The story of Bauby's experiences as a paraplegic who could only communicate using one winking eye. It tells the reader how it feels to be locked inside your body with no means of easy communication with the outside world. Extraordinary. ( )

Powerful. I highly recommend this book. Author dictated this book solely by blinking one eye. A very poignant indepth look at his life from his perspective after a massive stroke. A MUST READ ( )

This is a beautifully written, memoir by the editor-in-chief of the magazine, Elle. Bauby suffered a massive stroke in his 40s, leaving him unable to communicate except by blinking his left eye. Somehow, it is not a particularly sad book. It is obvious from his story that he was a man who lived "the good life" of wealth, travel, good food, and a loving family. In spite of all that he lost, his reflections are full of beautiful imagery of his past life, the day dreams that he used to manage his present situation and his hopes for the future. His thoughts seemed to seep directly into my mind, fully developed as images, without the normally required translation into written words. A tiny treasure. ( )

My daughter had to read this for school so I thought I would as well. It is amazing in it's testament for the need to communicate. Jean Bauby tells his story by blinking his left eye as someone reads through the French alphabet. His recent stroke has placed him in a state where only his left eye and his mind are functioning. This is called Locked in Syndrome. Despite this disability Bauby is able to provide for us insights into his life and dreams. I found the extraordinary process of trying to write this a bit more interesting that the actual words. There are memories and anecdotes that are at times interesting, but overall the most involving of stories was that this was actually produced. Ironically or tragically he died just after this project, which makes this even more telling - perhaps the quest of communication was what was keeping him alive. ( )

Perhaps if Jean-Dominique Bauby's story of "locked-in syndrome" - a rare cerebrovascular condition in which the mind ("The Butterfly") is vibrant and wide awake, while the body ("The Diving Bell") is a slumbering mass of perpetual immobility and inertia (a very personal prison cell comprised of his own flesh and blood) - were fictive rather than so terribly true, I'd of more so savored each of his spare sentences. For each sparkling sentence is a story or a truth unto itself.

"But to keep my mind sharp, to avoid descending into resigned indifference, I maintain a level of resentment and anger, neither too much nor too little, just as a pressure cooker has a safety valve to keep it from exploding."

Chew on that lyrical gem a bit. Words to live by, even if your body, unlike Bauby's, is not permanently paralyzed.

Perhaps if this poor man, victim of a massive and usually lethal stroke at 43 that left him in a coma for two months, weren't dead right now, and hadn't died so soon after completing what could be considered the most concentrated (and certainly shortest) tome ever written, or had I not known these horrible facts while reading the book, I could say then, and only then, that I enjoyed it, the book. I greatly enjoyed the poetic, philosophic writing, the sardonic humor despite his heartfelt and unfathomable (for someone not trapped in his godawful situation) psychological suffering and loss, and even the occasional, understandable, bitter barbs of incisive wit he let loose, I liked too (i.e., an insensitive, gruff doctor asks Bauby, "Do you see double?", and Bauby, internally, replies, "Yes, I see two assholes, not one."). But how can I honestly say I enjoyed this story? I suppose I did enjoy it - the storytelling, that is - but I likewise didn't enjoy poor Jean-Dominique Bauby's tragic story. A story that just as easily could be anyone's story at any time, should Fate or God or The Cosmos or Whatever determines to do to you what it determined so abruptly and brutally - fatally - for Bauby.

It's so much easier to read something deliciously depressing like The Road because it's obviously made up stuff no matter how realistic the author breathes whatever bleak and ruined life into the characters and settings and scenarios he's created, but The Diving Bell And The Butterfly is about as in-your-face, depressingly real as it gets. And it's not depressing necessarily because of anything Bauby said (or how he said it) - though I will wholeheartedly say that Bauby said as much about life - and about death and suffering and how to deal with the latter two as optimistically as possible - I believe, in barely 100 pages (and did so only by blinking his left eye! - you just try communicating and writing anything - let alone what borders on the meaning of life - just by blinking your left eye!), as any existentialist, 19th century Russian masterpiece could say even though it pushed or exceeded a thousand pages.

