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The Diving Bell and the Butterfly: A Memoir of Life in Death

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Description

A triumphant memoir by the former editor-in-chief of French Elle that reveals an indomitable spirit and celebrates the liberating power of consciousness. In 1995, Jean-Dominique Bauby was the editor-in-chief of French Elle, the father of two young children, a 44-year-old man known and loved for his wit, his style, and his impassioned approach to life. By the end of the year he was also the victim of a rare kind of stroke to the brainstem. After 20 days in a coma, Bauby awoke into a body which had all but stopped working: only his left eye functioned, allowing him to see and, by blinking it, to make clear that his mind was unimpaired. Almost miraculously, he was soon able to express himself in the richest detail: dictating a word at a time, blinking to select each letter as the alphabet was recited to him slowly, over and over again. In the same way, he was able eventually to compose this extraordinary book. By turns wistful, mischievous, angry, and witty, Bauby bears witness to his determination to live as fully in his mind as he had been able to do in his body. He explains the joy, and deep sadness, of seeing his children and of hearing his aged father's voice on the phone. In magical sequences, he imagines traveling to other places and times and of lying next to the woman he loves. Fed only intravenously, he imagines preparing and tasting the full flavor of delectable dishes. Again and again he returns to an "inexhaustible reservoir of sensations," keeping in touch with himself and the life around him. Jean-Dominique Bauby died two days after the French publication of The Diving Bell and the Butterfly. This book is a lasting testament to his life. Read more

Publisher ‏ : ‎ Vintage (June 23, 1998)


Language ‏ : ‎ English


Paperback ‏ : ‎ 131 pages


ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0375701214


ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 14


Lexile measure ‏ : ‎ 1140L


Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 2.31 pounds


Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5.14 x 0.37 x 7.94 inches


Best Sellers Rank: #34,861 in Books (See Top 100 in Books) #23 in Biographies of People with Disabilities (Books) #33 in Journalist Biographies #1,141 in Memoirs (Books)


#23 in Biographies of People with Disabilities (Books):


