At this point, mostly everyone knows the story of what happened to Jean-Dominique Bauby as well as the story of his life, so it's pointless to rehash what's already common knowledge, but one thing that needs to be said (or reiterated) is that it's absolutely amazing that the late Bauby dictated this book to his therapist by blinking one letter at a time.

"The Diving Bell and The Butterfly" is a pretty quick read, but what's contained within is, at the risk of sounding cliche, deeply moving and powerful. To think that someone was patient enough (in this day and age of minus zero patience and even shorter attention spans) to take the time to transcribe his thoughts one letter at a time defies description.

As always, some details were changed in the adaptation from the book to the movie, but the message remains the same - and it will remain with you long after reading the book and/or watching the movie. - Donna Di Giacomo

Interesting book. I'm left a little stranded when deciding how I feel about it. Jean-Dominique, a 43 year old editor of the French Elle Magazine, has a massive stroke and is left trapped in his own body. His brain, his wit, his intelligence are still there, but his only communication with the outside word is the blinking of his left eye.

The writing is lovely and touching and very sad as he describes things as varied as the day of his stroke, his dreams, a Father's Day at the beach with his kids, and the letters his friends send him. I did not finish it feeling inspired though. What I did walk away with, was a big question of `why.' Dictating this book letter-by-painful-letter, why did he chose the topics he did? And is the choice of those topics the portrayal of who he is as a person?

I don't know. I can't help but wonder what I would chose to do, be, write, if I were in his situation. It is his answer to the question that I find so interesting.

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
:)

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.

I learned for some men passion and lust is more important than love no matter how painful.

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.

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.

Jean-Dominique Bauby had it made, or so he thought. At age 43 he was the editor of Elle magazine, cynical, and a stranger to failure. Then he had a massive stroke that left him in a coma for three weeks. When he awoke, he suffered from a rare neurological disorder called "locked in syndrome." He could hear a little and his brain worked fine, but he was totally paralyzed and couldn't speak. He could blink with his left eye. With his one good eye Bauby dictated this remarkable memoir, letter by letter, to his amanuensis. A speech therapist devised a chart with the letters of the alphabet arranged by frequency of use. As she spoke the letters Bauby would blink for the letter he wanted. Though locked in the heavy "diving bell" of his useless body, Bauby's imagination soared as playfully as "the butterflies that flutter inside my head."

Bauby's book consists of what he calls his "bedridden travel notes." He lost sixty-six pounds in twenty weeks. When a fly landed on his nose, he wiggled his nose to no avail, only to conclude that "Olympic wrestling is child's play compared to this." Taking a bath sometimes brought elation and at other times depression. Sundays were the worst, when hospital staff and visitors were at a minimum. Bauby relates some of his dreams, memories like a trip to Lourdes and the last time that he saw his father, and cherished visits from his daughter Celeste, age eight, and son Theophile, age ten. His description of their visit to the beach on Father's Day is wrenching: "Grief surges over me. . . There are no words to express it. My condition is monstrous, iniquitous, revolting, horrible. Suddenly I can take no more. Tears well and my throat emits a hoarse rattle that startles Theophile. Don't be scared, little man. I love you."

Bauby's public updates, and eventually this book, belied the rumors swirling around Paris that the famous editor was "only a vegetable." Mail poured in to him and he hoarded the letters like little treasures. In 2007 a film by the same title told his story, earning four Academy Award nominations. Bauby died in 1997 just days after the publication of his book.

Jean-Dominique Bauby is a victim of 'Locked-In Syndrome." At the age of 43, he suffered a massive stroke that left him unable to move or speak. His only means of communication -- his left eyelid. Bauby spent weeks painstakingly dictating this memoir -- letter by letter.

I read this book in one sitting, it was that captivating. Through short vignettes, Bauby manages to describe the minute intimacies of his life in astonishing detail. From his first experience in a wheelchair, to bath-time, and finally through the development of his communication 'code' - Bauby's emotions touch on both anger and sadness without becomings desperate or hopeless.

There are also times of hope and, ultimately, love -- when he describes the visits of his children or memories of this father. Throughout the book, I was struck by Bauby's ability to be thankful for small things -- the ability to move his limbs a fraction of an inch, sitting in the Cinecitta, and the the ability of his mind to fly away like a butterfly.