Bauby indelibly tapped into the primal human horror of having complete consciousness, and yet being so ill-equipped to communicate that consciousness - to connect it - to another human being as to take humanity's innate dread of loneliness and abandonment to levels perhaps previously unrealized in fiction or non-fiction. I've a dear daughter "locked-in" her own isolated interior world of autism, and knowing Bauby through his brief book, helps me understand and recognize more clearly that there's probably a lot more going on beneath the surface with my mostly non-verbal, uncommunicative daughter than I ever realized.

The book, quite simply, is beautifully sad. Hopeful, and yet despairing. Inspiring, yes, but not "joyous," as the dumb publishing blurb on the back, falsely claims. Movie tie-in marketing no comprendo's.

I don't recommend The Diving Bell And The Butterfly, but I think everyone should read it. ( )

This is a true account of a man who suffers a massive stroke in his early 40s and develops "locked in syndrome" as a result. I read it during my pediatrics residency, as my father's brother was similarly disabled after a series of strokes. Bauby is almost completely paralyzed, and is only able to blink his left eyelids, which is how he is able to communicate to his secretary to write the book. She goes through a version of the French alphabet letter by letter, and he blinks when she gets to the correct one. It was not as bleak as you would think, and was absolutely unforgettable. Unfortunately, if I remember correctly, he died on the same day that it was published. Highly recommended. ( )

I found this book so inspirational. I cried, laughed and was left with a deeper appreciation of my life. The movie was also amazing. ( )

This is a book written by a man with locked in syndrome. He communicates entirely with one eyelid.

Before his stroke he was a editor of a woman's magazine - which comes through in the excellent qualitiy of his writting. He takes you on his dreams and into his world. ( )

As other reviewers have commented, this book struck me not so much for the story within, but the fact that you know it was all dictated by Bauby blinking one eyelid. I read this book in two days but to be honest I was scared to begin it: I wasn't sure what it would be like. In fact, this book is many things, sad, funny, despairing, hopeful, accepting...above all, honest. One reviewer said this book was nothing special, but oh my god it IS special. Everyone should read this who moans about their life; who goes about the day-to-day without appreciating anything; who doesn't realise that your life can be shattered instantly. The book made me cry. It also made me ashamed that if I had known Bauby, I might have been one of those who never got in contact after his stroke, or who ran away upon seeing him. If you've never heard of locked-in syndrome, or even if you have, read this book. It is worth it. ( )

An inspirational read. If you are feeling bored, fed up or disatisfied with your life, read this book and appreciate all you have. ( )

An amazing feat of a book, which is remarkably well written and oozing with humour.
I felt compelled to read it slowly, and had to keep pausing to take in the fact that every letter had been dictated through the blink of one eye.

Everyone should take the time to read this book, Jean Dominique Bauby is an inspiration. ( )

Hmm. A marmite book - you either love it or loathe it. For me, the only interest lied in the story-tellers own position. His is a tale of suffering and overcoming the odds; it follows the template that such tales usually do, of the troubled normal life, the terrible accident (or illness), the struggle in hospital, the desire to give up, the strength that is discovered deep down. I've heard it so many times before; I hate being blunt, but this story wasn't news to me, and wasn't interesting enough for me to want to consider it 'one of the most important novels of the century.' ( )

http://spwebdesign.livejournal.com/60... ( )

Autobiographical work. The author becames paralized and dictates the book by moving an eyelid. He offers glimpses of his previous life,as an editor of Elle, and also of his life in hospital as a totally dependent person. He is humorous at times, and reflective others. Good. ( )

Trough the lines of this book I feel the urge to enjoy every single minute of my life. It is a really inspiring story that helps us see life from a different perspective. That of taking advantage of what we have and what we are today.

Jean-Dominique Bauby’s memoir The Diving Bell and the Butterfly is a thought-provoking and inspiring read. The novel details the daily life of Bauby, who suffers from locked-in syndrome. Once the editor of the French magazine ELLE, Bauby suffered a massive stroke, sending him into a coma. When he awoke, his mind was fully functional but he had no ability to move any part of his body, other than his left eyelid. In this memoir he explains how he tries to interact with the people around him and explains how his imagination takes him places his body can’t. He shares with his readers his outlook on life and his sense of humor. He also narrates some of his life before the accident, including the stroke itself, and how his new life began after this night.

