Remember
The Science of Memory and the Art of Forgetting
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4.4 • 18 Ratings
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- $13.99
Publisher Description
NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • A fascinating exploration of the intricacies of how we remember, why we forget, and what we can do to protect our memories, from the Harvard-trained neuroscientist and bestselling author of Still Alice.
“Using her expertise as a neuroscientist and her gifts as a storyteller, Lisa Genova explains the nuances of human memory”—Steven Pinker, Johnstone Professor of Psychology, Harvard University, author of How the Mind Works
Have you ever felt a crushing wave of panic when you can't for the life of you remember the name of that actor in the movie you saw last week, or you walk into a room only to forget why you went there in the first place? If you're over forty, you're probably not laughing. You might even be worried that these lapses in memory could be an early sign of Alzheimer's or dementia. In reality, for the vast majority of us, these examples of forgetting are completely normal. Why? Because while memory is amazing, it is far from perfect. Our brains aren't designed to remember every name we hear, plan we make, or day we experience. Just because your memory sometimes fails doesn't mean it's broken or succumbing to disease. Forgetting is actually part of being human.
In Remember, neuroscientist and acclaimed novelist Lisa Genova delves into how memories are made and how we retrieve them. You'll learn whether forgotten memories are temporarily inaccessible or erased forever and why some memories are built to exist for only a few seconds (like a passcode) while others can last a lifetime (your wedding day). You'll come to appreciate the clear distinction between normal forgetting (where you parked your car) and forgetting due to Alzheimer's (that you own a car). And you'll see how memory is profoundly impacted by meaning, emotion, sleep, stress, and context. Once you understand the language of memory and how it functions, its incredible strengths and maddening weaknesses, its natural vulnerabilities and potential superpowers, you can both vastly improve your ability to remember and feel less rattled when you inevitably forget. You can set educated expectations for your memory, and in doing so, create a better relationship with it. You don't have to fear it anymore. And that can be life-changing.
APPLE BOOKS REVIEW
You forget a lot less when you actually know how your memory works—which makes this a handy read. Neuroscientist Lisa Genova explains how our brains process, store, and recall memories, as well as what happens when we forget. She then walks us through practical ways to game the system, utilizing our brain’s strengths and limitations to remember things more quickly and reliably. We loved reading scientific explanations for memory-related phenomena we’ve heard about in pop culture—such as the brain chemistry of a person with highly superior autobiographical memory, or HSAM. (Actress Marilu Henner is one; she can immediately recall mundane things she did on specific dates decades ago.) And the easy, fun exercises and helpful tricks that Genova provides throughout the book truly made us feel less forgetful. If you’re curious about the workings of the human brain or just want to improve your memory, don’t forget to add Remember to your reading list.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Neuroscientist and novelist Genova (Still Alice) delivers a solid primer on the way memory works and fails to work. She proposes that "once we understand memory and become familiar with how it functions... we can both vastly improve our ability to remember and feel less rattled when we inevitably forget." She explains the different kinds of memory (such as working memory and muscle memory) and the pitfalls inherent in each (such as how relying on working memory can lead to forgetfulness, and muscle memory can sustain bad habits), before exploring the functions of forgetting and the distinction between normal memory failures and something more serious. Genova blends popular science and self-help, providing lay reader-friendly descriptions of the function of memory and sharing tips for better memory in a helpful appendix. The writing is evocative ("In the process of consolidating an episodic memory, your brain is like a sticky-fingered, madcap chef"), and there are plenty of memorable takes on phenomena like that of having a word on "the tip of the tongue" (which is caused by "partial or weak activation of the neurons that connect" the visual, conceptual, and phonological aspects of a word). This accessible survey is an easy entry point for anyone wondering how and why they keep forgetting where they left their car keys.
