This Is What It Sounds Like: A Legendary Producer Turned Neuroscientist on Finding Yourself Through Music by Susan Rogers and Ogi Ogas is a book dripping with stories, data, science and music history. I thought it was wonderful. It was engaging on every level and I read the whole thing with pen in hand.

The authors’ credentials are plentiful: record producer for Prince, doctorate degrees, literary awards, science and music awards… but you the whole time you’re reading you can tell – these folks love music. Which is something I can read about all day long.

The premise of the book is simple: all of us have unique “listener profile” defined by your brain’s handling of seven key dimensions that music has: Authenticity, Realism, Novelty, Lyrics, Rhythm, Timbre and Melody. Each one of those characteristics gets its own chapter explaining how your personal physiology, childhood, adulthood, language, etc. affects how your brain translates music into toe tapping, goose bumps, tears, smiles, screams, frowns and head bopping. It was fascinating and I’ve loved playing some of my favorite tunes recently and trying to pay attention to what Rogers and Ogas outline. It certainly has not made my actual tunes more enjoyable or anything, but the experience has been fun trying to figure out when I’m listening “with my head” versus when I’m listening “with my heart”.

One of the best parts is their exploration of the evolution and growth of modern music. There are lots of examples given in the book. Some tunes are great and some are really… really… not… but they’re all fun to listen to. The book has some URLs but most of the content and songs are listed on their website pointing to various playlists and services so you can listen to the songs (organized by chapter) being discussed and weigh their impact.

This Is What It Sounds Like is full of percents and statistics. Some of my favorite are along the lines of when people here a song, a certain number of them visualize the musicians playing, some folks’ brains start up a movie in their head trying to storyboard the lyrics, some folks have memories triggered and if you’re of the right age you’re probably picturing the music video. Anyway, the authors have stats and some experiments to back things up all along the way.

The book is certainly full of opinionated takes which are fun to argue with (but debates I think I’d lose if were really face-to-face with someone who worked with Prince for so many years).

I think the book scratches the same itch when a foodie reads stories about the founding of famous restaurants and recipes or a cinephile reads how Alfred Hitchcock decided to frame certain shots. This Is What It Sounds Like will just make listening to music a little richer. And the book makes for great cocktail party conversation.

I give it 4 out of 5 stars. It was very fun.

How the South Won the Civil War presents an answer to a singular question – how is it that the hateful thinking and racist political motivations of the Civil War-era South are still around? History professor Heather Cox Richardson does a wonderful job in presenting an answer and helps shed light on many forgotten events, people and politics. Many history books (trying to present a new slant or case) wind up being too academic. Too stuffy. People won’t want to read them. This history book isn’t one of those. There is a mastery to the logic and sources that Richardson presents and the writing is compelling and well done (and at only 272 pages, many of which are citations and sources, it’s totally manageable).

No spoilers here, but in How the South Won the Civil War: Oligarchy, Democracy, and the Continuing Fight for the Soul of America Richardson shows, that just as the post-Civil War South was failing, those still waving the Confederate flag found a new home for their thoughts and beliefs – out West.

The premise is that the genteel individualism/states rights thinking of the South was easily transplanted and fit nicely with the narrative of rugged individualism and manifest destiny that the West was using to fuel its growth. So the picture book illustration of the rugged cotton farmer being the backbone of the U.S. became the illustration of a rugged cowboy surviving on his own and protecting what’s his.

So while both pictures touted things like family, strength and individualism, in practice they were both built upon a foundation of slavery, racism and taking things from “the other”. Richardson’s argument was a new one to me and there is plenty to think about.

How the South Won the Civil War starts way back at our country’s founding showing (again, in practice) how the “ultimate paradox” was present in forming our country. It’s the whole “All men are created equal” being written by a slave owner argument. The policies and legislation made up through the Kansas Act, Red Summer after WWII, the politics of the late 1960’s through the 1980’s, etc. allowed for this paradoxical thread to weave in and out and continue up to the most recent presidential election.

And that’s one thing I appreciated about what Richardson has created. It’s not just an origin story. It’s not just a snapshot. Using very conversational language and plenty of sources, she is able to show that what happened hundreds of years ago created a nation with race-issues and ideologies that we are seeing play out today.

It doesn’t matter your background, your current politics or your opinion on how things are going in our country. This book is one you should read. It’s a healthy conversation to be a part of. Whether you agree, disagree or just have tons of questions, it’s a book that will have you underlining and scribbling in the margins.

I am giving this book 3 out 5 stars and recommend it to anyone who enjoys history books or finds themself having difficult conversations about what’s happening in the U.S. these days.