The entirety of this book, in reality, occurs solely in Bauby’s hospital bed and the surrounding hallways and corridors. However, Bauby’s imagination takes the readers out into the French theatre, picturesque beaches and wide open outer space. We can picture Bauby sitting at a long wooden table divulging into his favorite feast. His vivid description also takes us back into the time of the accident, into a speeding car where Bauby’s mortality catches up with him.

The main characters in Bauby’s memoir are Bauby, his family and his assistant Claude who records his intended letters for the next word by a series of blinks. Bauby specifically characterizes his locked-in syndrome, and it in essence becomes a character in itself. It does not seem to be a part of Bauby, but instead an outside force (a diving bell) that prevents him from playing with his son and carrying on daily activities that we all take for granted. His explanation of this oppressive bell, however, and its inability to break Bauby’s spirit says more about him than he could ever wish to convey. It shows the reader of Bauby’s perseverant sense of humor and optimistic view point on life itself.

He helps inspire us to put our lives into perspective and enjoy each minute for what it is. As Bauby dives into each aspect of his life, we learn more and more about Bauby but also an incredible amount about ourselves and what is important to us. This is certainly a book that will make an impact on your life, as it has mine.

After reading Lisa’s Best of 2008 List and after speaking to a fellow “Basketball Mom” last week, I was intrigued to read The Diving Bell and The Butterfly. The story is a sort of an auto-biographical one, however only sharing Bauby’s remarkably beautiful memories of the life he lost after the massive stroke he suffered in December 1995. At the time, Bauby was 43 years old and the editor of French Elle Magazine. From what I gather in this book, his life was once filled with travel and he was the type of man with an incredible passion for life. Once stripped of his physical abilities and the ability to effectively function and communicate due to “locked-in syndrome,” a permanent and full paralysis as a result of the stroke, his mind craves to communicate the very acute and real memories to his bedside assistant.

Bauby is able to communicate via the blinking of his one functioning eye. He describes in the book that he had written and edited the material multiple times in his mind so that the effort to communicate it was clear the first time around. In his memoirs and thoughts, he shares his vivid memories of his travels in his past and times with his family and friends. He further describes what it is like to be trapped in this non-functioning body and compares it to being weighted by a diving bell/suit. He shares what all his sensory functions are like: eyesight, hearing, dreams, smell, and pain.

This book was, to me, more of a book of prose than of typical writing. Each line of the book intricately designed to effectively provide the reader a vision and an understanding.

In describing how it felt to now be described as a vegetable:

“The tone of voice left no doubt that henceforth I belong on a vegetable stall and not to the human race. France was at peace; one couldn’t shoot the bearers of bad news. Instead I would have to rely on myself if I wanted to prove that my IQ was still higher than a turnip’s.”

And, he describes the hospital cafeteria:

“Although my own corner of the hospital has the look of an expensive private school, one would never mistake the cafeteria crowd for member of the Dead Poets Society. The girls have hard eyes, the boys tattoos and some with rings on their fingers. There they sit, chain-smoking and talking about fistfights and motorbikes. Their already stooped shoulders seem to bear a heavy cross. Cruel fate has cured them, and their stay at Berck is just one more stage between an abused childhood and jobless future. When I am wheeled through their smoke-filled lair, the silence becomes deafening; I see neither pity nor compassion in their eyes.”

Some of my favorite parts of the book include his visit to the beach, his viewing of his children playing, and his description of what food tastes like although he is only being fed by a tube. This is a remarkable book in the knowing of how it was written and the determination it took Bauby to ensure its completion.

On Sher’s “Out of Ten Scale:”

There is no clear book to use as a comparison to this one as it is unique in every way. This is a book that reminds you of the sheer preciousness of life and the value of human health. For the genre Non-Fiction, I would give this book a 9 out of 10. My thanks go out to Lisa for lending me the book. ( )

Impressive (considering the author's efforts) but not quite as moving as other reviews led me to expect. I was sometimes reminded of reading Look Up for Yes, a memoir of life 'locked-in' after a coma, written years back by an American woman named Julia Tavalaro. Both memoirs affirm the critical importance of compassionate caregivers and attentive speech therapists. But Tavalaro's, for whatever reason, came off as significantly more personal.