It is not until the end of the book that Bauby describes his last day as a 'perfectly functioning earthling.' This most important day in his life is detailed with very little emotion. This makes the catastrophic details all the more haunting.

This is one the most poignant memoirs that I have ever read, and one of my favorite books of 2008.

Jean-Dominique Bauby is a victim of 'Locked-In Syndrome." At the age of 43, he suffered a massive stroke that left him unable to move or speak. His only means of communication -- his left eyelid. Bauby spent weeks painstakingly dictating this memoir -- letter by letter.

I read this book in one sitting, it was that captivating. Through short vignettes, Bauby manages to describe the minute intimacies of his life in astonishing detail. From his first experience in a wheelchair, to bath-time, and finally through the development of his communication 'code' - Bauby's emotions touch on both anger and sadness without becomings desperate or hopeless.

There are also times of hope and, ultimately, love -- when he describes the visits of his children or memories of this father. Throughout the book, I was struck by Bauby's ability to be thankful for small things -- the ability to move his limbs a fraction of an inch, sitting in the Cinecitta, and the the ability of his mind to fly away like a butterfly.

It is not until the end of the book that Bauby describes his last day as a 'perfectly functioning earthling.' This most important day in his life is detailed with very little emotion. This makes the catastrophic details all the more haunting.

This is one the most poignant memoirs that I have ever read, and one of my favorite books of 2008.

Absolutely amazing. And a quick read, too, so you really have no excuse to miss it. SHUT UP. NO EXCUSE. Jeez, you can even borrow it from me, okay?

This is a wonderful book. Very quick read. Makes you truly appreciate your own life. Highly recommended.

Bauby gives us a truly remarkable and inspirational story of his life trapped inside a body that no longer serves him.

But his mind remains as sharp as ever.

He transcends his immobility with grace and a remarkable gift of a rich, lucid imagination.
He is free in his mind to enjoy all of life and it's lush sensory gifts and memories...to take flight as if a butterfly.

A heartbreaking true story.

This book was an eye-opening and amazing view into the internal life of a man under tragic circumstances. It is a very human look - sometimes funny and sarcastic and at times tragically sad - into Bauby's mind and spirit which never gives in.

I work with brain injured people daily and they never cease to amaze me. The book and the movie are testimony to the strength of the human spirit.

An amazing story of human resilience - Jean Dominique Bauby's story is incredible. This memoir was written by Bauby after he suffered a serious stroke which left him completely paralyzed except for the ability to blink one eye. A true testament to the human spirit.

We collect stories of Extraordinary Comebacks, and occasionally, we say to ourselves, 'nothing can top this.' Then, along comes The Diving Bell and the Butterfly. Our protagonist, Frenchman Jean-Dominique Bauby, 43, was in the prime of life, editor of Elle, with a sports car, three adoring children, a mistress, and the world by the proverbial tail. In one instant, he suffers a stroke and is submerged in a world where he can understand but not communicate, a victim of "locked-in syndrome" -- as the author states, "a hellish trap as likely as being caught in as winning the lottery."

He says he would be the happiest man if all he could do was swallow. But he can't.

So -- with an active mind that is disconnected from his entire bodily function with the exception that he can blink his left eye -- what does he do? He honors his contract to write a book the only way he can.

By blinking his left eye.

A translator painstakingly repeats letters of the alphabet in order of most frequent use. When the letter he wants comes up, Jean-Do blinks. And so goes the "dictation." And so through this tiny, pinprick-sized hole, his imagination can pour forth -- one letter at a time. his essays on life in the hospital in his new condition, imaginings of his children, gourmet food, events of his past life. Regarding the latter, forever gone in physical reality, but persistently alive in his spirit.

This story is all at once horrifying, uplifting, numbing, life affirming. And finally, heroic. Bauby died just 10 days after his book was published -- it was his mission to communicate, to affirm life itself, that kept him going.

Made into a film by artist and now director Julian Schnabel. Not for the squeamish, but also, not to miss.

I was so inspired by the premise, and I wondered what beautiful prose a man "locked in" would produce. Unfortunately, I found it average. The most inspirational part of the book was his willpower to write it, in his condition. It is also valuable to note how much he could think under the circumstances.
His situation however, was not unique, though his case was more extreme than most.
His life was not particularly inspirational - he seemed to live for fine cars and fine food and travel. A nice book, but probably more meaningful to his family and friends than the population at large.
Look elsewhere for inspiration.

