The Body Silent: The Different World of the Disabled [Paperback]

Robert F. Murphy (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 2001

"The most powerful book of its kind I've ever read.... Extraordinary powers of observation, generalization, and depth."—Oliver Sacks, author of The Man Who Mistook His Wife For a Hat

Winner of the Columbia University Lionel Trilling Award. Robert Murphy was in the prime of his career as an anthropologist when he felt the first symptom of a malady that would ultimately take him on an odyssey stranger than any field trip to the Amazon: a tumor of the spinal cord that progressed slowly and irreversibly into quadriplegia. In this gripping account, Murphy explores society's fears, myths, and misunderstandings about disability, and the damage they inflict. He reports how paralysis—like all disabilities—assaults people's identity, social standing, and ties with others, while at the same time making the love of life burn even more fiercely.

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

The author, a well-known cultural and field anthropologist at Columbia University, was diagnosed as having an incurable spinal cord tumor in 1976 at age 52. He is now essentially paralyzed from the neck down. Within this frameworkin which his physical self of locomotion and effect loses all functionhe relates his own odyssey into "selfhood and sentiment." Far more than a bittersweet first-person account of chronic illness, this is a masterfully written examination of the role of the disabled in society. The author draws upon the relevant literature, history, sociology, anthropology, and psychology as a basis for his views and his means of coping. This powerful and eye-opening commentary is highly recommended for social scientists, health care personnel, and informed and interested laypersons. Mark L. Dembert, M.D., Navy Environmental Health Ctr., Norfolk, Va.
Copyright 1987 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Review

The most powerful book of its kind I've ever read.... Extraordinary powers of observation, generalization, and depth. -- Oliver Sacks, author of The Man Who Mistook His Wife For a Hat

Will keep the reader riveted.... Rigorous, haunting, and true. -- Kirkus Reviews

[Murphy's] contributions to the popular literature of the disabled will surely rank among the highest to date. -- L. Daniel Myers, American Anthropologist

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 256 pages
• Publisher: W. W. Norton & Company (May 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0393320421
• ISBN-13: 978-0393320428
• Product Dimensions: 8.1 x 5.3 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #393,271 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars I found it profound and inspiring., May 21, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: The Body Silent (Paperback)

I was moved by Robert Murphy's journey from the world of the well, fully functional academic anthropologist to that of the paraplegic. Murphy brings an anthropologist's scientific objectivity to his exploration of the impact of his increasing disability on his own life and that of those around him.

The book reminded me, in some respects, of John Gunther's _Death_Be_Not_Proud_ which was a celebration of his son's coming to terms with his own illness and looming death from a brain tumor.

Like Gunther, Murphy shares with us insights into the human condition that are not otherwise easily obtained. For example, Murphy observes (pg 222):

"There may be no final meanings, but we do live in a meaningful universe; otherwise we could not abide intelligent existence. Our meanings, however, are humanly contrived and quite arbitrary, lending a spurious but useful legitimacy to our lives, our aspirations and our actions."

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars 5 Stars are not enough!, June 13, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: The Body Silent (Paperback)

The late Dr. Murphy's anthropological account of his journey into the world of the disabled should be required reading for all courses related to Medical Anthropology and Disability Studies. Dr. Murphy brings to life the social liminality - the status of "otherness" of the handicapped, and takes the reader into a culture largely (and wrongly) ignored by anthropology.

12 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Incredible, February 2, 1999

By 

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This review is from: The Body Silent (Paperback)

This wonderfully written book offers rare insight into the world of disability, the health care system and society. The late Robert Murphy, an anthropologist, provided an "insider's" view of a life changing experience. It is a fascinating read. Nursing,medical and other health professional students can spend an entire semester dissecting the anatomy and physiology of disability through Murphy's perspective.