|
Musicophilia: Tales of Music and the Brain, Revised and Expanded Edition | 
 enlarge | Author: Oliver Sacks
Publisher: Vintage
Category: Book
List Price: $14.95
Buy New: $9.02
You Save: $5.93 (40%)
New (60) Used (10) from $5.99
Avg. Customer Rating:  85 reviews
Sales Rank: 247
Media: Paperback
Edition: Revised & enlarged
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 448
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.8
Dimensions (in): 8 x 5.6 x 0.9
ISBN: 1400033535
Dewey Decimal Number: 781.11
EAN: 9781400033539
Publication Date: September 23, 2008
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Shipping: International shipping available
Condition: BRAND NEW
|
| Also Available In:
|
| Similar Items:
|
| Editorial Reviews:
Amazon.com Review
Amazon Best of the Month, December 2007: Legendary R&B icon Ray Charles claimed that he was "born with music inside me," and neurologist Oliver Sacks believes Ray may have been right. Musicophilia: Tales of Music and the Brain examines the extreme effects of music on the human brain and how lives can be utterly transformed by the simplest of harmonies. With clinical studies covering the tragic (individuals afflicted by an inability to connect with any melody) and triumphant (Alzheimer's patients who find order and comfort through music), Sacks provides an erudite look at the notion that humans are truly a "musical species." --Dave Callanan
Product Description
Revised and Expanded
With the same trademark compassion and erudition he brought to The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat, Oliver Sacks explores the place music occupies in the brain and how it affects the human condition. In Musicophilia, he shows us a variety of what he calls “musical misalignments.” Among them: a man struck by lightning who suddenly desires to become a pianist at the age of forty-two; an entire group of children with Williams syndrome, who are hypermusical from birth; people with “amusia,” to whom a symphony sounds like the clattering of pots and pans; and a man whose memory spans only seven seconds-for everything but music.
Illuminating, inspiring, and utterly unforgettable, Musicophilia is Oliver Sacks' latest masterpiece.
|
| Customer Reviews: Read 80 more reviews...
 Music and its role in our lives October 24, 2007
150 out of 158 found this review helpful
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 blas 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.
Music and Science were never so interesting November 6, 2007
111 out of 116 found this review helpful
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.
Extraordinary! October 26, 2007
56 out of 58 found this review helpful
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!
Outstanding! November 16, 2007
28 out of 29 found this review helpful
In his latest book, Oliver Sacks continues to tell us stories that draw us in, engaging our minds and emotions. In each chapter he introduces different people, some sorely affected by neurological disease, who have strange and profound relationships with music. This is not a dry scientific treatise. Sacks describes these people in a highly personal way, so that we see and feel the human aspect of science. At the same time he teaches us about the science of the brain, and the wonderful ways that music and the mind are intertwined. The subject is inherently fascinating, and the author does not disappoint. Drawing upon case histories from his own practice, and some from literature, he delves into the mysteries of the human brain, how it produces music, and how it is profoundly affected by it.
Sacks writes in a clear and straightforward manner. It is wonderful to find medical writing that is so accessible. There is some material here from his prior books, but it does not detract from this work. This is a highly engaging and informative book. I took great pleasure in reading it. If you are interested in music or science, you will enjoy this new offering from Oliver Sacks.
Musical Intuitions Grounded in Scientific Reasoning November 26, 2007
20 out of 21 found this review helpful
As a person with a neurological disability who has been helped by music, I can relate to this book personally and thouogh yes, I found it entertaining (and incredibly informative), I find it a shame when people
think of Oliver Sack's books as amusing case studies as that is not his intent and his books, "Musicophillia" included are much richer than that in thought and retrospect. Understanding the intricate working of the brain is essential for all people and as well, many of the conditions detailed in this book such as Parkinson's, stroke, Alzheimer's can often be acquired in later life so these are experiences that may and often do happen to people later on in life to people they know or who are caregivers to (as is detailed). Most importantly, though music is an essential part of human life (would this site exist without it?) and of the social experience and the perception of sound and the world outside can be more easily interpreted through a fully understanding of people's interpretation of music. These are more than interesting stories about odd people whose brain functions differently. They are (in a figurative sense)portals into the thinking of everyone with or without neurological impairments. When you hear a song and say "that brings back memories" or find a song sticking in your head or don't know why or experience a feeling of sadness without knowing why when hearing music or turn on music(or more particulary a certain song) to relax, you may be experiencing in a more real world sense what the people described in this book are experiencing and it may bring a fully understanding of the phenomenon. And most importantly, its solid, intelligent, scientifically accurate but accessible writing by a top professional and expert in the field in a way that an average reader can comprehend.
|
|
|
|
Powered by Search-Save.com
| |