This is in review of the english translation by Jeremy Leggatt.

This is a difficult book to review. On the one hand, the chapter in the life of Jean-Do Bauby that this autobiographical piece captures is one which no decent person would wish on another human-being. Let alone imagine themselves having to live out. In this regard, this is a hero story of epic proportions.

But as an author, and as the protagonist of the stories he chose to share, the Jean Bauby of The Diving Bell and the Butterfly is something else entirely.

I began the book with infinite amounts of sympathy for the man and his plight. By the end of the book I felt I had just finished reading some of the lower-rated sections of the Michelin Travel Guide.

And this is the troubling part - is a person who reads this book and is left feeling less-than-inspired heartless and unfeeling? Or is the rave reviews of the book more because of the feat and life lived to create it and less because of the book itself?

In the end I was left with the impression that the Jean Bauby as presented in the book was a difficult man to sympathize with. I am not a fan of the Randian hero, so perhaps this flavors my feelings, but I came to feel that the diving bell was no new feature in his life. It just affected his ability to connect and relate to others before it came to afflict his entire body.

Ultimately, as a book, it was disappointing. And as a window into his diving bell, I can only hope or assume that there was more to the man than came through.

For those who knew him, I'm sure it was a gift. But for the rest of us, I think that the emperor is naked.

Its one of the few times that the movie adds to the book, both should be experienced and are inspirational

I thought this was a wonderful quick read. I saw the movie and couldn't wait to read the book. How amazing that in all his struggles he was able to write this book. It shows you that even without body function the amazing strength of his will can go on.

The word "unique" is probably overused, but here it applies. This book was written by a stroke victim who was paralized except for one eye-lid. He laboriously wrote the book with the help of a therapist who kept reading the alphabet and the author would blink his eye when she came to the right letter. In this way, he is probably the only completely paralized stroke victim who could transmit his feelings and memories. Since his brain and senses functioned perfectly, he was able to do this. If you think that this is a depressing book, you are wrong - it is really uplifting. The movie made from this book is also very much worth seeing.

My MD recommended this book when it was first published in France. I had to special order an English version. He said it was "a must read". I have since bought and given away countless copies of the book. The message of hope, mercy, and grace bring tears of joy to me each time I read it. I have read it many many times and each new reading gives me a new insight into the diving bell. It is a an easy read, but I am reminded of the great effort it took to write it. God's mercy gave him strength to blink the book and his own grit gave him the spirit to finish it. Many of us with medical issues can relate to his words, but I don't think I have ever met a person with such courage.

After reading this book, this mans account of his two years imprisoned in a body that will only allow him to blink one eye, I must daily reconfirm how fortunate I am to type this review and walk about freely.

I cannot imagine anyone reading this without being profoundly affected by it.

It is hard to imagine being in this situation. We are given an insight into a condition that makes us think what would we want given such a limited quality of life. I wish we could have heard from his family about their feelings and communication with their husband and father. It was incredible he was able to learn to dictate this book and credit to the women who so patiently helped to give us this short account of this tragedy.

"The Diving Bell and the Butterfly" is terribly overhyped. Naturally it is a phenomenal undertaking for a disabled Jean-Dominique Bauby, but it is far from a quality literary work. It reads more like a moneymaking venture if it was intended to be published; or marketing it as a literary work was the moneymaking venture. I will see the movie though in the hope that it is different from the book. This book certainly would not lift up the spirits of a convalescing disabled person.

There are several marvelous things about The Diving Bell and the Butterfly. The most incredible thing about this spare French memoir is that it was blinked by a former editor who had a stroke and became "locked-in." Even holding the book up to your eyes, free at all times to get up and look out the window or scratch your foot, produces a powerful swirl of emotions: awe at being alive at all, gratitude for not being "locked-in," compassion for this intelligent man imprisoned in a worst-nightmare scenario, guilt at not having done more with one's own healthy life. In this respect the book is not to be missed. The book cleans out the cobwebs of routine, allowing for a crisp new persepctive on reality.

