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|  | Author: Oliver Sacks
Publisher: Vintage
List Price: $14.95
Buy Used: $5.99
as of 11/22/2009 17:59 CST details
You Save: $8.96 (60%)
New (60) Used (35) from $5.99
Seller: braybookscds
Rating:  115 reviews
Sales Rank: 1825
Languages: English (Original Language), English (Unknown), English (Published)
Media: Paperback
Edition: Revised & enlarged
Pages: 448
Number Of Items: 1
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1
Dimensions (in): 8 x 5.1 x 1.2
ISBN: 1400033535
Dewey Decimal Number: 781
EAN: 9781400033539
ASIN: 1400033535
Publication Date: September 23, 2008
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Condition: Very little wear. No stamps or marks.
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| Customer Reviews:
Showing reviews 111-115 of 115
 Discovering the powers of the brain November 6, 2007
Sam (New Jersey)
21 out of 22 found this review helpful
This is a wonderful book on many levels. It is extremely well written. It is fully of compelling stories. And it helps us to look inside our remarkable instrument, the brain. If you have ever whistled a tune you might have wondered what others hear when they listen to music. Some hear nothing but noise. Some hear entire symphonies. Some hear music that won't stop. And others hear a stream of original music. Some can hear melodies but not rhythm. And some can hear rhythm but not melodies. I always thought it was remarkable that I could compose and hear complete symphonies in my dreams but not when I was awake. Well, I am not alone. You too have likely experienced some intriguing musical experience. You might find some insight into that experience in this remarkable book.
Music and Science were never so interesting November 6, 2007
Robert G Yokoyama (Mililani, Hawaii)
139 out of 148 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
medreader (Philadelphia, PA United States)
109 out of 113 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
L. Nery (Rio de Janeiro, RJ Brasil)
181 out of 194 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 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.
Great commentary on NPR and awesome book October 18, 2007
R. Leighton (Dallas, TX USA)
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.
Showing reviews 111-115 of 115
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