cathiestrover's review
5.0
Extraordinary. Mostly anecdotal musings on the effect of music on the brain and how brain damage or variations can make us hear or respond to music quite differently. Fascinating.
dorhastings's review
4.0
I am annoyed that I didn't review this book earlier. I tend to fall behind on... nearly everything from March to June. But I have a fair recollection of this book. (And I still have the book, which helps.)
If you've read any of Dr. Sacks' other books (and there are several), you'll know what you're getting into with this one. This book is roughly half case studies and half research/informative, and it's a brilliant mixture. The case studies themselves are quite engaging. I thought it very curious that Sacks begun with patients who always hear music and are frustrated/annoyed at the inability to turn it off. Chapters are devoted to people with amusia, which means they hear music and only hear a cacophony of loud and unpleasant sounds. Some people with Parkinson's disease cannot move except to music. People who cannot talk can sing to music.
We are still in the process of learning about ourselves and how we operate. We're still learning about aging and troubleshooting particular problems. The discoveries we've made in the last several decades are amazing, particularly since so many of them seem to be by random chance. It makes me wonder about all that we still have to learn and play with.
Now, I don't find reading Sacks to be "fun", but this was well worth reading in chapter chunks. RIP Dr. Sacks.
If you've read any of Dr. Sacks' other books (and there are several), you'll know what you're getting into with this one. This book is roughly half case studies and half research/informative, and it's a brilliant mixture. The case studies themselves are quite engaging. I thought it very curious that Sacks begun with patients who always hear music and are frustrated/annoyed at the inability to turn it off. Chapters are devoted to people with amusia, which means they hear music and only hear a cacophony of loud and unpleasant sounds. Some people with Parkinson's disease cannot move except to music. People who cannot talk can sing to music.
We are still in the process of learning about ourselves and how we operate. We're still learning about aging and troubleshooting particular problems. The discoveries we've made in the last several decades are amazing, particularly since so many of them seem to be by random chance. It makes me wonder about all that we still have to learn and play with.
Now, I don't find reading Sacks to be "fun", but this was well worth reading in chapter chunks. RIP Dr. Sacks.
marisacarpico's review against another edition
informative
lighthearted
reflective
slow-paced
3.25
Have wanted to read for years and while it’s perhaps a bit drier than expected, there’s some great info here. Particularly enjoyed the section on synesthesia. Last chapter also excellent. Perhaps a bit episodic in a way that made it less engrossing, but perhaps that inevitable when so much here is dependent on case studies.
hoperu's review
4.0
A very interesting look at the connections between music and the brain, and the various effects of music on the brain. This just confirms the view I had growing up that if I had to be either blind or deaf I would prefer to be blind - at least there would still be music. I should probably go practice my bassoon now!
beatsbybeard's review against another edition
4.0
Stories upon stories of people whose relationship with music has been impacted in some way by goings-on in the brain. We have a man who develops an intense passion for playing Chopin after being struck by lightning; Parkinson's patients who can only stutter and jerk but find fluidity and calm when moving to music; dementia patients who can sing catalogs of songs from their youth but couldn't tell you what the words they're singing mean; and all sorts of other interesting ways that our brains control how we interact with music. This book got me back into reading after college, and I figured it was time for a re-read five years later. Very glad I did!