Musicophilia: Tales of Music and the Brain [Paperback]

Oliver Sacks (Author)

Product Details

• Paperback: 240 pages
• Publisher: Vintage Books (2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0330418386
• ISBN-13: 978-0330418386
• Product Dimensions: 7.6 x 5.1 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (156 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #853,475 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Oliver Sacks was born in London and educated in London, Oxford, California, and New York. He is professor of neurology and psychiatry at Columbia University, and Columbia's first University Artist. He is the author of many books, including Awakenings, The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat, and Musicophilia. His newest book, The Mind's Eye, will be published in October, 2010.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

156 of 161 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Extraordinary!, October 26, 2007

By 

medreader (Philadelphia, PA United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Musicophilia: Tales of Music and the Brain (Hardcover)

Musicophilia is an absolutely phenomenal book, and will be of interest to anyone fascinated by music, mysteries of the mind, and the human condition. Sacks covers 29 different topics, ranging from synesthesia, to musical hallucinations, to savants, and beyond. In each chapter, he introduces the topic through cases (his own and famous ones in the literature--neurological and classic fictional literature, that is!), always maintaining a deep engagement with the humanity of the subjects: what is it like for these individuals? how do they describe their talent or illness or condition? Sacks also speculates on the possible neurological bases for these fascinating scenarios. This is a real page-turner, beautifully and clearly written, and it will give readers a new respect for the special place of music in our psychology, as well as a deeper understanding of the range of what it is to be human. 20 stars!

194 of 211 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Music and its role in our lives, October 24, 2007

By 

L. Nery (Rio de Janeiro, RJ Brasil) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Musicophilia: Tales of Music and the Brain (Hardcover)

It is refreshing to see how a specialist still retains the ability to be marveled by the cases he sees in his office. Too often scientists get so blasé over their practice that they miss the finer human aspects of every case. Sacks leads the reader gently by hand, even while using neurological jargon, into amazing stories of patients who live through situation we would not have imagined. And they all involve music and how humans experience it.

I believe this book is a must for musicians, who will probably acquire new understandings regarding the dimensions of their music in relation to their own brains.

153 of 166 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Music and Science were never so interesting, November 5, 2007

By 

Robert G Yokoyama (Mililani, Hawaii) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Musicophilia: Tales of Music and the Brain (Hardcover)

Dr. Oliver Sacks is a British neurologist with a love of music and science. This book blends music and science together like no book I've ever read. There are some amazing stories here. I love the story of surgeon Tony Cicoria who developed a passion for listening and playing music after he was struck by lightning. The story of British conductor Clive Wearing is amazing too. He developed amnesia after his brain became inflammed. He has the the memory and ability to conduct and sing music, but he can't remember anything else. I also loved the story the research chemist named Salimah. Her shy personality was changed after she suffered a seizure. She suddenly had the desire to listen to music all the time. I also touched by the story of Woody Geist. He suffers from Alzheimers disease, but he still performs in an a cappella singing group. Leon Fleisher is a classical piano player who performed with one hand for many years because of a condition called dystonia which affected his right hand. I learned about a genetic disorder called Williams Syndrome in this book. Kids with Williams Syndrome have difficulty paying attention, but they often possess a love for music. I was entertained and informed by this book so much.