Musicophilia: Tales of Music and the Brain

Not that any of you couldn't get just as good of an idea about the book by picking it up and reading the back cover, here's a brief description of what tales of the mysterious and fascinating human brain Oliver Sacks has included in this book.

I imagine that several of you have already read this book, and if you are not one of those people you should be soon. This book contains all the usual elements to a great Oliver Sacks book. Amazing brain studies and curious brain "disorders" or variations. When you are reading his books, for that moment, you always just want to be able to experience for a few hours what people of various diseases or disorders are experiencing. However, with this book, the things aren't color blindness or autism (well they are actually in a couple of stories), but more like absolute tone deafness and 'amusia.' I want to know what it's like to have musical hallucinations because he describes them so well that it is hard for me to imagine that other people in the world are experiencing something so vastly different than I am simply because the hear music in a different way. He talks about different variations of synesthesia and people with Williams' syndrome. He talks about musician's dystonia and brain worms and rhythm. He talks about music in ways that I have never though about before and I have definitely grown a little through reading this book.

People on the subway who saw me reading this book, more so than any other book I have read, commeneted on how they "love that book" and "Isn't that book amazing!" So take it for what you will, I think that this book, a book on music - which is such a big part of all of our lives - is a book that really affects people on a deeper level than most books I have been reading on the subway. And even if you aren't transformed, you will at least enjoy the stories which Oliver Sacks is so skilled at putting onto paper.

Still Alice, by Lisa Genova

Reader: Gwyn

Alice was a linguistics professor at Harvard when her life turned upside down at the discovery of her early onset Alzheimer's Disease. This month by month account of the rapid progression of her disease was so disturbing, I was almost unable to read it. But this was an amazing book. It gave great insight into the thoughts of the person with the disease, as well as to the difficulties of those around her.

Although this was emotionally difficult for me to read, I would recommend it to all for a better understanding of Alzheimer's

Mennonite in a Little Black Dress, by Rhoda Janzen

(A Memoir of Going Home)

Reader: Gwyn

Rhoda Janzen was raised a Mennonite. As soon as she could, she left that lifestyle behind, and went out to the world. When events in her life took a turn for the worse at the age of 40 years, she returned to her family looking for solace and support.

Janzen is a witty writer, with a delightful cynicism that made this a fun, easy book to read. Her descriptions of life with her quirky family actually did make me laugh out loud more than once. Of course, a memoir would not have made it to the presses if it did not include some self-realization and personal growth. This book provided that as well.

I recommend this book to anyone needing a chuckle at the expense of someone else's family.

City of Thieves, by David Benioff

Reader: Gwyn

This was a great book. David Benioff was able to take a gruesome tale of atrocities in Russia, during the winter of 1942, and make it a heartwarming coming of age story. I'm afraid to say much more, because much of the joy of reading the book was the discovery of what would happen next to the young protagonist.

At least 2 people in the family had recommended this book to me, and I'm so glad I listened to their advice. My question for others who read this book is: Is this really the story of Benioff's grandfather?

Lost on Planet China, by J. Maarten Troost

The full title didn't fit in the title box so:

Lost on Planet China: The Strange and True Story of One Man's Attempt to Understand the World's Most Mystifying Nation or How He Became Comfortable Eating Live Squid, by J. Maarten Troost

This easy read was written by the same author who penned Sex Lives of Cannibals (see review below). It was recommended to me by a coworker (and fellow expat) as something we can all appreciate. The author doesn't always paint a pretty picture of China but there was nothing in the book that I particularly disagree with. In fact, I 100% absolutely believe everything he wrote actually happened to him and I can say that while I have not traveled as extensively as he has, I have shared many of the same experiences and felt much the same way. In general, he pokes fun at cultural norms which westerners find somewhere between amusing and appalling. I don't particularly share his disdain for China but I think that is because I have been in the same place for 9 months and have actually gotten to know people, as opposed to judging them based on their habits. I do share the general distrust he does for the Chinese government and I think he describes the feeling rather well. Most if not all of the people I work with (Americans, Europeans, Indians, and other SE Asians) seem to feel the same way about the communist party (and state-owned companies) and the absurdities we have to deal with.

This book gets a bad rap because it portrays China in a relatively negative way but I can honestly say that it is a pretty darn accurate description of what one will find on the main backpacking circuits throughout the middle kingdom. I will say that most of the individuals I've come to know here are very nice, generous, and generally great hosts but I am ready to move on to a new set of appalling cultural norms in the next assignment.