As far as the story goes, the chapters unfold in two or three pages and mostly chronicle life at the Brittany hospital where the author finds himself after the stroke. There are also a few flashbacks to life before the stroke. The book, surprisingly, is almost totally devoid of self pity and the prose is taut (as expected) and well structured. It's about a two hour read and well worth your time.

I came to this book via the 2007 film. I was so moved by the film that I went out and read the book the following weekend. The merits of the film are well documented. Sort of a side note, one way the film diverges from the memoir is in the sexualization of the female characters, ie nurses, ex-wife, lovers. So much of the film is spent on lusty shots that I was surprised upon reading the book that it contains almost none of that. That's film for you.

How does someone even begin to review a book like this? The beauty of its prose, its imagery, the unbearable pathos of the backstory behind its creation. All the superlatives have been heaped on it by others. I just wanted to add another recommendation.

Strange to say that a man befelled by a horrible stroke that leaves him mute and trapped in his body leaves such an inspiring message with the rest of the world. My husband picked this book up and couldn't read it because he thought it would be depressing. My parents lent us this book to share their excitement over being inspired by this man, this author. It is with caution that I picked up this book as I was not in a mood to cry.

I didn't cry. But it did leave a lasting impression on me though. A man who is alive, perhaps more alive than most of us are, trapped in his body that he called like living under a diving bell, manages to create a lasting beautiful memoir of a man deeply alive till his last moments. It doesn't matter that he couldn't get up nor talk. He still feeled and ached in his mind and he was truly a human being though his body failed him. By this, I mean, he refused to allow despair to overtake him and rob him of the joys of living his last days. He chose to find beauty in the simplest things. He chose to remember his life and created new stories to amuse himself and possibly others. Not till the end, did he mention how it all happened.

This is truly an inspiring little gem of a book. I didn't take it as a political book but as a reminder that life is indeed fragile and fleeting. It is possible to live to the fullest in spite of pain and grief and being locked down in one's body. Beauty isn't necessarily physical but it is spiritual. And this is a very spiritual book where it celebrates life.

2/17/08

This book is excellent in every way. It really has pushed me to finish writing my own book. Within a week, I wrote my first chapter and found a well-known agent - it's a great motivational tool!

LA Muñoz

Although the author had been an editor in his previous life, not all editors can write a thoughtful,well written expose on life in the diving bell(he uses this symbolism to express what his life has become after a stroke left him only able to blink his eye).
The book is an unbelievably joyous romp through his trials and tribulations since life dealt him a heavy blow. He does not want sympathy just your attention as you constantly wait for him to break down, which he doesn't do.

This book was an odd choice for me but one that I'm finding I have no trouble recommending. It is short, intelligently written(with the blink of an eye)and one that will stay with you.

Dear sir:
My girl friend send back this book(The Diving Bell and the Butterfly (Vintage International) to amazon I wont send back my mony to my creditcard.

Thanks

Received the product within 5 days or less. It was in immaculate condition!! Thank you.

This is an informative and eye opening book into the thoughts of a person with 'locked in' syndrome. It was light reading. Is a short book as one could expect considering the conditins it had to be written under.

Quadriplegia a horrible fate, to be physically confined to a wheel chair and to even lose the ability to move one's arms! [Christopher Reeves is indelibly etched in my mind]. So you can imagine how much worst, confining and monstrous a fate is "locked-in-syndrome." This is caused by the destruction of the brainstem, either by accident or severe stroke [as in the author's case]. The brainstem sends messages to the muscles. Those unfortunate enough to be afflicted with this malady can't even speak. They are completely entombed in their own body and can only comunicate with the wink of one eye. It's like being trapped in a cadaver. Imagine to not even have the ability to satisfy an itch, squat a fly from your face, position yourself in such a way that relieves the discomfort of a sore arm, tell someone that you're in pain, that you've wet yourself, or to return a love one's affectionate hug, kiss or smile. Imagine knowing that your situation is as bad as it gets. All that is life as we know it and take for granted has changed and will never, ever come back.

The sheer horror of Jean Dominique Bauby's tragedy--a victim of "locked-in-syndrome-- is beyond words, yet, this book is inspiring and has the power to teach the reader a valuable lesson. It has taught me to be grateful to God, to enjoy life's little pleasures and to live the moment. It has taught me patience and not to worry so much about life's little setbacks.

