Two weeks before his death in 2015, Oliver Sacks presented the contents of The River of Consciousness, his last book. Sacks is renowned for his enlightening studies of people living with neurological disorders at the farthest reaches of human experience. However, the scope of his scientific interests was not limited to neuroscience and medicine; he was fascinated by issues, ideas, and questions from all scientific fields.

The breadth of his knowledge and passion is reflected on the pages of this book, which addresses the nature not only of human experience but also of life as a whole. In The River of Consciousness, Dr. Sacks engages with evolution, botany, chemistry, medicine, neuroscience, and the arts, grappling with the fallacies of memory, the concept of creativity and time, the nature of consciousness, and conversing with his great heroes – primarily Darwin, Freud, and William James – who have been companions and fellow travelers since his very young age.

The River of Consciousness reveals Sacks's boundless love and thirst for knowledge and his relentless, timeless effort to understand the human condition.

“Sacks follows the great literary tradition of physician-writers. He is clear-headed, full of joy and humanity, and always ready to enjoy a good story.” Spectator

“Oliver Sacks is a neurologist full of humanity and sincerity, a gifted and infectious storyteller.” Observer

“Oliver Sacks is the most famous neurologist in the world. His clinical studies of neurological disorders shed light on the mysteries of consciousness.” Guardian