Musicophilia - Oliver Sacks

Musicophilia is by the author of The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat - and also relays seemingly strange neurological phenomena. This time, however, they all pertain to individuals who as the result of a seizure, or unexplained circumstance, suddenly have strong reactions to music. One man suddenly had the urgency to learn a musical instrument to the point of obsession and the detriment of his personal relationships. For some beautiful music suddenly sounds like a cacophony of clanging. And for others it is simply as if they are listening to a radio in their head that they can never turn off. Sacks talks about different treatments and efforts to eliminate the music, and to figure out the cause. It was amazing to read how many of hte patients, despite acknowledging the debilitating effects musicophilia had had on their lives, were reluctant to part with their new-found symptoms - either because they loved the passion they found in the music, or they believed they would feel lonely once the music left them. Sacks is an engaging writer, and I enjoyed reading most of the case histories. After awhile, however, I felt that things got a little repetitive - he probably could have edited the book a bit more, and refrained from repeating cases that he had written about in previous books - other than to make small points. Overall, however, I just found this phenomenon fascinating - particularly as someone who does not have any musical talent, and doesn't see the world in a particularly musical way. It is truly amazing what the human brain can do.