Musicophilia |
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14 September 2026
While an interesting book about the relationship between music and neurology, it was much more focused on people with head wounds and neurological disorders than I expected. I guess that's a great deal of how we understand the brain though: remove something and see how it works.
While reading it I thought many times of Richard Gerber, who got Alzheimers in his old age and would get quite lost at times. But if I started singing an Irving Berlin tune from his youth he could join right in and sing and dance along, despite not being able to hold up much of a conversation otherwise. Such is the power of music Sacks' book highlights.
Overall I can't recommend this book for someone not interested in pathologies of the brain, because it really doesn't cover the average person's musical experience or ability at all.
