Remember: The Science of Memory and the Art of Forgetting
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.
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Community Reviews
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Remember by Lisa Genova
253 pages
What’s it about?
This slim non-fiction selection will inform you (in a clear, concise way) of the most important features of how we make and then retrieve memories. Lisa Genova is the best selling author of Still Alice and she is a great storyteller. As our population ages more and more people are facing memory issues. Ms. Genova is a strong and informed voice telling us not to panic, that forgetting is just as important to our memory as remembering. "Forgetting is quite important; it helps us function every day in all kids of ways. It's advantageous for us to get rid of any unnecessary, irrelevant, interfering, or even painful memories that can potentially distract us or cause us to make mistakes or feel miserable. Sometimes we need to forget one thing in order to pay attention to- and remember- another, and so in this way, forgetting can facilitate better memory." Who knew?
What did it make me think about?
I just found this fascinating. Lisa Genova makes a complex system easy to understand, and she is reassuring of our fallibilities at the same time.
Should I read it?
Anyone who is interested in memory issues or neuroscience will enjoy this quick book. There are lots of takeaways and they coincide with health suggestions across the board- eat a healthy diet, exercise, sleep, and continue to learn new things are just some of the suggestions. She also suggests looking up from your phone once in awhile. "We live in a constantly connected, go-go-go time plagued by distraction. Your smartphone, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, text alerts, e-mail, incessantly racing thoughts- all of these are attention thieves and, by extension, memory thieves." Pick up this book and maybe you will even remember the details a month later. FYI- I might not- but at least after reading the book I will understand why I forgot the details....
Quote-
"The number one reason for forgetting what you just said, a person's name, where you put your phone, and whether already drove over a really big bridge is lack of attention. You can't remember later what is right in front of you if you don't pay attention to it."
If you liked this try-
Being Mortal by Atul Gawande
Gut by Giulia Enders
The Lucky Years by David B. Agus M.D.
The Undoing Project by Michael Lewis
Remember by Lisa Genova
253 pages
What’s it about?
This slim non-fiction selection will inform you (in a clear, concise way) of the most important features of how we make and then retrieve memories. Lisa Genova is the best selling author of Still Alice and she is a great storyteller. As our population ages more and more people are facing memory issues. Ms. Genova is a strong and informed voice telling us not to panic, that forgetting is just as important to our memory as remembering. "Forgetting is quite important; it helps us function every day in all kids of ways. It's advantageous for us to get rid of any unnecessary, irrelevant, interfering, or even painful memories that can potentially distract us or cause us to make mistakes or feel miserable. Sometimes we need to forget one thing in order to pay attention to- and remember- another, and so in this way, forgetting can facilitate better memory." Who knew?
What did it make me think about?
I just found this fascinating. Lisa Genova makes a complex system easy to understand, and she is reassuring of our fallibilities at the same time.
Should I read it?
Anyone who is interested in memory issues or neuroscience will enjoy this quick book. There are lots of takeaways and they coincide with health suggestions across the board- eat a healthy diet, exercise, sleep, and continue to learn new things are just some of the suggestions. She also suggests looking up from your phone once in awhile. "We live in a constantly connected, go-go-go time plagued by distraction. Your smartphone, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, text alerts, e-mail, incessantly racing thoughts- all of these are attention thieves and, by extension, memory thieves." Pick up this book and maybe you will even remember the details a month later. FYI- I might not- but at least after reading the book I will understand why I forgot the details....
Quote-
"The number one reason for forgetting what you just said, a person's name, where you put your phone, and whether already drove over a really big bridge is lack of attention. You can't remember later what is right in front of you if you don't pay attention to it."
If you liked this try-
Being Mortal by Atul Gawande
Gut by Giulia Enders
The Lucky Years by David B. Agus M.D.
The Undoing Project by Michael Lewis
A very basic and simple overview. Science of memory for absolutely outsiders who don't know about any studies or theories. It's pretty much what you'd read in 40 pages in any textbook yet made simple and accessible. Frankly even experts have a hard time understanding some textbooks that tend to have clunky writing.
She uses an abundance of personal stories and examples to a degree where 50% of the book is merely small stories about her forgetting where she parked her car, why she walked into the kitchen, or the name of a famous actor. The examples do make sense, but personally I didn't need any of it to understand a study. Largely the field is so empty on good studies that you kinda need to fill out the page count some way. Yet one has to wonder why we need a story going on for several pages about her being lost in a parking lot.
It's all quite scientific. I would have liked a higher quality control. Quote the studies, give the numbers, and only show studies we can replicate. She uses any big study no matter if it's replicated or not. No matter if they had 15 participants or 300. Did the scuba diver study replicate? I don't think so.
This is all for total outsiders to the field yet her understanding of the field is much stronger than the average professor in the field so her overview may give anyone a stronger holistic view.
Frankly, a very strong recommend from me ... to the right reader. For smart academics it will feel a tad simple.
She uses an abundance of personal stories and examples to a degree where 50% of the book is merely small stories about her forgetting where she parked her car, why she walked into the kitchen, or the name of a famous actor. The examples do make sense, but personally I didn't need any of it to understand a study. Largely the field is so empty on good studies that you kinda need to fill out the page count some way. Yet one has to wonder why we need a story going on for several pages about her being lost in a parking lot.
It's all quite scientific. I would have liked a higher quality control. Quote the studies, give the numbers, and only show studies we can replicate. She uses any big study no matter if it's replicated or not. No matter if they had 15 participants or 300. Did the scuba diver study replicate? I don't think so.
This is all for total outsiders to the field yet her understanding of the field is much stronger than the average professor in the field so her overview may give anyone a stronger holistic view.
Frankly, a very strong recommend from me ... to the right reader. For smart academics it will feel a tad simple.
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