Eric Galvez

Eric Galvez, a physical therapist, was diagnosed with a brain tumor in 2005. He later wrote a book about his experience, "Reversal: When a Therapist Becomes a Patient", and has a blog, They Call Me Galvez.

One of the things Eric has done is to put together a soundtrack for his book (Playlist.com, or follow the directions on his blog.) I especially liked his choice for the first song, "Wake Me Up When September Ends", by Green Day.

"here comes the rain again
falling from the stars
drenched in my pain again
becoming who we are
as my memory rests
but never forgets what I lost
wake me up when September ends "

Each of the chapter and essay titles in his book is also a song title, and these are the songs that make up his soundtrack. I asked Eric a few questions about the soundtrack and the influence music has had on his writing.

How did you come to use song titles as the chapter titles for your book?

I found the songs for the book in my personal iTunes collection that best fit the theme of each chapter ... I asked the other contributors to the book to title their essays with popular songs from their own personal collections that best described their essays.

 Do you find that music inspires you to write?

Music doesn't inspire me to write, it inspires me to tell my story. My friend Dave's Son let me use his songs to help me create videos to tell my story. Movie sound tracks enhance a movie.  I figured why can't they do the same for a book?

Do you ever find that a song reminds you of a favorite book? If so, can you think of any combinations to recommend to our readers?

There really isn't one song that reminds me of a particular book, but there are a number of songs that remind me of certain events. "Wake Me Up When September Ends" (the first chapter in Reversal) by Green Day expressed exactly what I was feeling when I was diagnosed with a brain tumor in September 2005.

Eric's videos can be found on YouTube. They are well worth watching.

Brain Tumor Triumph - Leave The Light On


Reversal: When a Therapist Becomes A Brain Tumor Patient


In his blog, Eric suggests, "Try reading the book with the soundtrack playing in the background to enhance the “experience”. Can you figure out why I chose some of the songs? What songs would you pick to tell your story?"

Book: Reversal, Eric Galvez
Music: Wake Me Up When September Ends, Green Day