It is the most eloquent memoir I can imagine. Bauby, who was editor-in-chief of Elle magazine, had a stroke in December of 1995, at the age of 42. After 20 weeks of coma he came to to find himself in locked-in syndrome, and was able to move only his left eye. With a method called partner-assisted scanning, he used an alphabetic system, with the alphabet reordered to have the most used letters first, whereby he could communicate by blinking when his partner reached the letter he wanted. Through this method, with with the assistance of Claude Mendibil, he was able to dictate the memoir of his illness, letter by letter. Bauby died three days after the publication of his book in March of 1997.
Do you read fast, or what? DId you ever take that Evelyn Wood's Speed Reading course?
ReplyDeleteThese were both very short books! I never did take a speed reading course, although my sister and son are both natural speed readers. I pale beside them. If truth be known, right now I am lazy and trying to avoid packing to move! I would rather read than anything, I think, with writing a close second. Or maybe chocolate is second. Just canceled my dish tv service (sold my tv a week or so ago) because I am more drawn to reading than to tv and watched only three times in the past three months. I eventually can get everything via computer - Netflix, Hulu Plus.
DeleteThese were both very short books! I never did take a speed reading course, although my sister and son are both natural speed readers. I pale beside them. If truth be known, right now I am lazy and trying to avoid packing to move! I would rather read than anything, I think, with writing a close second. Or maybe chocolate is second. Just canceled my dish tv service (sold my tv a week or so ago) because I am more drawn to reading than to tv and watched only three times in the past three months. I eventually can get everything via computer - Netflix, Hulu Plus.
ReplyDeleteWhen do you move?
DeleteI'm moving sometime in September. I'm waiting for my son to let me know the date, since with any luck, he'll be moving me.
Delete