The Diving Bell and the Butterfly / Jean-Dominique Bauby / 132 pg.

This unusual book was written by the former editor of Elle magazine.  In 1996, Bauby lived in France and had a massive stroke that left him with "locked in" syndrome where he mind was fully operational, but he was totally paralized and couldn't speak.  What a nightmare situation to be in.  He was sent to live in a facility outside of Paris near the sea.  His story is about how he communicated and how he lived.  He was able to write the book by using the communication system of spelling out words by blinking his one working eye to a very patient friend.  He wrote the book and died the next year.  It is interesting and insightful to find out what it would be like.  The chapters are short and it was a best seller across Europe.