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Coming to Our Senses: A Boy Who Learned to See, a Girl Who Learned to Hear, and How We All Discover the World
A neurobiologist reexamines the personal nature of perception in this groundbreaking guide to a new model for our senses.
We think of perception as a passive, mechanical process, as if our eyes are cameras and our ears microphones. But as neurobiologist Susan R. Barry argues, perception is a deeply personal act. Our environments, our relationships, and our actions shape and reshape our senses throughout our lives.
This idea is no more apparent than in the cases of people who gain senses as adults. Barry tells the stories of Liam McCoy, practically blind from birth, and Zohra Damji, born deaf, in the decade following surgeries that restored their senses. As Liam and Zohra learned entirely new ways of being, Barry discovered an entirely new model of the nature of perception. Coming to Our Senses is a celebration of human resilience and a powerful reminder that, before you can really understand other people, you must first recognize that their worlds are fundamentally different from your own.
We think of perception as a passive, mechanical process, as if our eyes are cameras and our ears microphones. But as neurobiologist Susan R. Barry argues, perception is a deeply personal act. Our environments, our relationships, and our actions shape and reshape our senses throughout our lives.
This idea is no more apparent than in the cases of people who gain senses as adults. Barry tells the stories of Liam McCoy, practically blind from birth, and Zohra Damji, born deaf, in the decade following surgeries that restored their senses. As Liam and Zohra learned entirely new ways of being, Barry discovered an entirely new model of the nature of perception. Coming to Our Senses is a celebration of human resilience and a powerful reminder that, before you can really understand other people, you must first recognize that their worlds are fundamentally different from your own.
257 pages, Hardcover
First published June 8, 2021
29 people are currently reading
1673 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews
August 10, 2021
Rant on the 'hidden' US history of Eugenics. Will be removed when I calm down and write a proper review.
November 14, 2021
3.5 stars
An interesting work of popular science, using the stories of two young people who had to learn to see and hear as teenagers to illustrate how these senses work. The author is a science professor, but the book is definitely readable for a general audience, as well as relatively short.
Interestingly, gaining a new sense in adulthood doesn’t go well for most people: they struggle to integrate the information they’re receiving, and often fall into depression and actually lose confidence in navigating the world. The two people the author profiles manage to thrive with their “new” senses, but then they aren’t entirely new. Liam, a boy with albinism, was never completely blind, but so visually impaired as to be functionally so (in early childhood his vision extended only a few feet, and it deteriorated as he grew, so that he went from being able to read giant print to being unable to read visually at all). Zohra, an Indian-Tanzanian girl, was born hearing-impaired but became deaf as she grew older, to the point of forgetting what it was like to hear. Although both had some prior experience of their missing senses, relearning them after medical intervention was still a struggle, and both continue to use some of the workarounds from their childhoods: Zohra’s cochlear implant isn’t perfect and so she supplements with lip-reading and sometimes removes it when noises get to be too much, while Liam can see quite well after his surgery but still sometimes uses a cane for tricky visual situations like navigating the subway.
The human-interest portions are uplifting, but the book is more focused on the science: showing how these two young people consciously work through sensory input that they didn’t learn automatically in childhood, and thereby casting light on the ways young children learn to see and hear and how our brains process this data, and the shortcuts we use without thinking about them. The section on vision seems a bit more in-depth, perhaps because the printed form works so well for including illustrations and optical illusions (I would be interested to know whether the audiobook includes hearing-specific illustrations that the print book does not). But both sections are quite informative and discuss the workings of eyes, ears and brain in a way that makes sense to a layperson.
Ultimately, the book gets a little more technical than I was expecting, but it is interesting material, not a big commitment, and I’ve learned more about how sight and hearing work. The big takeaway being that neither is automatic, even if they feel that way to those who have always had them: we process information easily because our brains have so much practice, but this is far more complicated and requires an enormous amount of conscious effort for anyone gaining a sense after early childhood. And after reading all this it seems amazing that we do manage to process so much information so easily! Brains are impressive.
