Music has a tremendous effect on the body and soul. Case in point.

Here, the cellist Claire Oppert retraces her experiences with autistic children, end-of-life patients, or even those who are said to be insane. A date, a place, and a musical work introduce each of these portraits. There are, for example, the young autistics for whom music seems to fill the void of language, or a former boxer for whom Piaf’s “Je ne regrette rien” recalls his best fights. In addition to easing suffering, music also builds interpersonal bridges: a look, a smile, a tear, and sometimes (when words are still possible), memories, dreams, and far-off places…

A book reminiscent of works by Howard Buten, When I Was Five I Killed Myself or Oliver Sacks, The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat.