My Thirteenth Winter: A Memoir: Book review

In his Anthropologist on Mars, the noted writer Oliver Sachs tells the stories of individuals who have a different way of sensing the world around them. One person is an acromat, meaning he sees and even paints in black and white; another, is autistic and has discomfort with any emotionality at all but does design cattle shoots that calm these animals before slaughter. (Vegetarianism, anyone?) Sachs made me see the rare and unique value in these individuals that can bring a multifaceted richness to the person who perceives the world by utilization of the traditional sensorium. Each has a unique gift, and society is lessened by wanting everything to be "normal."

In her memoir, My Thirteenth Winter, Sam Abeel opens the door on another fascinating idiosyncrasy--her battle with numbers and their underlying meanings. The zebra or exotic disabilities fascinate me endlessly. Not your typical blindness or deafness, these unique conditions can be rare but never boring.