Delve Deeper into Life. Support. Music A film by Eric Daniel Metzgar This multi-media resource list, compiled by Susan Conlon and Martha Perry of the Princeton Public Library includes books, films and other materials related to the issues presented in the film Life.Support.Music. In 2004, Jason Crigler's life was taking off. He was one of New York's hottest young guitarists, his new CD was due for release and his wife, Monica, was pregnant with their first child. Then, at a gig in Manhattan, Jason suffered a near- fatal brain hemorrhage. His doctors doubted he would ever emerge from his near-vegetative state. The astonishing journey that followed, documented by friend and filmmaker Eric Daniel Metzgar (The Chances of the World Changing , P.O.V. 2007), is a stirring family saga and a portrait of creative struggle in the face of overwhelming tragedy. ________________________ ADULT NONFICTION Bauby, Jean-Dominique; translated from the French by Jeremy Leggatt. The Diving Bell and the Butterfly. New York: A.A. Knopf: Distributed by Random House, 1997. In 1995 at the age of 43, the French editor of Elle magazine, Jean-Dominique Bauby, suffered a stroke that paralyzed his entire body, except his left eye. Using that eye to blink out his memoir, Bauby eloquently described the aspects of his interior world, from the psychological torment of being trapped inside his body to his imagined stories from lands he'd only visited in his mind. Bryant, Beverly A. To Wherever Oceans Go. ME: Wings Publishing, 1996. This book describes the journey of one woman who refused to set limits on her potential, one family who loved each other so much that they survived the storm and a rehabilitative team that was unwilling to give up. Cohen, Richard M. Strong at the Broken Places: Voices of Illness, a Chorus of Hope. New York: Harper, 2008. Cohen offers an honest and inspirational perspective on living with chronic illness, witnessed through the lives of five remarkable individuals. Crimmins, Cathy. Where is the Mango Princess? New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 2000. In 1996, Cathy Crimmins, her husband, Alan, and their daughter, Kelly, were on vacation when a boating accident left Alan in a deep coma, with severe damage to the frontal lobes of his brain, the area that controls speech, memory, movement, and personality. This is the story of what happened to Cathy and her family after Alan woke up. Doidge, Norman. The Brain that Changes Itself: Stories of Personal Triumph from the Frontiers of Brain Science. New York: Viking, 2007. For years the doctrine of neuroscientists has been that the brain is a machine: break a part and you lose that function permanently. But more and more evidence is turning up to show that the brain can rewire itself, even in the face of catastrophic trauma: essentially, the functions of the brain can be strengthened just like a weak muscle. Doroghazi, Cynthia P. Searching for the Open Door: A Woman's Struggle for Survival after a Traumatic Brain Injury. New River Publications, LLC, 2007. Doroghazi offers an inspirational demonstration of what courage, determination and sheer willpower can accomplish in the face of seemingly life-destroying injuries. Gruman, Jessie. Aftershock: What to do when the Doctor Gives You, or Someone You Love, a Devastating Diagnosis. New York: Walker & Co., 2007. Every year millions of Americans are diagnosed with cancer, stroke, HIV/AIDS, multiple sclerosis, ALS, and other life-threatening or life- altering diseases. When faced with a devastating diagnosis people must quickly understand the diagnosis, prognosis and choose from several treatment options—while still in shock. Gruman identifies the processes required to respond to a serious diagnosis, regardless of the specific disease. Harpham, Wendy Schlessel. Happiness in a Storm: Facing Illness and Embracing Life as a Healthy Survivor. New York: W.W. Norton, 2005. Schlessel’s self-help guide for others dealing with chronic illness offers practical philosophy and science- based knowledge for getting good care and living as fully as possible. Levitin, Daniel J. This is Your Brain on Music: The Science of a Human Obsession. New York: Dutton, 2006. Levitin is a former record producer, sound engineer, and session musician. Here he describes music from the perspective of cognitive neuroscience and examines recent studies that tie it to meaning and pleasure. He first explains the elements of music in a way that is both detailed and accessible to general readers, and then outlines how the brain understands it. The mind develops expectations of music, he says, and creates categories. Other chapters look into the concept of emotion, musical preferences, and whether talent is inherent or can be learned. Finally, he considers music and evolutionary theory. Mason, Michael Paul. Head Cases: Stories of Brain Injury and its Aftermath. New York: Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2008. Mason gives a series of vivid glimpses into brain science, the last frontier of medicine, and explores fragility of the brain and the sense of self, life, and order that resides there. Osborn, Claudia L. Over My Head: A Doctor's Own Story of Head Injury from the Inside Looking Out. Andrews McMeel Publishing, 2000. Locked inside a brain-injured head looking out at a challenging world is the premise of this autobiography, a story of how one woman came to terms with the loss of her identity and the steps and missteps she takes while learning to rebuild her life. Reston, James, Jr. Fragile Innocence: A Father's Memoir of his Daughter's Courageous Journey. New York: Harmony Books, 2006. This narrative of a father’s journey to understand and accept the profound changes in his daughter’s life is at once memoir, biography, mystery, and drama, all centered around one remarkable young woman who cannot talk or read or understand language, but who has touched almost everyone she has ever met.