I'm very sad for Bauby, but grateful to him for leaving us this wonderful celebration of life. Mr. Bauby's martyrdom has resulted in a beautifully written, inspiring and powerful book that we should all read. I'm, also, grateful to Julian Schnabel for turning this gem into a movie. Schnabel has the ability to turn wonderful books into great motion pictures. He did so in 2000 with Reinaldo Arenas's "Before Night Falls" and did it again this year with Bauby's The Diving Bell and the Butterfly.

Jean-Dominique Bauby was the editor of the French Elle magazine. Imagine what his life was; to be an arbiter of style, of what is chic, in that most glittering of cities, Paris. He consorted with the innest of the in crowd. He was one of the fates chosen ones. At the age of 43 he suffered a massive stroke that wiped out the abilities of his brain stem. He became of victim of "locked-in syndrome", where his mind continued to function as well as ever, but his only bodily ability was to blink his left eyelid and rotate his head slightly. He wrote this book after his stroke had robbed him of his former life. He names his mind "the butterfly" since it can still fly to exotic places, enjoy friends, remember sumptuous meals, and reflect on his current life which he calls, "the diving bell". The mechanics of writing this slim book are a testament to his determination. The French alphabet was arranged in order of frequency of usage. An assistant would read the alphabet to him. When the correct letter was reached, Bauby would blink his left eye. Painstaking letter by letter this book grew to document his thoughts on his life in the diving bell. Because the writing is so laborious, Bauby was forced to be economical with his words, yet his mind still wants to communicate so badly, "I need to feel strongly, to love and to admire, just as desperately as I need to breathe."
Bauby was never a saint, but robbed of everything, he is nothing more than a human trying to survive a horrible situation. Cut off from almost everyone and everything, he still manages to craft a life. One day, he inadvertently catches sight of his reflection in a window pane, "I saw the head of a man who seemed to have emerged from a vat of formaldehyde. His mouth was twisted, his nose damaged, his hair tousled, his gaze full of fear. One eye was sewn shut, the other goggled liked the doomed eye of Cain. For a moment I started at that dilated pupil, before I realized it was only mine. Whereupon a strange euphoria came over me. Not only was I exiled, paralyzed, mute, half deaf, deprived of all pleasures, and reduced to the existence of a jellyfish, but I was also horrible to behold." Yet he allows us to fly with the butterfly as well. Even though the only way he can take nourishment is through a tube in his stomach, he sits down to the most wonderful meals. Since he is the cook, the food is always prepared perfectly. At the beginning of his enforced fast, he was gluttonous. He conjured up food all the time indiscriminately. Soon he learned to savor his pleasures though, imagining strawberries only in the early summer, celebrating autumn with oysters. The butterfly brings him not just food, but books, art, theatre, friends, family, hopes and desires. This book is such a quick read, but I think it is better read slowly, a few pages at a time. There are no great philosophical discussions to ponder, only the most profound ones of all. What makes a human human? What makes a life worthwhile?