An interesting work of popular science, using the stories of two young people who had to learn to see and hear as teenagers to illustrate how these senses work. The author is a science professor, but the book is definitely readable for a general audience, as well as relatively short.
Interestingly, gaining a new sense in adulthood doesn’t go well for most people: they struggle to integrate the information they’re receiving, and often fall into depression and actually lose confidence in navigating the world. The two people the author profiles manage to thrive with their “new” senses, but then they aren’t entirely new. Liam, a boy with albinism, was never completely blind, but so visually impaired as to be functionally so (in early childhood his vision extended only a few feet, and it deteriorated as he grew, so that he went from being able to read giant print to being unable to read visually at all). Zohra, an Indian-Tanzanian girl, was born hearing-impaired but became deaf as she grew older, to the point of forgetting what it was like to hear. Although both had some prior experience of their missing senses, relearning them after medical intervention was still a struggle, and both continue to use some of the workarounds from their childhoods: Zohra’s cochlear implant isn’t perfect and so she supplements with lip-reading and sometimes removes it when noises get to be too much, while Liam can see quite well after his surgery but still sometimes uses a cane for tricky visual situations like navigating the subway.
The human-interest portions are uplifting, but the book is more focused on the science: showing how these two young people consciously work through sensory input that they didn’t learn automatically in childhood, and thereby casting light on the ways young children learn to see and hear and how our brains process this data, and the shortcuts we use without thinking about them. The section on vision seems a bit more in-depth, perhaps because the printed form works so well for including illustrations and optical illusions (I would be interested to know whether the audiobook includes hearing-specific illustrations that the print book does not). But both sections are quite informative and discuss the workings of eyes, ears and brain in a way that makes sense to a layperson.
Ultimately, the book gets a little more technical than I was expecting, but it is interesting material, not a big commitment, and I’ve learned more about how sight and hearing work. The big takeaway being that neither is automatic, even if they feel that way to those who have always had them: we process information easily because our brains have so much practice, but this is far more complicated and requires an enormous amount of conscious effort for anyone gaining a sense after early childhood. And after reading all this it seems amazing that we do manage to process so much information so easily! Brains are impressive.
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July 31, 2021I little while ago, I saw a YouTube video where a colorblind man is given a set of glasses which allow him to see colors the way non-colorblind people do. One of the people with him asks “What color is my shirt?” and the man answers correctly. I remember wondering how he could identify a color that he had never been able to see.
I was reminded of that video when reading this book, which talks about how our brains process sight and sound by following the experiences of a blind man and a deaf woman who have these senses activated as adults. It was fascinating to learn about the pitfalls and difficulties that they experienced and how these struggles illuminate how much information we are able to interpret without being aware that we are doing so.
The book was informative without being overly technical, and the author did a great job of providing visual and describing aural examples in a way that allowed me to understand the struggles that these people faced.
Thanks to Basic Books for providing an advanced reading copy via NetGalley.
I was reminded of that video when reading this book, which talks about how our brains process sight and sound by following the experiences of a blind man and a deaf woman who have these senses activated as adults. It was fascinating to learn about the pitfalls and difficulties that they experienced and how these struggles illuminate how much information we are able to interpret without being aware that we are doing so.
The book was informative without being overly technical, and the author did a great job of providing visual and describing aural examples in a way that allowed me to understand the struggles that these people faced.
Thanks to Basic Books for providing an advanced reading copy via NetGalley.
November 17, 2022
November: Non-fiction
I found this book by accident, searching for something completely unrelated on my local library's catalogue.
What a serendipitous find! Coming To Our Senses is a work of popular science which focuses on the case studies of two young people, Liam who was born blind and Najma who was born deaf, who both regain their missing sense in their teens and how they learn how to use their new sense. Barry, a neurobiologist, was drawn to both Liam and Najma's because they had both successfully learned how to use their new sense, therefore had RELEARNED how to live their lives and acquired additional skills. For many other vision or hearing impaired people who regain their missing sense later in life, it is often not the welcome gift we expect it to be but a sensory bombardment which causes confident, functional adults to become depressed, isolated and despairing of their own identity and usefulness in the world. Barry also highlights through Liam and Najma's stories the incredible plasticity and adaptability of the human brain.
