Waking the Spirit

Title:

Waking the Spirit

A Musician's Journey Healing Body, Mind, and Soul

Author:

Schulman, Andrew

Subject:

Biography & Autobiography

Description:

An Oliver Sacks Foundation Best Book of the Year Selection, Finalist for the Books for a Better Life "Best First Book" Award, and a People Magazine Pick in nonfiction. The astounding story of a critically ill musician who is saved by music and returns to the same hospital to help heal others Andrew Schulman, a fifty-seven-year-old professional guitarist, had a close brush with death on the night of July 16, 2009. Against the odds-and with the help of music-he survived: a medical miracle. Once fully recovered, Andrew resolved to use his musical gifts to help critically ill patients at Mount Sinai Beth Israel's ICU. In Waking the Spirit, you'll learn the astonishing stories of the people he's met along the way-both patients and doctors-and see the incredible role music can play in a modern hospital setting. Schulman expertly weaves cutting-edge research on neuroscience and medicine, as well as what he's learned as a professional musician, to explore the power of music to heal the body and awaken the spirit.

Publisher:

Picador

Date:

2016-08-02

Digital Format:

HOOPLA E BOOK

Summary

An Oliver Sacks Foundation Best Book of the Year Selection, Finalist for the Books for a Better Life "Best First Book" Award, and a People Magazine Pick in nonfiction.

The astounding story of a critically ill musician who is saved by music and returns to the same hospital to help heal others

Andrew Schulman, a fifty-seven-year-old professional guitarist, had a close brush with death on the night of July 16, 2009. Against the odds--and with the help of music--he survived: a medical miracle.

Once fully recovered, Andrew resolved to use his musical gifts to help critically ill patients at Mount Sinai Beth Israel's ICU. In Waking the Spirit, you'll learn the astonishing stories of the people he's met along the way--both patients and doctors--and see the incredible role music can play in a modern hospital setting.

Schulman expertly weaves cutting-edge research on neuroscience and medicine, as well as what he's learned as a professional musician, to explore the power of music to heal the body and awaken the spirit.

Author Notes

ANDREW SCHULMAN is the Medical Musician/Critical Care at Berkshire Medical Center and the first Certified Medical Musician admitted as a member of the Society of Critical Care Medicine. He is the founder and artistic director of the Abaca String Band, which has performed throughout the United States, and also a solo guitarist who has appeared at Carnegie Hall, the Royal Albert Hall in London, the White House, and the Improv Comedy Club, among many others. Schulman lives in New York City with his wife, Wendy, and their dog, Phoebe. He is the author of Waking the Spirit: A Musician's Journey Healing Body, Mind, and Soul .

Reviews (2)

Publisher's Weekly Review

In this inspirational memoir, Schulman tells of the healing power of music. After Schulman slips into a medically induced coma following complications from surgery for pancreatic cancer, his wife, Wendy, plays Bach's St. Matthew Passion for him through earbuds and his vital signs stabilize. As a result of his own experience, Schulman, a classical guitarist, resolves to return to the surgical ICU with his guitar as a way of giving something to patients in a situation similar to his own. One woman for whom Schulman plays-he calls her Alice Blue Gown because of her blue nightgown-is in a coma and appears to be unresponsive to his chords, but two days later, she's out of ICU, and she confirms that the music reached her and helped her heal. Another patient, Deena, is married to Ernie Harburg, son of Yip Harburg, who wrote "Over the Rainbow" with Harold Arlen; when Schulman plays songs by the Gershwins and Harburg and other works from the Great American Songbook, she connects with her past through music. The narrative can be repetitive, but Schulman nicely describes the healing effect that music can have. Agent: Marly Rusoff, Marly Rusoff & Assoc. (Aug.) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.

Booklist Review

Schulman was a fiftysomething guitarist when, on the night of July 16, 2009, he almost died after complications following pancreatic surgery for what was initially thought to be a malignant mass. After he was put in a medically induced coma, no one expected him to survive. But he did. Some even called him a medical miracle. But 12 days in the hospital took its toll. The slightest movement of his fingers took a huge effort, yet, miraculously, he could still play the guitar, although he could only remember six pieces of music all learned before he was 20. Everything else had to be rememorized. Today, he is a resident musician in the surgical intensive-care unit at Mount Sinai Beth Israel hospital in New York City, where he almost lost his life. Now he plays his guitar Bach and the Beatles being among his favorites at the bedsides of critically ill patients, referring to himself as a medical musician. Schulman offers deeply moving testament to resiliency, perseverance, and growing recognition of the genuine healing power of music.--Sawyers, June Copyright 2016 Booklist