Choosing one's vocation is—at least for many of us—up there with the top four or five Big Life Decisions. And it's a decision based on a wide range of factors, opportunities, and life experience. To my mind, Oliver Sacks's greatest contribution to neurology is the influence of his books over young people contemplating their future profession. I myself am one of the multitude of neurologists whose career choice was impacted by the books he wrote. Reading The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat was a revelation: what could be more interesting than the brain with all its mysteries and idiosyncrasies? And what better way to investigate it than by studying neurology, like Dr. Sacks?

In light of my debt to Sacks's unwitting career guidance, I was eager to read On the Move. His autobiography is very different from his previous books. While Sacks's previous books showcase his virtuosic