This book was a true insight (pun intended) into the amazing complexities and intricacies of human senses, and helped me to appreciate just how incredible the human body is. It also helps me to appreciate the struggles encountered by vision and hearing impaired people in a world that assumes ability, and their incredible capacity to adapt, persevere and overcome.
Barry's writing was very approachable for non-academics, though some sections get more technical and I could feel my brain working. A fascinating read!
I found this book by accident, searching for something completely unrelated on my local library's catalogue.
What a serendipitous find! Coming To Our Senses is a work of popular science which focuses on the case studies of two young people, Liam who was born blind and Najma who was born deaf, who both regain their missing sense in their teens and how they learn how to use their new sense. Barry, a neurobiologist, was drawn to both Liam and Najma's because they had both successfully learned how to use their new sense, therefore had RELEARNED how to live their lives and acquired additional skills. For many other vision or hearing impaired people who regain their missing sense later in life, it is often not the welcome gift we expect it to be but a sensory bombardment which causes confident, functional adults to become depressed, isolated and despairing of their own identity and usefulness in the world. Barry also highlights through Liam and Najma's stories the incredible plasticity and adaptability of the human brain.
This book was a true insight (pun intended) into the amazing complexities and intricacies of human senses, and helped me to appreciate just how incredible the human body is. It also helps me to appreciate the struggles encountered by vision and hearing impaired people in a world that assumes ability, and their incredible capacity to adapt, persevere and overcome.
Barry's writing was very approachable for non-academics, though some sections get more technical and I could feel my brain working. A fascinating read!
November 5, 2022
Five stars for the biography part, making allowance for a book this size. 2.5 for the science, and 3-3.5 for philosophy and psychology parts, for 4-ish overall. (Slightly less elsewhere.)
Barry builds on the likes of Oliver Sacks on how blind/near-blind and deaf/near-deaf people from at or near birth adapt (or don't adapt) when given, if not full sight or hearing, fairly near to that as older preteens or beyond.
She covers two individuals, one semi-blind and one almost fully deaf, who respectively got an intraocular lens and a cochlear implant as a teen and an about to be teen. This is where the biography is great.
But on the science? N=2 isn't much better than N=1. And, because of that, the psychology and philosophy angles don't rank much better.
Barry builds on the likes of Oliver Sacks on how blind/near-blind and deaf/near-deaf people from at or near birth adapt (or don't adapt) when given, if not full sight or hearing, fairly near to that as older preteens or beyond.
She covers two individuals, one semi-blind and one almost fully deaf, who respectively got an intraocular lens and a cochlear implant as a teen and an about to be teen. This is where the biography is great.
But on the science? N=2 isn't much better than N=1. And, because of that, the psychology and philosophy angles don't rank much better.
June 21, 2022
I picked up this book because I really wanted to read a book about stories from people who experience life and reality differently than the majority of us. This book definitely hits the mark. I also enjoyed this book because it is difficult to take personal stories and blend it with scientific jargon so that it appeals to a wide audience. Again, this book hits that mark. I, like so many others, think that getting your sight or hearing back would be a wonderful, almost miraculous, event in life. Unfortunately, the reality is much more poignant. It seems the brain is not nearly as plastic later in life than earlier which makes these changes harder to cope with and accept. Discovering the world and how it works, what it looks like, how it sounds, how to maneuver in it, and accepting it is different for each of us. This book is also about resilience. The two main characters show that it is possible to overcome what seem like impossible barriers and actually thrive in the world.
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February 2, 2022Fantastic read!
February 26, 2022
I really liked this one, but I have a ton of background knowledge about hearing and cochlear implants (and a little knowledge about vision) so I can't judge how accessible it would be if this was your first-ever introduction to those topics.
