The Sound of Being Human: How Music Shapes Our Lives

The Sound of Being Human is a book that explores the emotional and cerebral heft of popular music, combining memoir, analysis, anecdote, and personal chronicle to evoke what music means to the individual and the human tribe. It tells the story of Jude Rogers' own journey with music, how it helped her wrestle with grief, concoct her sense of self, and propel her relationships. The book combines memoir and historical, scientific, and cultural enquiry to show how music can shape different versions of ourselves, rely upon it for comfort, epiphanies, and connection, and grow with it. It is about music's power to help us tell our own stories and make them sing.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 304 pages
Publication date: 02 February 2023
Publisher: Orion Publishing Co

Too often, we treat popular music as mere wallpaper, surrounding us as we go about our lives. However, Jude Rogers demonstrates the profound emotional and intellectual depth that such music can possess. It's a personal journey that transcends boundaries and becomes universal.

Ian Rankin's The Sound of Being Human is a captivating blend of memoir, analysis, anecdote, and personal chronicle. It weaves together a mosaic that evokes the profound significance of music in the lives of individuals and the human tribe. This is a candid and beautiful read, as Stuart Maconie aptly describes it.

The Sound of Being Human delves into the intricate reasons why music plays such a central role in the lives of countless people, spanning from our earliest days to our final moments. At its core is Jude's own story: how songs helped her navigate the grief of losing her father at a young age, shape her sense of self as a lonely adolescent, propel her relationships, both real and imagined, during the vibrant years of early womanhood, and propel her own journey into working life, adulthood, and parenthood.

The book is structured around twelve songs, ranging from iconic hits like ABBA's "Super Trouper" to contemporary classics like Neneh Cherry's "Buffalo Stance," Kraftwerk's "Radioactivity," and Martha Reeves and the Vandellas' "Heat Wave." Through a combination of memoir, historical, scientific, and cultural inquiry, the book explores how music can shape different versions of ourselves, serve as a source of comfort, provoke epiphanies, and facilitate sexual and physical connection. It sheds light on how we grow with songs, and how songs grow within us, aiding us in grappling with grief, embracing the aging process, and cherishing powerful memories.

At its essence, The Sound of Being Human is about music's incredible power to help us tell our own stories, regardless of their nature, and infuse them with melody and resonance. It reminds us of the profound impact that music can have on our lives, shaping our emotions, perspectives, and connections with the world around us.

Weight: 268g
Dimension: 197 x 129 x 24 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781474622943