Customer Reviews

Rebuilt: How Becoming Part Computer Made Me More Human

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Cyborgs are familiar figures in science fiction. The term was coined in 1960 meaning "cybernetic organism", a living being who was a fusion of biological and computer parts. If you think we might eventually have cyborgs in the future, you are wrong; cyborgs walk among us now, and one has written an autobiography. In _Rebuilt: How Becoming Part Computer Made Me More Human_ (Houghton Mifflin), Michael Chorost has described how an implanted computer has taken over his hearing and brought him better back to the world. It is a strange story; in one sense, it isn't unique because thousands of cochlear implants are in use now, but Chorost has a lifetime of deafness, a longstanding interest in computers, a background in literature, and a fine sense of humor that bring the story forward in a unique way.

Chorost had had impaired hearing since childhood, and it gave out entirely in 2001 when he was 36 years old. Because it was a problem within his inner ear and his auditory nerves themselves were intact, he was a candidate to get a cochlear implant. It is not a simple amplifier like a hearing aid is, but a direct stimulator of the nerves that go from the cochlea to the brain. He was distressed when it finally was turned on. "Everything sounds awful," he reports. There was a roaring sound, and everything else was muddy and incomprehensible. It got much better, and in strange ways that raise fascinating questions about sensation. For instance, the electrode array cannot stimulate the cochlea in the way it was used to, and there is a problem of frequency mismatch. A user perceives that the entire auditory spectrum is shifted into high; that was one reason that Chorost couldn't, that first day, tell a woman's voice from a man's. His own voice sounded too high, too. But the problem was resolved in a day. It was not by any tinkering with the processor or implanted devices. His own brain very quickly sensed the change, sensed that something was not normal, and unconsciously shifted itself back into the normal direction. "I _knew_ what my own voice was supposed to sound like, and by God, my brain was going to hear it that way; to hell with whatever nerves were actually being stimulated." He reflects on questions pondered 250 years ago by David Hume; reality may be out there, but the senses do not tell us about real reality, only their interpretations of it. Chorost is a living experiment that Hume would have loved.

Chorost understood that his sensation was provisional; indeed, the implant is designed to be able to take advantage of better processors as they come along. He feels this made him a better human: "The very provisionality of my perception reminded me that my political perspective was provisional also, and that it was my task as a human being to strive to connect ever more complexly and deeply with the people and places of my life." Rebuilt is not a technical introduction to new auditory gadgetry, or not just that, anyway, although at one point Chorost looked at a print-out of the program that manages the electrodes, and realized with wonder, "I was reading my own software." Chorost also has important reflections from his unique perspective about the resistance to implants (currently decreasing) within the deaf community, and the differences between humans, robots, and cyborgs, especially as the last two are depicted in film and fiction. More important, it is about how new perceptions of his cyborg self led to new interactions with people, and it is an extraordinarily personal document; there are hilarious remarks, for instance, about what to do with the gadgets and wires if you want to hear what is going on during lovemaking. It is at its best as a coming-of-age story set within technological innovation, and is fascinating on every page.

Mike Chorost tells a story of technology from the perspective of a person who is trying to understand a very human loss - his hearing. He has a unique background for writing this book, because he is a technologist with a humanities background. His book is personal, yet it explains and explores the technology of hearing amplification along the way. When he gets into the more geeky issues around cyborg technologies, unlike some others writing about these issues he maintains the human social context and considers the real social and ethical ramifications, along with the literary contexts. He even sneaks in references to some of our favorite movie and TV characters, although he does misunderstand the Borg concept! Besides his ability to keep the technology issues within a human context, what makes this book particularly relevant and a good read is his allowing his personality to come through, with his foibles and shyness, his tendency to underestimate his own strengths as a seeker of meaning. A refreshing change in a biography! Chorost comes across as very likeable and genuine, and I found myself hoping for him to find not only his hearing, but also to find a girlfriend and a wholeness in his life. An all-around good read.

I was skeptical at first when I was given this book but once I started the book I was amazed. I went in thinking what's the big deal about getting a cochlear implant and left trying to figure out "what is reality". Chorost does a great job infusing the book with his wit. He does seem to be uniquely qualified to write about this topic (with his background in technology). The book shines when he writes about his personal experiences. Two Thumbs Up.

I read this book in four hours. Each page a delight and wonder as Michael Chorost takes us into his 'realm of change'. A young insecure hearing impaired man who loses his remaining hearing within hours. Blossoming over time into accepting his deafness, he also accepts what cochlear implant technology can give him. Using amazing intelligence and insight, Michael Chorost gives us a birds-eye view of the brain/CI connection wrapped up in such a way you can't wait to see what's on the next page!

As a cochlear implant user myself,( I have the same device), I have read many books on the subject that gave me a good idea of what to expect. I have yet to read a "CI" book that reflected such deep emotions and struggles and fears. Michael's abstract grasp of his fears in being a "cyborg" has been artfully woven into this book. Madly humorous at times, his love life takes on a life of its own as he deals with his "speech processor".

There are no guarantees with a cochlear implant. There is tantilizing promise. "Rebuilt" takes you along on a journey of that promise, I have lived it myself and am still in awe of it today.

I have to join in on the praise. I just finished Chorost's book and think it's destined to be a classic. The chances that one of the first people to become a true cyborg would be so uniquely qualified to philosophize about it must be a million to one. The most important thing the author does is tell a deeply affecting story about his search for connection with others through the strange medium of technology in his skull. He plays himself as a sort of Edward Scissorhands, and the reader loves him for it. Chorost never learned sign language, and his coclear implant means the end of true deafness, yet his lament for the dying culture of the signing deaf community really got to me. It's the only book I've ever read about an author's parents that achieves true objective compassion for their struggles with a hearing-impaired kid.

But what nudges this book into extraordinary is Chorost's ability to write about post-modern literary theory, the intricate technology of his device, and the computational theory of mind and somehow make it a rousing yarn. I am in a state of wonder at the magnificance of the human ear, and I can give you a quick primer on the various philosophies of "reality" because it's all explained for the common man in this book. This is one of those books that makes the reader feel smarter because the smart writer speaks to you as an equal. Amazingly, I can find no other books by Chorost. This is his debut.

This book is unique because Chorost spans so well the seemingly opposite genres of novel/autobiography and technical scientific/academic text. Oh yeah, and a bunch of philosophy and poetry included too, all of it great. It is the kind of book I would like to write, if I ever got a round tuit. I did write something similar (the Toothlog), in blog form circa 1997 before they were called blogs... But Chorost put much more work into this than any blogger, with references to the literature, both scientific and poetic, and lots of clever metaphors. He put his whole soul into it, and laid it bare for us to scrutinize, marvel at, get embarrassed with him about, and enjoy the complexities of. Okay, the book is about the experience of getting a cochlear implant, and how that transformed the author. But if you pick it up expecting a dry, boring deaf-person now hears story, then you will be delighted to find a very personal story you can't put down. It is thought-provoking and educational, worth the read for any reader, regardless of his or her interest in deafness and cochlear implants. A truly remarkable book.

If you have a cochlear implant, this book will make you laugh, cry and repeatedly tell yourself, 'oh, yes, that is exactly what I have been though, too.'
If you do not have a cochlear implant, this book is by far, one of the best-written tomes on CI's you will ever read.
It is intelligent, funny, and so very realistic. Bravo to Michael Chorost.

I loved this book! My usual favorites are outdoor adventure/exploration books or mysteries - but I found myself glued to this book! Why not? What could be a greater adventure than the harrowing, challenging, and triumphant experiences of this author, who loses his hearing completely and then with the aid of a computer embedded in his skull embarks on a mind-bending journey to rival that of Odyseus?

The author bravely guides us on his thoroughly modern journey with wit, courage, humility, and literary gusto - sailing into entirely new, uncharted territory: not only to face being a cyborg... not only to "relearn" hearing, bit by bit, program by program, through a computer in an entirely new way of experiencing sound... not only to grapple with "Paradise Lost" - as his hearing will never be regained only replaced... but, ultimately, to find ways to "connect" to the world and to others.

I found myself moved by this book's honesty and the author's courage in tackling not just the technological aspects of his story but the very human dilemma of how to connect with others in a modern world. So I guess... I was reading an adventure book after all... with a mystery at its heart. What greater mystery could there be? With all of the technological advancements today, the human spirit still triumphs. Great great read! Artfully, beautifully told - made me laugh, too!

"Rebuilt" is an impressive book in many ways: an heir to the techno-confessional style of Ellen Ullman's "Close to the Machine," thoughtful like Anne Fadiman's "Ex Libris," and keen in its observations on the impact of technology on culture (specifically, the impact of cochlear implants on deaf communities). And few authors are able to weave in thinkers as different as David Hume and Donna Haraway.

What struck me most about the book, though, was the sense that this is the first of a new genre: the memoir of people becoming cyborgs. The experience Chorost describes is one that, in the future, more and more people are going to go through: surviving some major medical crisis, recovering some lost ability, or regaining a sense, through a technology that then comes to contorl part of their body or mediate their relationship with the world. We're going to see many more books that talk about how, thanks to technology, the author learned to walk again, or learned to see again, or came back from the brink of death. "Rebuilt" sets a high bar for the genre.

As science advances, many people may encounter opportunities like Chorost's, to be enabled with computerized "accessories." And "Rebuilt" is an excellent introduction into how they may feel. Chorost is perhaps more introspective than most and thus may delve more deeply into human vs machine issues, but every thinking person should be aware of those issues. As a bonus, it is wonderfully well written. Consider phrases such as "an electromagnetic soul kiss" and "classic behind-the-ear hearing aids, sitting atop my ears like cats draped over the back of a La-Z-Boy." What joy to read! This is an entertaining, enlightening, and informative personal story that I recommend highly!