Musicophilia

Oliver Sacks

Why I looked at this book

Books by Oliver Sacks are always interesting, but I thought I'd read this one in particular for the unique view of the mind that music can give. To understand the mind better, it is sometimes necessary to get away from the idea that everything is expressed in words, and I hope that this book will help in this respect.

First impressions

The sample introduces us to people who, having lives an unmusical life, suddenly get an appreciation of music - one after he was struck by lightning. The second chapter starts with a man who begins hearing music continuously - which he's convinced must be coming from elsewhere. After such an intruiging start, I feel that this is going to be a very interesting book.