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A review by ralovesbooks
Musicophilia: Tales of Music and the Brain by Oliver Sacks
3.0
Would recommend: Maybe
I loved Uncle Tungsten, Oliver Sacks's memoir of a science-driven childhood, and my husband gave me Musicophilia for Christmas after hearing about it on public radio. I found the majority of the book to be highly clinical and dense; I would have appreciated a diagram of the brain for reference throughout. I struggled through these sections, and, overall, I felt that the book was long for the sake of it, as though the editor had imposed a 300-page minimum and Sacks was simply filling it. However, some of the case studies were completely compelling and touching, so I appreciated the more narrative aspects.
I loved Uncle Tungsten, Oliver Sacks's memoir of a science-driven childhood, and my husband gave me Musicophilia for Christmas after hearing about it on public radio. I found the majority of the book to be highly clinical and dense; I would have appreciated a diagram of the brain for reference throughout. I struggled through these sections, and, overall, I felt that the book was long for the sake of it, as though the editor had imposed a 300-page minimum and Sacks was simply filling it. However, some of the case studies were completely compelling and touching, so I appreciated the more narrative aspects.