Heartwarming stories, soulful music make this book impossible to put down.

Stories of Music offers the reader (listener? viewer?) an emotionally satisfying journey through the world of music, as Holly E. Tripp weaves together the stories of more than 40 authors and artists, from 11 countries, telling in her own words and means how music has impacted their lives. I found it a very emotionally moving book.

Growing up in a family of musicians, Tripp was fascinated by her great-grandmother’s stories, especially the one where she hosted “jam sessions” over a shared phone line. Tripp’s own parents gave Tripp a guitar when she was 16 and she has been writing and playing music ever since. But it was after the sudden death of her brother that she fully realized the impact music has on emotions, and healing, as the songs that kept coming to her somehow brought him closer to her and helped her to deal with his death.

When she started this book, Tripp says she put out a call for authors and artists, thinking she’d be lucky if she got 100. Instead, more than 1,000 poured into her inbox, and she carefully chose those she felt represented people. universally, and better said, the impact that music has on people to offer fun, hope, healing and impact in their lives. The result is an interactive, multimedia book containing stories, poems, photos, music, and videos that readers can listen to and view on their mobile devices.

I love how the anthology is presented. The first poem (which I heard the poet read aloud) tells of the music that is woven through generations in an old home. The stories then move forward through time, with artists’ stories from childhood to adulthood, of how music has impacted their lives. My favorite photograph is at the end of the book, of a pair of old hands clutching sheet music. “Music,” says Tripp, “…transcends religion, race, language, and even time.”

There are fun music and children’s stories; a powerful poem about civil rights marches; and a story about how music is helping an artist’s home country of Bosnia heal after the war. There are the shocking stories of taking Mozart’s music to a prison and using rock music to help cure depression. And there’s the story of the traveling musicians, from the dawn of time to a group that now participates every year on the Massachusetts Walking Tour. Another story (with music included) of a cellist, uniting generations through Saint-Saëns’ “Le Cygne”, is beautiful to read and listen to. It’s almost impossible to pick a favourite, but I was very moved by the story of an interview with Glen Campbell shortly after he was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease in 2011.

Stories of Music is a wonderful book, one that I found hard to put down. There were moments that brought me to tears at the moving examples of how music touched, and often saved, lives. It also made me smile, as an artist describes how children in Haiti enthusiastically play music after their meal, even more excited about the music than the food.

Tripp has done a wonderful job bringing music to life and showing that music speaks a universal language. Regardless of country or origin, religion or political persuasion, the artists in this book have one thing in common: music impacts their lives and they use it to communicate their hearts.

I would recommend this book to anyone, musician or non-musician. Tripp plans to publish a second volume and I can’t wait to read it.