The Perpetual Now
A Story of Amnesia, Memory, and Love
-
-
5.0 • 1 Rating
-
-
- $4.99
Publisher Description
In the aftermath of a shattering illness, Lonni Sue Johnson lives in a "perpetual now," where she has almost no memories of the past and a nearly complete inability to form new ones. The Perpetual Now is the moving story of this exceptional woman, and the groundbreaking revelations about memory, learning, and consciousness her unique case has uncovered.
Lonni Sue Johnson was a renowned artist who regularly produced covers for The New Yorker, a gifted musician, a skilled amateur pilot, and a joyful presence to all who knew her. But in late 2007, she contracted encephalitis. The disease burned through her hippocampus like wildfire, leaving her severely amnesic, living in a present that rarely progresses beyond ten to fifteen minutes.
Remarkably, she still retains much of the intellect and artistic skills from her previous life, but it's not at all clear how closely her consciousness resembles yours or mine. As such, Lonni Sue's story has become part of a much larger scientific narrative—one that is currently challenging traditional wisdom about how human memory and awareness are stored in the brain.
In this probing, compassionate, and illuminating book, award-winning science journalist Michael D. Lemonick uses the unique drama of Lonni Sue Johnson's day-to-day life to give us a nuanced and intimate understanding of the science that lies at the very heart of human nature.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Lemonick (Mirror Earth), opinion editor at Scientific American, recounts the curious medical case of Lonni Sue Johnson, whose 2007 bout of encephalitis destroyed her hippocampus and left her with dense amnesia that affected both her past episodic memories and her ability to retain new information for longer than a few minutes. It's a life-affirming exploration that combines a sympathetic biography of Johnson with the history of Henry Molaison, a notable case study of amnesia who for years was known only as "H.M." Lemonick illuminates what these patients have taught researchers about the creation and storage of memories. Johnson's retention of some skills and information from her past as a violist, an illustrator for the New Yorker, and a pilot has allowed researchers to do detailed experiments on where in the brain skilled procedural memories reside. Lemonick's prior connection to the Johnson family adds an extra dimension to his discussions with Johnson's mother, sister, and colleagues. That history, combined with Lemonick's personal delight at Johnson's optimism and obsession with word puzzles and spontaneous bouts of song, bridges the gap between his interest in Johnson as a research topic and his affection for her as a human being. Fans of the late Oliver Sacks will appreciate the blend of heart and science in Lemonick's account.
