Oaxaca Journal
Oaxaca Journal by Oliver Sacks is a 2002 Biography & Memoir book written by TED speaker Oliver Sacks, paired here with the talk they gave.
The pairing
- In the catalogue: The 4th of 5 books by Oliver Sacks on Books Worth Reading (1973–2017), by publication year.
- Edition: Latitudes, 2002 · 176 pages
From the publisher
"Ferns are what lured Oliver Sacks to Oaxaca, but those who know him will expect his journal to be filled with much more - and they won't he disappointed.".
"It's a diverse, casually erudite assemblage of professional and amateur botanists who gather in this extraordinary corner of Mexico, each bringing a different perspective and fresh insights to the endeavor. And what a richly varied part of the world! Whereas New England has a hundred fern varieties, the Oaxaca area boasts nearly seven hundred; village marketplaces sell at least two dozen kinds of chili pepper, from mild to mind-bogglingly hot.
Here too is a bird-watcher's paradise teeming with avian life, and an archaeologist's dream filled with ancient ruins that echo with pre-Columbian legend. And this is where the New World gave the Old World the delicious gift of chocolate, once reserved - on pain of death - for Aztec royalty.".
Day by day, as Sacks and his colleagues explore, new sights and discoveries spark surprising, enlightening connections. By the time their all-too brief adventure - and this journal - is complete, we have toured not merely Oaxaca itself, but a whole world of history, science, and wonder.