Publisher : Random House Audio
Publication Date : 1997 05 13
>> The Diving Bell and the Butterfly
What an insight into a mind locked up and yet able to communicate though almost to the point of unbelievable The patience he had to blink out an alphabet and the pain he must have felt at not being able to physically do what he wrote about had to be deep It taught me how important patience and faith should be in each person s life
>> Not as good as I hoped Have better suggestion
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
>> Free Minds a Lesson on the Power of Attention
Many life lessons may be distilled from this book However one of the most powerful is the degree of control our minds exert over feelings of fulfillment and life meaning If we increase our attention to everyday details and our reflection on memories we can have minds as free as butterflies even when confined to the diving bell of normal life
Plot Summary
In his previous life Jean Dominique Bauby was the editor in chief of Elle magazine in France His was always quick witted and expressed a zeal for life s luxuries and an appetite for new experiences When he was 43 years old this all was abruptly arrested by a massive stroke After two weeks spent in a coma he awoke to his new life as a victim of locked in syndrome an individual in this condition is still fully cognizant yet unable to accomplish any volitional movement By an arguably cruel twist of fate Bauby was still in control of the muscles in his left eyelid Using this limited capability he was able to blink his selection of letters to his infinitely patient speech therapist as she repeatedly read him the alphabet Through this painstakingly slow method of communication Bauby was not only able to compose correspondence to his friends and family but also wrote this eloquent and surprisingly cheerful memoir
Confined yet Free
Because it is written by a man condemned to a fate many would consider worse than death the jovial topics addressed in most of the anecdotes which comprise this book come as a surprise Even his occasional lapses into self pity are expressed in such a mercurial manner that the reader s pity is offset by admiration of his enduring mirth His body whose constant immobile state is conferred by what Bauby lovingly dubs an invisible diving bell exercises no constraint on his mind In fact Bauby s situation which would conventionally be bemoaned as extremely unfortunate seems to actually yield a degree of freedom neither experienced nor contemplated by physiologically normal individuals Like a butterfly Bauby s mind is free to roam distracted neither by movement nor responsibility Atention previously preoccupied by these is redirected towards the minutia of everyday experience and towards memory
Benefits of Attention
Although most people would never wish locked in syndrome on their worst enemies the whole of humanity would benefit from the resulting redirection of attention which Bauby so eloquently recounts Because of the repetitious nature of everyday events our appreciation for them is often muted if not altogether absent Bauby s nostalgic description of the mundane tasks of his previous life such as shaving and dressing himself cast them in such a tragically positive light that the reader is prompted to stop and appreciate similar events in his/her own life Even in his paralyzed state Bauby is careful to note the comfort of his weekly bath and the colors cast on the wall of his hospital room at sunset With this book Bauby extends an invitation for the reader to join him in his diving bell even though it promises to take them into unexplored territory he invites us to abandon our focus on the stresses which seem so important and pressing at any given moment in favor of the quite pleasures that are all too often overlooked If we were to allow ourselves to learn from his experience and afford a heightened level of acknowledgement to simple details of our experience our lives would undoubtedly be richer and more fulfilling than achieved with our current benumbed attention
Power of Memory
The majority of the anecdotes offered in this book are written as a stream of consciousness Bauby relates memories as they come back to him The fact that his memories are in effect his only remaining connection to normalcy reflects the importance of memory to all of humanity We all rely on memories to ground us to our past and form educated judgments of future actions He relies on them not just for this sense of identity but for improving his quality of life even though his only form of nourishment enters his body via an IV Bauby mentally treats himself to the tastes and scents of memories of gourmet meals If taking the time to appreciate his past had such a profoundly calming and life affirming effect on Bauby during the bleakest times of his bedridden life one can only imagine the positive ramifications such appreciation would produce in our own lives
Brain Plasticity
Although his brain and spinal cord suffered catastrophic damage during the stroke Bauby was able by the time of completion of this memoir to grunt the little song about the kangaroo He also regains his ability to shake his head and even muster a loud grunt The recitation of this French children s rhyme and reacquisition of limited movement serve as testimonies to his brain s ability to reorganize itself As popularized by current theories on the subject brain plasticity can result in drastic changes so long as therapy is repeated and afforded absolute attention by the patient This is yet another display of the importance of attention if we are to make any meaningful change to our own bodies or lives we must increase the attention we pay to efforts towards that end
Words to Potential Readers
The structure of this memoir lends itself to quick reading but its content demands the attention which can only be given during slow consideration Do not be deceived by its short length for what it lacks in page numbers the book overcompensates with its emotionally charged and witty content I have read each anecdote several times every time extracting more subtle exquisite nuances unnoticed during previous readings Bauby s wit along with his unabashed optimism is at once awe inspiring and life affirming It shows that even though we are all confined to a certain extent by the diving bell of responsibility and the limitations of our bodies we can maintain minds as free as butterflies by being selective with our attention to our surroundings and appreciation of our past
This was an absolutely wonderful book which I would recommend to any reader with an open mind You shouldn t read it unless you are ready to shed some tears and have your life views radically challenged It is not sad but instead poignant a powerful testament to the durability of the human spirit Be prepared to want to read it multiple times
