Oaxaca Journal

By Oliver Sacks

From "the poet laureate of medicine" and national bestselling author of Awakenings comes a fascinating investigation of Southern Mexico that explores the origins of chocolate and mescal, pre-Columbian culture and hallucinogens, and the peculiar passions of botanists. 

"Light and fast-moving. . . . Among the botanical and anthropological observations, one catches glimpses of Sacks's inner life: his preoccupation with dualities, his nearly Victorian sense of modesty, his fascination with the world around him." —The New Yorker

Since childhood, Oliver Sacks was fascinated by ferns: an ancient class of plants able to survive and adapt in many climates. Along with a delightful group of fellow fern aficionados—mathematicians, poets, artists, and assorted botanists and birders—he embarked on an exploration of Southern Mexico, a region that is also rich in human history and culture. Combining Sacks's enthusiasm for natural history and the richness of humanity with his sharp and observant eye for detail, Oaxaca Journal is a rare treat.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Random House Publishing Group
• Release date: Mar 6, 2012
• ISBN: 9780307947581

Oliver Sacks

Oliver Sacks (Londres, 1933 - Nueva York, 2015) fue profesor de Neurología Clínica en el Albert Einstein College de Nueva York. En Anagrama ha publicado sus obras fundamentales: los ensayos Migraña, Despertares, Con una sola pierna, El hombre que confundió a su mujer con un sombrero, Veo una voz, Un antropólogo en Marte, La isla de los ciegos al color, El tío Tungsteno, Diario de Oaxaca, Musicofilia, Los ojos de la mente, Alucinaciones y El río de la conciencia y los volúmenes de memorias En movimiento y Gratitud.

Reviews for Oaxaca Journal

[austin.sears · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Ostensibly this is a diary about a trip to Oaxaca, Mexico to see ferns. The ferns end up being incidental, and Dr. Sacks spends far more time on his insights into his traveling companies, their interests, and the history and culture of the places he visits. It is a very fast and very good read, much more interesting than I really expected it to be.

[william345 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

A brief tour to the state of Oaxaca Mexico, its Zapotec antiquities, present-day consequences of the so-called Conquest, a look at some of its millennia-old industries, but mostly a lot about the region's astonishingly diverse botany. A primer. Very light, very brief, in no way comprehensive. Highly recommended.

[sandydog1_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Our favorite neurologist goes on vacation and writes a pleasant Mexican travelogue. There's just enough technical botany of non-vascular plants, to make things interesting. Anyone who has gone on a group field trip will relate to this short, memoir.

[amaraduende · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

A fun short read about Sacks's trip to Oaxaca with a group of fern enthusiasts. He writes about the plants, the people, the markets, and his experiences having a good time and exploring the world.

[nielsengw_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

First of all, this book is about ferns. It’s about people from all walks of life, all educational backgrounds, and all nationalities who love ferns. Oliver Sacks, noted neuroscientist and author, counts himself among their number. He is a legitimate card-carrying member of the American Fern Society. Ferns don’t get a lot of love from supposed plant lovers and botanists. They belong to the plant group Pteridophyta, reproduce by spores, and don’t have flowers. But Sacks loves them all. Some time back, he got to go on a “fern foray” to Oaxaca, Mexico with some fellow enthusiasts from the AFS. Oaxaca Journal takes us with him.After reading this one, I wish I could have gone with him on his trip. His description of the people, landscape, and flora of Mexico is delightful and rich. Even if you are bored to death by the thought of a botany book, this one is interesting nonetheless, with bits about anthropology, food, and culture to help space out the plant science. He captures some of the glee of being an amateur scientist. He doesn’t have a research paper to write, or a lab to get back to, or even an agenda at all. He just wants to explore a new place that has a lot of the plants he loves to see and talk about. Being surrounded by others who revel in ferns doesn’t hurt either. It’s a short book for a short trip, and makes for a wonderful afternoon of reading. A quick and enthusiastic read.

[steve38 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

It is some time since I read this but as I have just given it away to a friend I thought I had better make a note of it. Something I picked up a few years ago when I took a holiday in Oaxaca and wanted something interesting and relevant to read. Mr Sacks is a well known author and psychologist but I didn't know he was also a specialist in ferns and spends time, like a bird watcher, collecting sightings of new species. The book is a record, a journal as the title tells us, of a trip he took to Oaxaca with his group of fernologists (I'm a bit too lazy to look up the real word for a fern specialist). Although I have no knowledge of ferns and no great interest in acquiring any I found Mr Sack's book both interesting and soothing. He writes in a straightforward calm fashion that brings interest to simple events. It tells you that Mr Sacks is by nature and training observant and has the skill and talent to make a telling record of his observations. A good read but not necessarily one that tells you a great deal about Oaxaca except its ferns of course.

[carlym_35 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Sacks, the neurologist, loves ferns. This book tells the story of a trip he made to Oaxaca, Mexico with a group of fellow fern-lovers and botanists. A tremendously diverse group of ferns grow in the Oaxaca area; some are the common moisture-loving ferns that grow in rain forest areas, and others are adapted to desert conditions. Sacks talks about some of the unique characteristics of ferns, but the book is really about the passion that the others on the trip have for ferns and about how the native flora of an area affect the culture. While his travelling companions are focused mainly on the ferns (and some on birds as well), Sacks talks about all sorts of plants and how they are used today in Oaxaca and how they were used by other Mesoamerican cultures--agave, other cacti, cacao, maize, etc. Sacks is a good writer, and I found him generally likeable (something I think is important when reading travel literature). Occasionally he gets a little too dreamy for my taste. He does a good job of putting the landscape and the flora in context and providing background history of the area.

[lyzzybee · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Acquired via BookCrossing 03 July 2009 - in my NSS parcel at the UnconventionNot one of Sacks' neuropsychiatry works but a more personal work - a diary of a week-long trip to Mexico to study ferns. A beautiful book in which he both celebrates the ferns themselves and the people - mostly amateurs - who study and know so much about them. Eccentrics abound in both populations, but Sacks feels included in this quite different world, which he stumbled upon a few years ago, and obviously has a wonderful time. A lovely book which, although registered, I'm going to keep, making it available to loan only to people fairly close to me!