Cascades - The Diving-Bell and The Butterfly by Jean-Dominique Bauby
The story of how a man who could only move one eyelid learned to communicate and to 'dictate' his autobiography by blinking.
The story: Jean-Dominique Bauby, Editor-in-Chief of French Elle, suffered a massive stroke which left him completely paralysed, except for one eyelid. The book tells how he learned to communicate by blinking, and recounts his experience and perceptions of life, of disability and death.
Themes: Disability; death; communication; the individual and society (Edexcel GCSE).
Genre: Autobiography/non-fiction must be studied under the National Curriculum.
Suitable for 14-19 year-olds.