August 11, 2021
Coming to Our Senses provides fascinating first hand accounts of what people who grew up blind or deaf perceive when that sense is first provided to them (through lense implants for sight or cochlear implants for hearing). So much of what we take for granted in seeing and hearing is in fact a finely orchestrated cascade of neural firings, compilations, and complex neurological interpretations. All this happens reflexively, with no conscious effort on our part. Since infancy our brain has learned how to process these sensory inputs so that we can effortlessly differentiate a car or a cat from the landscape surrounding it, or a violin from a flute in a musical piece, and from the gentleman whispering to his wife during the concert. But people first provided with sight or hearing in adulthood or late childhood see and hear only “noise”. They spend years of concentrated effort to simply recognize the face or voice of a loved one.
Author, Susan Barry, a professor of neurobiology, had the use of only one eye for most of her life due to cross sightedness. When, in middle age, medical advances gave her use of both eyes and allowed her to experience depth perception for the first time, she found it life altering. This background renders her uniquely positioned to convey the extraordinary experiences of those newly gifted with senses to the seeing and hearing world in a way that makes them vividly real.
I found most of the book riveting. Her interviews with a handful of hearing- and sight-challenged patients over the course of years following their lens or cochlear implant had me glued to my seat. But, while I was interested in understanding the biological and neurological mechanisms behind sight and hearing, I felt Barry’s explanations here bogged down and I found myself skimming ahead. Based on the strength of the rest of the book, I am rating it 4 stars.
Author, Susan Barry, a professor of neurobiology, had the use of only one eye for most of her life due to cross sightedness. When, in middle age, medical advances gave her use of both eyes and allowed her to experience depth perception for the first time, she found it life altering. This background renders her uniquely positioned to convey the extraordinary experiences of those newly gifted with senses to the seeing and hearing world in a way that makes them vividly real.
I found most of the book riveting. Her interviews with a handful of hearing- and sight-challenged patients over the course of years following their lens or cochlear implant had me glued to my seat. But, while I was interested in understanding the biological and neurological mechanisms behind sight and hearing, I felt Barry’s explanations here bogged down and I found myself skimming ahead. Based on the strength of the rest of the book, I am rating it 4 stars.
June 8, 2021
The author of this book focuses on two people--Liam McCoy and Zohra Damji who obtain intraocular lenses and a cochlear implant respectively as teenagers--and how they adjusted to their new worlds of sight and sound. The author was intrigued by studies of adults who had undergone operations and were able to see or hear for the first time, and instead of it improving their lives, the patients became depressed and their health deteriorated. The author herself had been cross-eyed since she was a baby and only as a middle-aged adult did therapy allow her to see in stereo. In essence, the older a person is, the harder it becomes for them to adapt. For Liam, things that sighted people learn from a young age and take for granted--mirrors, windows, reflections, shadows and judging height, depth and size--were very difficult for him. For Zohra, she had no context of what objects made what sounds and how to locate sounds. The author posits that rehabilitation programs and training are essential for patients to learn to adapt to their new senses. The author did a good job of making the medical jargon accessible to the lay reader.
May 20, 2021
*i received and ARCs of this book via netgalley in exchange for an honest review*
"by year eight, it was thought, the brain was not plastic enough to allow for the development of a new sense."
despite how informative this book was, it did not feel like info dumping for me. we get to follow liam and zohra's stories from the beginning, through all the hardships and successes. didn't expect butloved the mention of 2020 and how mask—wearing shifted our way of communicating, both for hearing people and those with auditory difficulties. the book is accompanied by really helpful images of optical illusions and great explanations on why they do work, or not.
sensory perception is a fascinating subject i knew little about but i knew i was deeply interested in because of my human language class. this book felt like an extension of that and just solidified how fascinating i found the way our brains work, how they adapt to any circumstances, how crucial the very first years of life are in our future.
"by year eight, it was thought, the brain was not plastic enough to allow for the development of a new sense."
despite how informative this book was, it did not feel like info dumping for me. we get to follow liam and zohra's stories from the beginning, through all the hardships and successes. didn't expect butloved the mention of 2020 and how mask—wearing shifted our way of communicating, both for hearing people and those with auditory difficulties. the book is accompanied by really helpful images of optical illusions and great explanations on why they do work, or not.
sensory perception is a fascinating subject i knew little about but i knew i was deeply interested in because of my human language class. this book felt like an extension of that and just solidified how fascinating i found the way our brains work, how they adapt to any circumstances, how crucial the very first years of life are in our future.
