I've been a fan of Sacks since I was assigned [b:The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat and Other Clinical Tales|63697|The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat and Other Clinical Tales|Oliver Sacks|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1388194640s/63697.jpg|882844] in a high school psych class. I received this book as a gift and jumped right in, anxious to see how Sacks would approach such a rich subject.

I'm sad to say that the overall read is a bit of a toss-up: Sacks's voice is just as warm and readable as I remembered, and the lives of the people he introduces are illuminated as humanely as ever. The interest of the book, however, suffers from the length and the exhaustiveness with which the relationship of music to the brain is treated. In his zest for the topic, Sacks opted to investigate it with a conceptual completeness, rather than shedding some less essential chapters in order to cut a more dynamic path through the material that might have fascinated rather than simply informing.

As it stands, the book struggles to engage because the subheading is always changing and the cast of characters constantly rotating. I found that, early on in reading this book, I'd put it down for 3 or 4 days and not miss it, which is surely a bad sign. Aside from some quite moving case studies--most prominently an update on the classic case of Clive Wearing, the man with the most severe amnesia ever recorded--Musicophilia is a glittering treasure trove of factoids, rather than a propulsive investigation. ( )

This is an excellent book -- interesting and well written. I didn't give it a 5 because in my personal rating scheme, besides being interesting or compelling and well written, I have to really ENJOY it, and I can't say that exactly for this book.

If I didn't totally enjoy it, it was through no fault of the book. The problem was with me. I remember being very impressed with Sacks' other book, The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat. I don't think it disturbed me in any way. But this book did. I kept seeing myself and worrying that this could happen to me. You keep hearing about cancer and hoping you'll sidestep it. But now I'm aware of all kinds of brain disfunctions that might strike.

Sacks is brilliant, as far as I'm concerned. His writing is excellent, you can trust his information, and although he is clinical, his humanity comes through. There is much here about music that I'll bet you never knew. ( )

J'avais une ancienne version poche acquise d'occasion le 15/06/2018 à Prats de mollo la preste

A marvellous testament to the amazing complexity of the brain and its ability to reorganize and rewire itself. It is equally a reminder of why a term like neurodiversity is so important; that reading a difference as a "disability" often masks the different pathways of experience and even creativity that neural differences make possible. It is, equally, a reminder of the terror and loneliness that can accompany some types of brain dysfunctions. I found the book, however, a bit of a slog, and that was simply because it was overstuffed with examples. Every time a specific condition is introduced, Sacks then discusses umpteen examples of it. Moreover, similar points about brain functioning are often made across chapters, making the book as a whole somewhat repetitive. However, the curioisty and generosity of the author shines through. ( )

“Racconto sulla musica e il cervello” dice il sottotitolo, particolarmente azzeccato. Sacks, fra capitoli lunghi e brevi, costruisce un affascinante caleidoscopio che getta luce su una conoscenza tanto approssimativa quanto affascinante, quella delle relazioni fra il nostro cervello e la musica, pratica di nessuna utilità pratica e al tempo stesso di innegabile indispensabilità per la nostra esistenza. ( )