Jean-Dominique Bauby was the editor of the French Elle magazine. Imagine what his life was; to be an arbiter of style, of what is chic, in that most glittering of cities, Paris. He consorted with the innest of the in crowd. He was one of the fates chosen ones. At the age of 43 he suffered a massive stroke that wiped out the abilities of his brain stem. He became of victim of "locked-in syndrome", where his mind continued to function as well as ever, but his only bodily ability was to blink his left eyelid and rotate his head slightly. He wrote this book after his stroke had robbed him of his former life. He names his mind "the butterfly" since it can still fly to exotic places, enjoy friends, remember sumptuous meals, and reflect on his current life which he calls, "the diving bell". The mechanics of writing this slim book are a testament to his determination. The French alphabet was arranged in order of frequency of usage. An assistant would read the alphabet to him. When the correct letter was reached, Bauby would blink his left eye. Painstaking letter by letter this book grew to document his thoughts on his life in the diving bell. Because the writing is so laborious, Bauby was forced to be economical with his words, yet his mind still wants to communicate so badly, "I need to feel strongly, to love and to admire, just as desperately as I need to breathe."
Bauby was never a saint, but robbed of everything, he is nothing more than a human trying to survive a horrible situation. Cut off from almost everyone and everything, he still manages to craft a life. One day, he inadvertently catches sight of his reflection in a window pane, "I saw the head of a man who seemed to have emerged from a vat of formaldehyde. His mouth was twisted, his nose damaged, his hair tousled, his gaze full of fear. One eye was sewn shut, the other goggled liked the doomed eye of Cain. For a moment I started at that dilated pupil, before I realized it was only mine. Whereupon a strange euphoria came over me. Not only was I exiled, paralyzed, mute, half deaf, deprived of all pleasures, and reduced to the existence of a jellyfish, but I was also horrible to behold." Yet he allows us to fly with the butterfly as well. Even though the only way he can take nourishment is through a tube in his stomach, he sits down to the most wonderful meals. Since he is the cook, the food is always prepared perfectly. At the beginning of his enforced fast, he was gluttonous. He conjured up food all the time indiscriminately. Soon he learned to savor his pleasures though, imagining strawberries only in the early summer, celebrating autumn with oysters. The butterfly brings him not just food, but books, art, theatre, friends, family, hopes and desires. This book is such a quick read, but I think it is better read slowly, a few pages at a time. There are no great philosophical discussions to ponder in the book, only the most profound questions of all. What makes a human human? What makes a life worthwhile?

Weary of the in-house feuding, preciousness, and self-absorption of so many "professional" book reviewers, I quit reading literary magazines some years ago. For the most part, I don't regret my decision. But one of its costs is that I sometimes discover gems later than I otherwise might've. One of those gems, which just came my way, is Bauby's The Diving Bell and the Butterfly.

Bauby's memoir has so many dimensions. It's an eloquent testimony to human endurance and heroism. It's a meditation on the relationship between mind and body. It's a real-life exercise in Proustian memory. It's a heartbreaker, but it's also genuinely funny in places.

But what fascinates me most about this incredible book is Bauby's reflections on what it means to have a self. So much of who we are is wrapped up in our body-awareness (just as so much of what we think we know about others comes from our awareness of their bodies). When the body becomes a diving bell, a prison over which we have no control and to which we feel (quite literally) no connection, what does it do to our sense of personal identity? The Cartesians among us who think that we're essentially mind may not feel as if the self is compromised when the body is locked down. But Bauby (and I) doubt it. We're not disincarnate spirits. We're enfleshed creatures, and when we lose our embodiment--our ability to eat, to feel wetness or softness, to experience physical intimacy with the beloved, to "own" our bodies--we lose something essential. Acquiring "butterfly hearing" (p. 97), an enhanced sensitivity to one's memories and thoughts that allows one to temporarily transcend paralysis, is fortunate. But it is, after all, compensatory.

At one point, someone who's telephones Bauby anxiously asks him: "Are you there, Jean-Do?" Bauby's internal response: "I have to admit that at times I do not know anymore." (p. 42)

Highly recommended. Readers might also want to take a look at Richard Cohen's just-published Strong at the Broken Places: Voices of Illness, A Chorus of Hope.

Weary of the in-house feuding, preciousness, and self-absorption of so many "professional" book reviewers, I quit reading literary magazines some years ago. For the most part, I don't regret my decision. But one of its costs is that I sometimes discover gems later than I otherwise might've. One of those gems, which just came my way, is Bauby's The Diving Bell and the Butterfly.

Bauby's memoir has so many dimensions. It's an eloquent testimony to human endurance and heroism. It's a meditation on the relationship between mind and body. It's a real-life exercise in Proustian memory. It's a heartbreaker, but it's also genuinely funny in places.

But what fascinates me most about this incredible book is Bauby's reflections on what it means to have a self. So much of who we are is wrapped up in our body-awareness (just as so much of what we think we know about others comes from our awareness of their bodies). When the body becomes a diving bell, a prison over which we have no control and to which we feel (quite literally) no connection, what does it do to our sense of personal identity? The Cartesians among us who think that we're essentially mind may not feel as if the self is compromised when the body is locked down. But Bauby (and I) doubt it. We're not disincarnate spirits. We're enfleshed creatures, and when we lose our embodiment--our ability to eat, to feel wetness or softness, to experience physical intimacy with the beloved, to "own" our bodies--we lose something essential. Acquiring "butterfly hearing" (p. 97), an enhanced sensitivity to one's memories and thoughts that allows one to temporarily transcend paralysis, is fortunate. But it is, after all, compensatory.

