[Sachs] is a sterling example of the good old-fashioned and sadly vanishing 'music appreciation' writer, albeit with a sophisticated command of the historical and political back story ... Sachs’ book, despite its urgently prescriptive title...is nonetheless an immensely valuable source for anyone desiring an accessible overview of this endlessly controversial and chronically misunderstood giant of 20th-century music. Too many books about Schoenberg are overly technical for the general reader, or else they assume a kind of hagiographic defensive crouch. Sachs can be refreshingly candid, sharing his feelings at times as if he were whispering confidentially in your ear during a concert intermission.
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