The Man Who Tasted Words
Inside the Strange and Startling World of Our Senses
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The Man Who Tasted Words
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Narrated by:
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Dr Guy Leschziner
About this listen
‘From the opening paragraph, I was spellbound, entranced. Through real stories about what happens when our fragile perception of the world around us and within us is severed, Guy Leschziner connects us back to our senses.’
Professor Alice Roberts
Where are you now?
Look around you; what can you see?
Close your eyes and think of a loved one – do you see their face?
Stretch out a hand; what can you feel with your fingertips, your palm, the soft underside of your wrist?
What can you hear – nearby and far away?
The information you receive from your senses makes up your world. But that world does not exist. What we perceive to be the absolute truth of the world around us is a complex reconstruction, a virtual reality created by the complex machinations of our minds in tandem with the wiring of our nervous systems. But what happens if that wiring goes awry? What happens if connections falter, or new and unexpected connections are made? Tiny shifts in the microbiology of our nervous systems can cause the world around us to shift and mutate, to become alien and unfamiliar.
In The Man Who Tasted Words, consultant neurologist Guy Leschziner takes us on a journey through the senses, exploring how each one shapes our experience of the world. And investigating what happens when they deviate from the norm. Along the way we meet a number of extraordinary individuals and step through the looking glass and into their worlds. Worlds where hot and cold are reversed, where a person with no sight sees fantastical visions, or where words have a taste and sounds create sensations.
But while fascinating, their experiences are more than simply curiosities. They teach us about our own perception of the world, forcing us to question the idea of ‘normal’ senses, and whether such a thing even exists. Does blue look the same to you and me? Does grass smell the same? Or sugar taste as sweet? Do we even have the same understanding of what ‘sweet’ is?
The Man Who Tasted Words unpacks the science behind your senses and challenges you to try and see the world through another’s eyes – and ears, and nose and mouth. It will illuminate, it will surprise, and it will leave your world just a little bit changed.
‘A truly astonishing book – from the story of the man who tasted words to that of Paul who could pull out his own teeth and break his legs yet feel no pain. These are beautifully and engagingly written stories of how our senses tell us about the reality of the world – or, sometimes, don’t.’
Gavin Esler, author of How Britain Ends
‘Stories of people who experience the world differently show us what it means to be human. This is a deeply moving and powerful book, full of provocative ideas about human perception and the way we construct reality.’
Daniel M. Davis, author of The Secret Body and The Beautiful Cure©2022 Guy Leschziner (P)2022 Simon & Schuster, UK
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Critic reviews
(Gavin Esler, author of How Britain Ends)
What listeners say about The Man Who Tasted Words
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- Jan jenner
- 31-03-23
A book that celebrates the wonderful and amazing
This is a triumph. My favourite chapter is the last when our perceptions and beliefs in reality are challenged
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- Amazon Customer
- 22-10-23
Very interesting topic!
I was never bored. A lot of new information, sprinkled with interesting anecdotes. I can recommend this book for ‘knowledge nerds’
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- Anonymous User
- 21-02-22
A fascinating and compassionate audiobook
What a wonderful listen! A fascinating insight into the way our senses make our world, or at worst destroy it. A perfect mix between the personal stories of a doctor and information about different conditions and our senses. The narration by the author himself was absolutely perfect. Engaging and compelling. Highly recommended.
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2 people found this helpful
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- Adam
- 14-03-22
Mind expanding
A fascinating book which uses clear and concise language to explain complicated concepts. Presented in a engaging tone by the author, it is never difficult to understand what is being read and it is presented at a good even pace. I’d recommend this to anybody who has an interest in the human brain, the perception of reality, or who simply wants to hear interesting anecdotes and 1001 facts about the senses that they can bore their friends with.
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1 person found this helpful
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- K. E. Upton
- 23-07-22
What is reality?
Excellent and accessible introduction to the science of our senses. Using the stories of people who have very different experiences of individual senses than is common to explain important differences in perception which we have from each other and may not be aware of. Thought provoking and exciting.
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- Dani
- 21-01-23
Fascinating
Listened twice now and absolutely fascinated each time by the stories. It delves into the weird and wonderful world of neurology, the senses and perception of the world.
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