| The Diving Bell and the Butterfly |  | Author: Jean-dominique Bauby
Publisher: Random House Value Publishing
Category: Book
Buy Used: $110.26
Avg. Customer Rating:  154 reviews
Sales Rank: 2435416
Media: Hardcover
Number Of Items: 1
ISBN: 051738390X
EAN: 9780517383902
ASIN: 051738390X
Publication Date: April 12, 1999
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Condition: Excellent customer service. Order inquiries handled promptly.
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Amazon.com 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."
Product Description
In 1995, Jean-Dominique Bauby was the editor-in-chief of French Elle, the father of two young childen, a 44-year-old man known and loved for his wit, his style, and his impassioned approach to life. By the end of the year he was also the victim of a rare kind of stroke to the brainstem.After 20 days in a coma, Bauby awoke into a body which had all but stopped working: only his left eye functioned, allowing him to see and, by blinking it, to make clear that his mind was unimpaired. Almost miraculously, he was soon able to express himself in the richest detail: dictating a word at a time, blinking to select each letter as the alphabet was recited to him slowly, over and over again. In the same way, he was able eventually to compose this extraordinary book.
By turns wistful, mischievous, angry, and witty, Bauby bears witness to his determination to live as fully in his mind as he had been able to do in his body. He explains the joy, and deep sadness, of seeing his children and of hearing his aged father's voice on the phone. In magical sequences, he imagines traveling to other places and times and of lying next to the woman he loves. Fed only intravenously, he imagines preparing and tasting the full flavor of delectable dishes. Again and again he returns to an "inexhaustible reservoir of sensations," keeping in touch with himself and the life around him.
Jean-Dominique Bauby died two days after the French publication of The Diving Bell and the Butterfly.
This book is a lasting testament to his life.
From the Trade Paperback edition.
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| Customer Reviews: Read 149 more reviews...
 THE book, i read it in a coffee guzzling epiphany filled evening October 7, 2008
omg
this book
as i said, i read this in 1 evening
guzzling coffee, carrying the book to the kitchen along as i refilled my mug, reading, underlining, scribbling quotes down for later meditation, i immediately lent it to a friend, and left voicemails on phones for others to read it, like yesterday, this is a must have for anyone, but especially for you if you sometimes wonder why life is special, just as it is.
please get it
that will make me happy
and you know that's what its all about
:)
A True Inspiration For Us All October 1, 2008
2 out of 2 found this review helpful
Jean-Dominique Bauby's "The Diving Bell and the Butterfly" is a truly moving and inspirational memoir by a man rendered incapable of any communication except for the blinking of his left eye and very slight head movement. Bauby had suffered from a stroke, which led to what is so aptly known as `locked-in-syndrome'.
Bauby, a distinguished journalist who had been editor-in-chief at Elle, famously used his one book contract with a publisher (signed before the stroke) to write this memoir by recounting his story through blinking his left eye to spell out every letter of every single word to an interpreter/assistant who would recite a special frequency arranged alphabet to Jean-Do.
This fascinating and unbelievable pretext sticks with the reader throughout the memoir, with it so often seeming amazing that such lucid and vivid metaphors and accounts of life could be communicated by a man in such an imprisoned state.
From his refusal to pity himself or lament his situation, to his heart-wrenching yet moving description of his plight as that of being trapped in a "cocoon", with his inability to move any part of his body being likened to being forever imprisoned by an old-fashioned diving suit, Bauby constantly moves the reader with his courage and heightened state of awareness. By declaring his situation as not a burden, but instead an opportunity to free his mind and let it take "flight like a butterfly", Bauby delivers a memoir that is so precious for demonstrating a man's noble minded acceptance of fate, and embracement of opportunity.
Jean-Do's memoir recounts his time at the hospital in France where he is left to try and rehabilitate following his stroke. There is a constant strong sense of humour evident from the author, with Jean-Do wittily noting that seeing as his original idea for a novel (conceived prior to the stroke) had coincidentally involved a victim of locked-in-sydrome, he had considered making the new hero of his book "not a paralytic but a runner" in the hope of achieving another coincidental turn of events. This sense of humour and ability to look at the bright side of things underlines Bauby's ability to connect with the reader, putting them at ease whilst at the same time discarding the possible misconception that a person in his state would be incapable of retaining their wit, or any sort of personality.
Throughout the book, it is Bauby's amazing strength of will and spirit that remains at the forefront of the readers mind. Despite the tragic and disheartening situation that he remains in, Bauby shows no hesitance in opening up a new chapter in his life. Despite such huge emotional challenges like being unable to hug his own child, or shake a fly off his nose, Jean-Do finds a way to live his life in a fulfilling way, avoiding the depression and grief that would be so tempting to succumb to.
What makes this memoir so great is that it provides an example for all of us to follow. The inspirational message underpinning Bauby's work is inescapable, and leaves the reader with a far greater appreciation of their life, reminding them to enjoy the numerous simple, yet joyful pleasures we so often take for granted.
What I learned from The Diving Bell and the Butterfly September 26, 2008
I learned for some men passion and lust is more important than love no matter how painful.
 AN OK BOOK September 17, 2008
0 out of 4 found this review helpful
I SAW THE MOVIE WHICH WAS EXCELLENT AND WANTED TO GET THE BOOK TO GET A MORE INDEPTH PICTURE. HE HAD A RARE OPPORTUNITY TO REALLY LET PEOPLE INTO HIS WORLD AND TELL US WHAT IS GOING THROUGH YOUR MIND WHEN YOU WAKE UP AND CAN'T MOVE. HOW DO YOU COPE WITH THAT. AND HOW DO YOU GET FROM THAT PLACE TO A PLACE WHERE YOU ACCEPT AND ACTUALLY SEE BEAUTY IN YOUR LIFE. HE NEVER SHARES ANY OF THIS. HE RAMBLES ON AND ON (WHICH IS PRETTY HARD TO DO "TALKING" WITH ONE EYE) HE TALKS ABOUT PLACES HE HAS BEEN AND PEOPLE HE KNOWS BUT ONLY TOUCHES ON THE EXPERIENCE HE'S HAVING WITH LOCKED IN SYNDROME. WATCH THE MOVIE IT'S BETTER.
Doesn't Life Up to the Hype - Good Message, But Bland Reading September 15, 2008
2 out of 5 found this review helpful
I have mixed feelings about this book. On one hand, it is insightful and inspiring to read the true story of the editor of Elle Magazine who had a stroke, became unable to movie anything except for his left eye, and still managed to write this book. Some parts of the book may move you to tears if you're able to connect with the author's own anguish.
On the other hand, the book as a whole seems rather bland and seems to be missing the spark that so many people said the movie had. It is a quick read, and if you keep in mind that the book was written by a completely immobile person, it serves as a powerful inspiration that we truly are much more than our bodies. However, if you remove that fact... the book is, at best, average.
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