January 5, 2021
I got this book on NetGalley as an ARC. Getting it as an ARC doesn’t affect my review.
I liked this book. It talked about blind or deaf people regaining hearing or sight, respectively. It was interesting how it wasn’t easy for them to use the implanted lenses(in the case of the blind boy) or the implant(in the deaf girl). I learned that blind people don’t always embrace the sense of sight great in the long term as they end up being confused with things like lines and angles and shadows. The whole “belongingness” is hard for people who gain new senses. With the author’s vision issue that made her have to have therapy as an adult to finally be able to have stereo vision, it helps us understand the issues that blind and deaf people face in their lives. I think I would read more like this on NetGalley from this author.
I liked this book. It talked about blind or deaf people regaining hearing or sight, respectively. It was interesting how it wasn’t easy for them to use the implanted lenses(in the case of the blind boy) or the implant(in the deaf girl). I learned that blind people don’t always embrace the sense of sight great in the long term as they end up being confused with things like lines and angles and shadows. The whole “belongingness” is hard for people who gain new senses. With the author’s vision issue that made her have to have therapy as an adult to finally be able to have stereo vision, it helps us understand the issues that blind and deaf people face in their lives. I think I would read more like this on NetGalley from this author.
June 30, 2021
Very good popular science writing from an author who really knows what she’s talking about. I love how she wove scientific insight and human stories together to create a compelling narrative suitable for anyone with an interest in sight and hearing. The science is deep enough to interest those with STEM backgrounds and light enough to appeal to those without much interest on or knowledge of neurology. The stories of Liam and Zohra are interesting and very human. This book will activate your curiosity and imagination.
Disclaimer: I won this book in a goodreads giveaway, which did not affect my review, but did make me happy :) I also sort of know the author, as I am a Mt. Holyoke alumna, which may have given me a favorable disposition to the book.
Disclaimer: I won this book in a goodreads giveaway, which did not affect my review, but did make me happy :) I also sort of know the author, as I am a Mt. Holyoke alumna, which may have given me a favorable disposition to the book.
July 6, 2021
Surprisingly easy to read, despite the scientific topics. The book was a 3week borrow from the library and I was unable to finish it on time.
I recommend it to anyone who experienced blindness or deafness from birth or an early age. Highly recommend it alao for those living those people. It's eye opening.
I will place a hold on the library book again, so that I can read the second part about deafness.
I recommend it to anyone who experienced blindness or deafness from birth or an early age. Highly recommend it alao for those living those people. It's eye opening.
I will place a hold on the library book again, so that I can read the second part about deafness.
August 27, 2021
"As we mature, we not only see the external world but also become conscious of ourselves seeing. Through active exploration of our environment, typically in infancy, we become aware of ourselves sensing the world and the different organs and modalities that we use to sense it" (151). This is a fascinating book from which Barry draws upon personal experience, interviews, and scientific research. Insightful and accessible as a piece of popular science writing.
November 10, 2021
I think I got this book by mistake. One with the same title is about Mindfulness, which was what I was wanting to read. Even so, I skimmed this and found it interesting. It was well written and thoughtful and the stories of the boy, girl and others added depth.
January 14, 2024
Прекрасный научпоп о том, как устроено наше зрение и слух, и что важнее - как его нарушения позволяют понять, что мы воспринимаем "as granted", хотя это феноменальная удачно слаженная работа органов чувств и мозга
November 3, 2021
A very interesting and educational read. I loved the way it was laid out and explained; the author genuinely made it enjoyable.
December 20, 2022
I found this book very informative. It discussed sight and hearing in ways I hadn't thought of before. I learned a lot.
December 26, 2022
Very interesting study, easy to read.
May 23, 2023
had the same effect on my perception that watching sound of metal did
great mix of educational, philosophical, and generally uplifting/motivational
great mix of educational, philosophical, and generally uplifting/motivational
Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews