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 enlarge | Author: Oliver Sacks
Publisher: Vintage
Category: Book
List Price: $14.95
Buy New: $8.59
You Save: $6.36 (43%)
New (54) Used (8) from $7.73
Avg. Customer Rating:  95 reviews
Sales Rank: 482
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
ASIN: 1400033535
Publication Date: September 23, 2008
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Shipping: International shipping available
Condition: Brand New, Perfect Condition, Please allow 4-14 business days for delivery. 100% Money Back Guarantee, Over 1,000,000 customers served.
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| Customer Reviews:
| Showing reviews 91-95 of 95 | | « PREV 1 ... | | |
 Music and Science were never so interesting November 6, 2007
120 out of 127 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.
What it is like November 5, 2007
7 out of 12 found this review helpful
MUSICOPHILIA. There are fascinating cases here, from both Sacks' direct encounters and from literature. It gives a feeling for how things feel 'from within'. That question of 'from within' is what is also presented in Cave's CAN A ROBOT BE HUMAN? with a whole wonderful variety of perplexing and quirky philosophy puzzles - from the arts to the mind. A philosophical question is 'What is it like to be a bat?' - from inside. Sacks is wonderfully dealing with that sort of question when thinking about music.
Extraordinary! October 26, 2007
67 out of 69 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!
Music and its role in our lives October 24, 2007
159 out of 170 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 blase 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.
Great commentary on NPR and awesome book October 18, 2007
16 out of 40 found this review helpful
Sacks' book is amazing, very interesting topic and great read. The video clips are also very good and his interview on NPR was riveting.
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