At one point, someone who's telephones Bauby anxiously asks him: "Are you there, Jean-Do?" Bauby's internal response: "I have to admit that at times I do not know anymore." (p. 42)

Highly recommended. Readers might also want to take a look at Richard Cohen's just-published Strong at the Broken Places: Voices of Illness, A Chorus of Hope.

After reading the book and seeing the movie. My life has changed. I see the live in a different aspect. I enjoy the short moments and appreciate the hectic moments.

RIP Jean-Do Bauby.

I read this book in one sitting. Great book that shows you the otherside of a wall in which nobody has ever crossed. The only thing that joins these two sides of a wall is a hole, in which Bauby uses his left eye to view this wall and communicate with. Bauby takes us into this world which is engrossingly depressing but Bauby shows us he will not lay victim in this world with his beautifully heartbreaking novel which I just could not put down. Get this book.

OUTSTANDING. This is the type of book you think about over and over and over again, long after you've finished reading it. A must read for everyone.

Noise torments him. So does the nurse who leaves the TV blaring. So does the fly crawling on his nose. The doctor who sews his right eye shut without explaining why. Friends who read the special alphabet (his only means of communication) so fast they end up with gibberish.

Jean Dominique Bauby apparently hadn't spent much time on spiritual development in his first 43 years. But he discovers rich inner resources in the diving bell, his mind escaping to intense memories, sensual pleasures, and imaginary places, conversations, and meals. He loves to be wheeled to the end of the beach near the hospital, where he can inhale the aroma of the sizzling French fries he will never again taste.

I wish the publisher had included a photo of Bauby before his stroke and a close-up of him locked in. We get 1 grainy black and white shot of him in his wheel chair, on the balcony of the hospital looking out to sea on a cold, bleak day. That picture is more depressing than anything the author writes about his tragic situation.

I'm glad this little gem, published just 2 days before Bauby's death, has been made into a movie. Like the Spanish protagonist played by Javier Bardem in El Mar Adentro, this Frenchman discovered a sea within.

Nancy Manahan, author of
Living Consciously, Dying Gracefully - A Journey with Cancer and Beyond

Jean-Dominique Bauby's story should awake some of our more primal fears and yet this story is strangely calming. What is amazing is that he wrote this book by blinking his left eyelid. In a completely paralyzed state he relies on his memory for entertainment and recounts interesting dreams and vivid experiences. His keen sense of observation takes in all the details others may ordinarily miss.

The Diving Bell and the Butterfly is truly a unique look at what it means to be permanently paralyzed and barely able to communicate. This book is a testament to the indomitable human spirit. 132 pages make this a quick read but one that may affect you profoundly. We take the simplest things for granted and this book teaches us to observe our lives from a more positive perspective.

~The Rebecca Review

Stepping Off the Edge: Learning & Living Spiritual Practice
Feeling sorry for yourself? Life got you down? Read this. In 1992, the author was the 43 year old editor of the French Elle. A witty bon vivant with two children and a full life, Bauby suffered a massive stroke that left him completely and permanently paralyzed. He could blink his left eye-- that's it. This book was written by Bauby blinking as a reader read a special alphabet aloud. Blink= Write that LETTER. The book was written like that, letter by letter. It's short. Depressing? No. Lovely. A lovely, moving, haunting memoir of a man who used his mind to entertain and delight himself when that's all he had. He tells of the hard parts: His children's visits. Old acquaintances calling him a vegetable. But this is a magnificent final song. Bauby died 2 days after the French edition of this book came out. It was the #1 International Best Seller in Europe. Praised universally by critics. Inspiring.

More than anything, this is the story of the survival of the self. After suffering a 'massive stoke', Jean-Dominique Bauby can only move his left eye (called 'locked-in syndrome'). Using a 'volume loaded' alphabet (based on usage) he is able to 'speak' about his life and situation. He describes his situation as being in a 'diving bell (or suit)' floating in water with no control of his movements.

