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.
The subtitle aptly frames the book as a series of medical case studies
some in-depth, some abruptly short. The tales themselves range from
the relatively mundane (a song that gets stuck on a continuing loop
in one's mind) through the uncommon (Tourette's or Parkinson's
patients whose symptoms are calmed by particular kinds of music)
to the outright startling (a man struck by lightning subsequently
developed a newfound passion and talent for the concert piano).
In this latest collection, Sacks introduces new and fascinating
characters, while also touching on the role of music in some of his
classic cases (the man who mistook his wife for a hat makes a brief
appearance). Though at times the narrative meanders, drawing
connections through juxtaposition while leaving broader theories to
be inferred by the reader, the result is greater than the sum of its
parts. 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.

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