So what can I say about The Diving-Bell that hasn't been said yet? One aspect of the book that stood out to me, owing to my own background and interests, were his periodic references to Arabs and Islam. I'll discuss that here, since no other review I've read yet have touched on this (admittedly small, but interesting) aspect of the story. So here it is. Bauby's references to Arabs were, unfortunately, usually related to violence and extremism, ssuch as the murder of seven monks in Algeria (during the 90s I think) and, later, a friend taken hostage by Hezboallah. Bauby also calls on images of the Thousand and One Nights, an image of Aladdin's cave, and a postal stamp from a Middle Eastern country in an attempt to conjure up his feelings about wealth, adventure, and exoticism. It reminds the reader that, sadly, Bauby's days of travel were done... but it also rubbed me slightly the wrong way.

Please note. I don't mean to suggest that this memoir was shallow, insensitive, or any less worth reading for those perhaps silly reasons. But those things do illustrate how seamlessly those perceptions about the Arab/Muslim world (exotic, dangerous) seemed to have been woven into Bauby's worldview. (In the same vein, while daydreaming about being able to rise from his bed, via TV, and take part in famous military endeavors included a reference to parachuting into Dien Bien Phu.)

Anyway, I suppose Bauby's being French accounts for these things, in a specific sense... but his being a member of the 'West' accounts for them in a larger sense. So I guess in addition to being an impressive memoir of dealing with a terrible health crisis, this short memoir can also be read as an exercise in postcolonial awareness. And I do wonder what the author would have thought about that; he came off seeming a very thoughtful guy. Wish he were still around to tell us. ( )

Words flow, in this book, like the images and emotions of poetry. One thought leads to another. The rambling mind touches, like a butterfly, just long enough to draw the essence from a story, and then moves fluidly to another. Jean-Dominique Bauby's body was just the immobile, weighty shell, the diving bell, his perfect simile, yet in his head he roved the world and composed the words that would let us in. Intent on looking for the cure to let him move again, he moves forward in his final words "We must keep looking. I'll be off now" and six months later he was dead. ( )

a unique, and beautiful memoir of a man whose situation is ghastly, unimaginable, and terrifying. the ability to read his thoughts through these pages is quite special, and should be read by all. ( )

Having just finished this book, I am not sure what to make of it. Jean Dominique Bauby was the Editor in Chief of Elle Magazine, and had a full and happy life until he suffered a massive stroke in December 1995, and was left paralysed, and only able to communicate by blinking his left eyelid. And with a patient transcriber, this is how he dictated this book, in which he describes his life now, and details small vigniettes of his life before he fell ill. To write anything under such circumstances would be an amazing achievement, and in that sense, this book is a testament to the human spirit. However, it left me feeling strangely detached about what must have been one man's living hell.

The problem with the book as far as I was concerned, was that I never felt as a reader, able to connect with the narrator. I was not able to visualise the people in his life as 'real' people, although they most certainly are.

There were a few touching chapters - one where he describes his children visiting him on Father's Day, when he is distressed at not being able to hug his son or run his fingers through the boys hair; and the chapter where he describes the events which happened shortly before the stroke.

I have seen this book described as 'life affirming', which I am afraid to say I don't particularly agree with (although at one point, it did make me think that I should stop getting upset about insignificant things at work, and count my blessings). However, all that is not to say that I did not enjoy the book - I did enjoy it, but I was left feeling somewhat unmoved by it. ( )

As this book was written by blinking with one eye, I was struck not by the words as they were written, but the process of the event. It helps that Bauby was a journalist in his life prior to near-total paralysis. Regardless of my thoughts on the quality of writing (above-average but not mind-blowing), I feel that each time this book is read, it makes this man's last days that more human. Hopefully each reader will view people in their own lives through a similar lens. ( )

Simply fascinating what humans are capable of surviving and overcoming. ( )

Incredible, on December 8, 1995 Jean-Dominique Bauby suffers from a stroke and lapsed into a coma for twenty days and upon awaking while mentally aware of what is going on around him he is diagnosed as a quadriplegic with his only way of communication is by blinking his left eye. Though this only source of speaking he wrote this amazing book while at his stay in the hospital, The Diving Bell and the Butterfly was utterly inspiring and is surprisingly filled with humor. This novella is a quick and beautiful read. ( )