Reviews
"Curious, cultured, caring, in his person Sacks justifies the medical profession and, one is tempted to say, the human race . . . Sacks is, in short, the ideal exponent of the view that responsiveness to music is intrinsic to our makeup. He is also the ideal guide to the territory he covers.Musicophiliaallows readers to join Sacks where he is most alive, amid melodies and with his patients." Peter D. Kramer,The Washington Post "Readers will be grateful that Sacks . . . is happy to revel in phenomena that he cannot yet explain." The New York Times "The persuasive essays about composers, patients, savants, and ordinary people . . . offer captivating variations on the central premise that human beings are 'exquisitely tuned' to the illuminating yet ultimately mysterious powers of music." Elle "The underlying authority ofMusicophilialies in the warmth and easy command of the author's voice. Sacks has an expert bedside manner: informed but humble, self-questioning, literary without being self-conscious . . . his prose [is] passionate and informative." The Los Angeles Times "With the exception of Lewis Thomas, no physician has ever written better about his trade." Salon "A gifted writer and a neurologist, Sacks spins one fascinating tale after another to show what happens when music and the brain mix it up." Newsweek "Luminous, original, and indispensable . . .Musicophiliais like a concert of Mozart's mazurkas: fast, inventive and weirdly beautiful . . . yet what is most inspiring is his empathy." American Scholar "Like the case studies that informed and appeared in his previous books,The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a HatandAwakenings(which inspired the Oscar-nominated film by the same name), [inMusicophilia] Dr. Sacks guides readers through the fascinating, disturbing, inspiring stories of clinical dilemmas he encounters . . . Evocative, thought-provoking and compassionate beyond measure, this is a book to cherish." The Washington Times "InMusicophilia, Sacks. . . shares the extraordinary stories of people whose personal worlds have been transformed by music." The Toronto Star "Sacks is the consummate storyteller . . . his great giftas a physician as well as a writeris to see the whole person, rather than just the brain or the disease. "Sacks is an unparalleled chronicler of modern medicine, and fans of his work will find much to enjoy when he turns his prodigious talent for observation to music and its relationship to the brain . . . This book leaves one a little more attuned to the remarkable complexity of human beings, and a bit more conscious of the role of music in our lives." Publishers Weekly "Neurologist Sacks, one of the foremost physician-essayists of the day, charmingly argues that music is essential to being human in ways that have only begun to be understood. . . His customary erudition and fellow-feeling ensure that, no matter how clinical the discussion becomes, it remains, like the music of Mozart, accessible and congenial." Booklist "If we could prescribe what our physicians would be like, a good number of us would probably choose somebody like Sacks. Learned, endlessly inquisitive and seemingly possessed of a bottomless store of human compassion, the neurologist's authorial personality both reassures and arouses curiosity . . . Sacks is as good a guide to this mys, "Dr. Sacks writes not just as a doctor and a scientist but also as a humanist with a philosophical and literary bent. . . [his] book not only contributes to our understanding of the elusive magic of music but also illuminates the strange workings, and misfirings, of the human mind." Michiko Kakutani, The New York Times "Oliver Sacks turns his formidable attention to music and the brain . . . He doesn't stint on the science . . . but the underlying authority of Musicophilia lies in the warmth and easy command of the author's voice." Mark Coleman, Los Angeles Times "His work is luminous, original, and indispensable . . . Musicophilia is a Chopin mazurka recital of a book, fast, inventive and weirdly beautiful . . . Yet what is most awe-inspiring is his observational empathy." American Scholar "Curious, cultured, caring, in his person Sacks justifies the medical profession and, one is tempted to say, the human race . . . Sacks is, in short, the ideal exponent of the view that responsiveness to music is intrinsic to our makeup. He is also the ideal guide to the territory he covers. Musicophilia allows readers to join Sacks where he is most alive, amid melodies and with his patients." Peter D. Kramer, The Washington Post "Readers will be grateful that Sacks . . . is happy to revel in phenomena that he cannot yet explain." The New York Times Book Review "The persuasive essays about composers, patients, savants, and ordinary people . . . offer captivating variations on the central premise that human beings are 'exquisitely tuned' to the illuminating yet ultimately mysterious powers of music." Elle "With the exception of Lewis Thomas, no physician has ever written better about his trade." Salon "A gifted writer and a neurologist, Sacks spins one fascinating tale after another to show what happens when music and the brain mix it up." Newsweek From the Hardcover edition., "Dr. Sacks writes not just as a doctor and a scientist but also as a humanist with a philosophical and literary bent. . . [his] book not only contributes to our understanding of the elusive magic of music but also illuminates the strange workings, and misfirings, of the human mind." Michiko Kakutani, The New York Times "Oliver Sacks turns his formidable attention to music and the brain . . . He doesn't stint on the science . . . but the underlying authority of Musicophilia lies in the warmth and easy command of the author's voice." Mark Coleman, Los Angeles Times "His work is luminous, original, and indispensable . . . Musicophilia is a Chopin mazurka recital of a book, fast, inventive and weirdly beautiful . . . Yet what is most awe-inspiring is his observational empathy." American Scholar "Curious, cultured, caring, in his person Sacks justifies the medical profession and, one is tempted to say, the human race . . . Sacks is, in short, the ideal exponent of the view that responsiveness to music is intrinsic to our makeup. He is also the ideal guide to the territory he covers. Musicophilia allows readers to join Sacks where he is most alive, amid melodies and with his patients." Peter D. Kramer, The Washington Post "Readers will be grateful that Sacks . . . is happy to revel in phenomena that he cannot yet explain." The New York Times Book Review "The persuasive essays about composers, patients, savants, and ordinary people . . . offer captivating variations on the central premise that human beings are 'exquisitely tuned' to the illuminating yet ultimately mysterious powers of music." Elle "With the exception of Lewis Thomas, no physician has ever written better about his trade." Salon "A gifted writer and a neurologist, Sacks spins one fascinating tale after another to show what happens when music and the brain mix it up." Newsweek
