Oliver Sacks: His Own Life

Born in London in 1933 to an Orthodox Jewish family, Oliver Sacks (1933-2015) displayed early eccentricity, counting the periodic table as his first friend. He endured his mother's homophobic rejection, years of self-destructive drug use, and intense obsessions with swimming, motorcycling, and bodybuilding while facing hostility from the medical establishment. The Hollywood film of his book Awakenings, starring Robin Williams and Robert De Niro, finally won him acceptance. An expert on neurological conditions including Asperger’s and Tourette’s syndromes, Parkinson’s disease, colorblindness, and migraines, he transformed patient histories into vivid human stories until his death.