Sacks, Oliver. Uncle Tungsten; memories of a chemical boyhood.

Random House, Vintage. 338p. illus. c2001. 0-375-70404-3. $14.00.

Neurologist Sacks, famous for his book Awakenings (which was made into a film starring Robin Williams) among other case studies on the often peculiar workings of the brain, here describes his early fascination with science, and in particular chemistry, in an erudite, beautifully written, delightful and often funny memoir. Sacks grew up in wartime London, in a Jewish family of talented scientists. Both his parents were physicians; his "Uncle Tungsten" (really Dave) manufactured light bulbs with tungsten filaments. Other relatives were scientists and doctors as well, and all encouraged his interest in the "stinks and bangs" of chemistry, and his explorations in photography, magnetism, and radiology, too.

Exiled to a cruel boarding school to avoid the Blitz, concerned that like one of his older brothers he might go mad, Sacks sought refuge as a child in the order and constancy of chemistry. In addition to experimenting in a home lab (conveniently located near the back garden, so that if something caught fire "I could rush outside with it and fling it on the lawn"), he studied and greatly admired the early chemists such as Robert Boyle, Antoine Lavoisier, Humphry Davy, and Marie Curie. He makes their explorations and achievements come alive for the reader; this is as much a history of the science of chemistry as a memoir of Sacks" early years, and he manages to interweave the two effortlessly, drawing memorable portraits of chemists and physicists as well as family members. One can see how his interest in "the human aspects" of science developed.

It doesn't take a scientific background to enjoy Sacks' memoir, but his passion for his subject matter is contagious, and even non-scientifically inclined readers will enjoy this and come away with a new appreciation of the field of chemistry.