative about memory and personal identity. Macabre yet humane, unsettling but always affecting, Broks writes about the experiences of his patients, and his experiences as their doctor, with sensitivity and candour. Their stories are those of ordinary people whose extraordinary illnesses have much to say to everyone about who and what we are. They are also about chance, compassion, human fallibility and eccentricity.

• New

  Paperback
  2004

  $13.79

  'Genius... personal, poetic and truthful. [It] reads as light as a souffle, yet also has the resonant depth to haunt you for the rest of your days.' Guardian
  Into the Silent Land marks the debut of an astonishing new voice. Paul Broks draws on his many years as a neuropsychologist to present an unforgettable narrative about memory and personal identity. Into the Silent Land describes ordinary people whose extraordinary situations have much to teach us about chance, compassion and human resilience in the face of adversity. It is a book that penetrates the reader's imagination and lingers in the memory long after the final page.
  'Paul Brok's wonderful book... is full of wonders and unsettling new perspectives.' Independent on Sunday
  'A beautifully written addition to brain literature... will mesmerise anyone curious about the mass of goo inside our heads.' Time Out, Book of the Week
  'A debut of considerable distinction.' Sunday Times
  'Paul Broks is set to be the new Oliver Sacks... knife edge sharp [and] uncompromising. Brilliantly unsettling' Ian Finlayson, The Times
  'Into the SilentLand is a small, strange, beautiful gem... Broks is as much poet as scientist... Indelible' Atul Gawande, author of Complications