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Top Amazon Reviews

    • A Review of: The Diving Bell and The Butterfly, by Jean-Dominique Bauby
A Review of: The Diving Bell and The Butterfly, by Jean-Dominique Bauby Jean-Domique Bauby suffered a stroke which left him paralyzed with locked-in syndrome at the age of 43. He wrote the book for his two children with the help of Claude Mendibil. Bauby’s intention for this memoir was to give readers a view into what life after such a tragic event entails. He truly captivated both the positive and negative feelings which he frequently felt throughout the novel. For this review the chapters are summarized and reviewed, note some chapters are discussed as one. Wheelchair. Bauby spoke of his wheelchair in both his terms and what the professionals surrounding him provided him with. They thought of the wheelchair as progress while Bauby saw his life sentence. Prayer. Once he learned of what his new life would entail, Bauby let go of his large future plans that felt no longer attainable. Throughout this chapter he focused on the victories he could overcome, such as, swallowing the excess saliva that sits in his mouth. This chapter was meaningful in how Bauby was able to convey to the reader that he struggled with the idea of letting go his plans and making new ones. Bath time. Bauby describes his daily routine which includes a bath. He channels the reader into the harsh double edged sword that was this time in his days. On one end he would relish in the pure joy of taking the bath, reminding him of how relaxing his used to be. On the other, the nostalgia brings pain in knowing that this will never be the same feeling. The Alphabet. In this chapter Bauby discusses his communication system. He goes into detail the different types of communicators he encounters and how each one reacts to his form of communication. He discusses his preferences and how some make the communication harder as a result of not wanting to be wrong or disappoint Bauby. The Empress. Bauby lets us in to see his own appearance. He talks of the patroness of the hospital being Empress Eungenie and his imagination flourishes. Tourists. Bauby describes the different long term patients that are in the hospital. He makes a point to also discuss the patients who are there short-term and will return to their homes. Bauby makes a point to describe the way they laugh and joke to pass time but turn away from him. Guardian Angel. This chapter and the three to follow of it talk of his relationships. Bauby refers to his Speech Therapist as his guardian angel. She is the one who allows him to communicate through his communication board. He talks of his father and his daughter both of whom he calls while his guardian angel is there. Bauby tells us that he wishes the other professionals would communicate with him using his communication board instead of just ignoring his attempts. Our Very Own Madonna. Bauby speaks of his trip in Lourdes with Josephine. It gave a look into his life before the accident. They went to the Madonna and their trip was full of confrontations between the two of them, but love seemed to prevail. The Vegetable. Bauby tells us a way he copes with his locked in syndrome. He writes a newsletter to friends and associates to help them gain a better understanding of his condition and so that they do not just write him off. Outing. This chapter discusses how there are two different people that others know of Bauby. The way he was before his accident and the way he is now. Twenty-One. Bauby explains what his friend and colleague Vincent is like and how he is different from other visitors in the sense that he treats Bauby like he always has. He also tells of his own hearing, he is completely blocked in one ear and the other amplifies all sounds from the hallways. Sunday. This chapter gives us a look into what the days are like when there is no one around. Bauby relies on his caretakers to break up his days and on Sunday’s they are not around. A Day in the Life. Bauby delves into the day of his stroke. He talks of how his day went normally and he had planned to see a play with his son, Theodile. When his stroke was happening he thought he would just be find after a rest and that is when he slipped into a coma. Season of Renewal. The last chapter of the novel. It showed a sense of hope for the future. Bauby describes the change of season into autumn and how he has progressed. He states that he has made significant improvements since his time at Berck Hospital. The ending of the book was perfection. The beginning of the book was hard to get into. It was confusing the way it jumped into describing how he was feeling about being in the hospital. I didn’t understand some of the metaphors or if he was talking about reality or fantasy. I did not give up on the prologue and first paragraphs as I reread them to gain a better understanding of what he was describing. Throughout the rest of the novel it was so eloquently written and Bauby’s style of writing was imaginative and intriguing. A person may benefit from this book if they have recently suffered a similar traumatic event in their own lives, in a family member’s life, or will be working with this population. It provides excellent insight into how all aspects of Bauby’s communication and daily life struggles are handled and how he feels personally about them. ... show more
Reviewed in the United States on June 9, 2016 by Amazon Customer
    • Diving Bell and the Butterfly review
It started with a stroke in the back seat of a car. This catastrophic event presented the curse of Locked-In Syndrome upon Jean-Dominique Bauby, the former editor of Elle magazine. With only the capability of blinking his left eye, Bauby took the challenge of writing down his harrowing experience of having a sound mind in a devastated body. Bauby's attempt, The Diving Bell and the Butterfly, is less of a novel and more a loosely connected series of vignettes that beautifully details the struggles, hardships, and changes that he encounters while he is locked-in. It is a fine balance, between deriving pleasure from his attractive doctors and the horrifying pain of losing the simple things, like eating. At its heart, however, the book is about the power of the human mind and the overwhelming urge to hold on to life, no matter how pitiful. The novel alternates between his experiences with Locked-In Syndrome, for example being dressed, and pieces from his earlier life, like where his love of sausage came from. Although some of the short "vignette" chapters don't seem to fit together, the book as a whole comes together brilliantly fleshing out this truly powerful person who has the tenacity to attempt this brutal example of almost being dead, yet struggling to hold on to this ugly existence. Although the premise of the book may seem both unique and hard to comprehend, Bauby handles both hurdles with amazing grace. He easily mirrors his situation with his own father's, who is contained in his own apartment due to old age, a common problem among many people. Bauby, however, never expects anyone to understand the plight that overcame him and instead of trying to hide this fact, he brings it to the forefront of his novel in a few chapters. He presents the reaction of fellow patients, the different reactions of doctor, and even the strained relationship of his family to the reader for the purpose of showing the truth of isolated his situation. Bauby tries to portray through the novel the difficulty with his own reaction to his predicament, yet it is never put better than in the book's tenth chapter. With the continuation of his life's work and the limited connection that he has with the outside world his last line of hope seems to be his speech therapist Sandrine. She is his last hope for trying to communicate with the outside world properly, and yet it is her that causes Bauby to question if he is still fully alive, or if he just a shell of his former self. Even in its lowest moments The Diving Bell and the Butterfly is one of the most powerful books that I have ever read. It is both heart warming and devastatingly harsh in the most delicious combinations possible, and although the outcome is unavoidable you find yourself flipping the pages faster hoping for a Shyamalan twist that gives you the happy ending you prayed for from the beginning. However, if there is one thing that the book is, it is honest. Honest to the point of frustration, honest to the point of tears, and honest to the point that you smile. But when it all comes down in the end, you thank him for it. ... show more
Reviewed in the United States on September 22, 2010 by trestaino

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