But he has taught himself to be a 'butterfly' and travel all over the world. He can revisit with old friends and remember the pleasures of a life well-spent. Though the movie is remarkable, the texture of the stories, really comes through in his own words. Though he died just after the publication of the book (in 1997), he left a testament to the power of thought and the will to survive.

I am usually a connoisseur of fine fiction, but I found this little biography to be quite compelling. I was directed to this book after I saw a preview for the movie. While the writing and imagery of "the Diving Bell and the Butterfly" is straightforward and simplistic, it truly is the story behind the writing that makes this book captivating. Bauby doesn't have to reach out with his written words and shake the reader into thoughts of "the meaning of life" and "seizing the day". It is the reader who becomes engrossed in the history and genius behind Bauby's elegant simplistic prose that finds the true treasure of Bauby's gift. What would you want to say to the world if you were in his position? Read it and appreciate.

The situation is unimaginable: waking from a coma to find yourself trapped in your own body, able to think clearly and understand what is going on around you, but unable to partake in any of what transpires. It's called "locked in syndrome," and Jean-Dominique Bauby finds himself a victim of it when he awakes from a coma following a serious stroke that damaged his brain stem and left him almost totally paralyzed; he has only limited facial movements, slight control over his neck, and use of only one eye. It is with this single good eye that Bauby is able to communicate with the world, using an excruciatingly slow code of blinking that requires time, energy, and a great deal of attention and patience. And it is also thanks to this one eye that we have this first-hand account, dictated by Bauby from his hospital bed, recounting the details of his life in the wake of tragedy.

Far from being restricted by his condition, Bauby unleashes the full force of his literary capabilities (which were quite estimable, considering that he was the editor of French Elle), leaving us with a wry, touching, and deeply affecting memoir that shines with descriptive flourishes and deep insights. His perspective in the wake of tragedy is awe-inspiring and leaves the reader with a deep respect for his fortitude; truly, this is a man I would have loved to have had an opportunity to have a conversation with, just to try and absorb a small degree of his wisdom and experience. "The Diving Bell and the Butterfly" has moments of regret, frustration, sadness and aching loneliness, but curiously absent are anger and self-righteousness. Bauby never curses his misfortune but focuses on getting by with the hand he was dealt. To read his memoir is to get to know a truly extraordinary man whose spirit refused to be crushed and whose mind and imagination allowed him to survive in the most constrained of circumstances. To say that "The Diving Bell and the Butterfly" is about the triumph of the human spirit is a sorry understatement, and does little to pay tribute to an amazing man.

"The Diving Bell and the Butterfly" is a slight volume, to be sure, but it feels wrong to criticize it for that when one considers the conditions under which it was composed. And considering that Bauby packs a hefty punch in such a short page count, it is well worth the experience.

Grade: A-

I am quite interested in nonfiction medical books. This one isn't very long but it is packed with very important information about how to communicate with the people that you love and who love you as well.

Reviewed by Andrea Stuckey

(First international version published July 1998, and now translated from French to English by Jeremy Leggatt.)

Some people select Billy Graham as the most inspirationally motivational Christian in history, or John Gardner in the economical world, for overcoming so much in his life to become a successful business man. If there is one person in history to model the saying "You can do anything if you put your mind to it," especially when unable to physically move a single limb, Jean-Dominique Bauby was that man.

Plagued by a stroke in his mid forties, the extremely successful French "Elle" editor found himself literally trapped in his own body, unable to communicate with the outside world, except for a code his occupational therapist had remedied. The only problem was, Bauby had no control over any part of his body, except his left eye, which he used in blinking fashion to communicate with the "outside world."

People and family he'd previously spoken with so easily were so far away from him, without this code, that every dream and waking moment flowed together. Bauby presents the reader with this emotion extremely well with the short chapters, styling each just a bit differently, depending on the emotions he was experiencing during each episode. There were humorous bits where Bauby paints a scene he experiences inside his head, a daydream of sorts, as well as darker pieces of reality, where his existence felt to him as more of a burden than anything.

If writing a lyrically beautiful memoir isn't enough, the fact that Bauby literally wrote this book through his left eye leaves the reader absolutely stunned afterward. Bauby's intuit into different characteristics people possess is incredible, and it will push the reader to remember there is a soul inside everyone, even if we cannot physically see it move.

Armchair Interviews says: A stunning memoir to move any reader.