REMEMBER
The Science of Memory and the Art of Forgetting
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.
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).
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.
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.
- Harmony Books
- Hardcover
- March 2021
- 272 Pages
- 9780593137956
Buy the Book
$26.99
About Lisa Genova
Lisa Genova is the New York Times bestselling author of the novels Still Alice, Left Neglected, Love Anthony, Inside the O’Briens, and Every Note Played. Still Alice was adapted into an Oscar-winning film starring Julianne Moore. Lisa travels worldwide speaking about memory and brain health and has appeared on The Dr. Oz Show, Today, PBS NewsHour, CNN and was featured in the PBS Special, Building a Better Memory Through Science. Her TED talks, What You Can Do to Prevent Alzheimer’s and How Your Memory Works have been viewed over 7 million times.
Praise
“Using her expertise as a neuroscientist and her gifts as a storyteller, Lisa Genova explains the nuances of human memory.” —Steven Pinker
“No one writes more brilliantly about the connections between the brain, the mind, and the heart. Remember is a beautiful, fascinating, and important book about the mysteries of human memory—what it is, how it works, and what happens when it is stolen from us. A scientific and literary treat that you will not soon forget.”—Daniel Gilbert, Edgar Pierce Professor of Psychology, Harvard University, New York Times bestselling author of Stumbling on Happiness
“In Remember, Lisa Genova provides easy-to-follow, no nonsense advice on how to maximize one of the greatest outputs of your brain—memory. But, more important, she also lets us know that while memory is a tremendous gift, the real you is much more than just what you can remember!”—Rudolph E. Tanzi, PhD, professor of neurology, Harvard Medical School, coauthor of The Healing Self
“Genova’s plentiful anecdotes from her personal and professional lives make it easy for readers to relate, and her obvious expertise in memory and the brain results in a book that is more insightful than many others on the subject. Sharp writing and accessible storytelling make for a compelling read.”—Kirkus Reviews
Discussion Questions
1. Did you imagine the penny at beginning of the book? Did you envision it with 100% accuracy?If not, why did you misremember what a penny looks like even though you’ve seen one hundreds of times?
2. The author suggests that because we remember what we pay attention to, we might want to be mindful about what we focus on. What do you pay attention to? Might that change now, having read the book?
3. What are some things you remember from ten, twenty, thirty years ago? Having read Remember, why do you think you’ve retained these experiences and information and not others?
4. List some things you can do based on “muscle memory.” What did it take to create thosememories/abilities?
5. Flashbulb memories are memories for experiences that carried big emotion, were highly unexpected, felt personal, and can be vividly recalled years later. Do you have any flashbulb memories?
6. Memories for what happened can change over time and with each recall. Might some of your memories have drifted from how events actually played out?
7. Why do we experience more “tip of the tongue” moments with proper names, titles, and places versus regular nouns?
8. Prospective memory is your memory for what you intend to do later, and all human brains are poorly designed for this kind of recall. What kinds of external aids can you use to augment your prospective memory (dis)ability?
9. We tend to villainize forgetting. Has your perspective on forgetting changed? In what instances might forgetting be beneficial? Where can you relax?
10. How much sleep do you get? Knowing how essential a good night’s sleep is for memory, are you reconsidering your nighttime routine or changing your sleep habits?
11. What’s your biggest takeaway from the book?
12. Has your relationship with your memory changed? How so?