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The Diving Bell and the Butterfly (Vintage International) (Vintage International)
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Binding: Paperback
Dewey Decimal Number: 362.19681
EAN: 9780307389251
ISBN: 0007790155
Label: Vintage
Manufacturer: Vintage
Number Of Items: 1
Number Of Pages: 144
Publication Date: November 20, 2007
Publisher: Vintage
Release Date: November 20, 2007
Studio: Vintage
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Editorial Review:
We've all got our idiosyncrasies when it comes to writing--a special chair we have to sit in, a certain kind of yellow paper we absolutely must use. To create this tremendously affecting memoir, Jean-Dominique Bauby used the only tool available to him--his left eye--with which he blinked out its short chapters, letter by letter. Two years ago, Bauby, then the 43-year-old editor-in-chief of Elle France, suffered a rare stroke to the brain stem; only his left eye and brain escaped damage. Rather than accept his "locked in" situation as a kind of death, Bauby ignited a fire of the imagination under himself and lived his last days--he died two days after the French publication of this slim volume--spiritually unfettered. In these pages Bauby journeys to exotic places he has and has not been, serving himself delectable gourmet meals along the way (surprise: everything's ripe and nothing burns). In the simplest of terms he describes how it feels to see reflected in a window "the head of a man who seemed to have emerged from a vat of formaldehyde."
In December 1995, Jean-Dominique Bauby, the 43-year-old editor of French Elle, suffered a massive stroke that left him permanently paralyzed, a victim of “locked in syndrome.” Once known for his gregariousness and wit, Bauby now finds himself imprisoned in an inert body, able to communicate only by blinking his left eye. The miracle is that in doing so he was able to compose this stunningly eloquent memoir.In a voice that is by turns wistful and mischievous, angry and sardonic, Bauby gives us a celebration of the liberating power of consciousness: what it is like to spend a day with his children, to imagine lying in bed beside his wife, to conjure up the flavor of delectable meals even as he is fed through at tube. Most of all, this triumphant book lets us witness an indomitable spirit and share in the pure joy of its own survival.
Customer Reviews
Average Rating: 
Rating:  - Stunningly beautiful
Absolutely amazing. And a quick read, too, so you really have no excuse to miss it. SHUT UP. NO EXCUSE. Jeez, you can even borrow it from me, okay?
Rating: - Excellent!
This is a wonderful book. Very quick read. Makes you truly appreciate your own life. Highly recommended.
Rating:  - An inspiring life testament
Bauby gives us a truly remarkable and inspirational story of his life trapped inside a body that no longer serves him.
But his mind remains as sharp as ever.
He transcends his immobility with grace and a remarkable gift of a rich, lucid imagination.
He is free in his mind to enjoy all of life and it's lush sensory gifts and memories...to take flight as if a butterfly.
A heartbreaking true story.
Rating: - What a great read!
This book was an eye-opening and amazing view into the internal life of a man under tragic circumstances. It is a very human look - sometimes funny and sarcastic and at times tragically sad - into Bauby's mind and spirit which never gives in.
Rating: - Amazing
I work with brain injured people daily and they never cease to amaze me. The book and the movie are testimony to the strength of the human spirit.
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