Remember: The Science of Memory and the Art of Forgetting

Do not consider this just a book for seniors worried about losing their memory. It is not. Neuroscientist, Lisa Genova presents a very accessible overview of how our memory works. She addresses how memories are formed, why we forget, and how we can improve. I found it informative, validating and enlightening. Yes, she does address Alzheimer’s and offers lifestyle changes to ward off the monster, but that is exactly why this book should be in the hands of early middle agers as well as seniors. She writes with clarity, humor, and compassion offering shared experiences from her own life. I’d recommend this book for almost anyone curious about how the brain forms a memory, what to expect as the brain ages and also for those dealing with show more a loved one’s memory loss. show less

I have written and re-written this review about a dozen times and still don’t know what I want to write, other than I loved this book. It is so “user friendly” and the author’s style is almost haimish, it’s so accessible and cozy. But if you’re looking for the scientific terminology, it’s all there too. There’s an explanation for almost every type of memory or loss of memory, how we remember, how we alter our memories, even how we remember things that we never even experienced, merely by hearing someone else’s description of a memory. How it is possible that our most vivid memories can be completely wrong. Do I want to remember everything? No! keeping a diary or other exercises will work, I know, but why would I want show more to remember the banal or unimportant. There are things that you do want to remember forever – or at least fondly and for a very long time. But not every happy moment in your life can be remembered (alas). Dramatic episodic memories may last a lifetime – whether happy or sad. So, now I understand a little better, what makes my brain tick and how different parts of the brain are responsible for different types of memory - for short-term memories of just a few numbers or words, how and where longer memories are stored, in what way I remember how to walk and talk, ski, drive or ride a bike, memorize telephone numbers or methods for remembering long lists of things (anyone who has ever studied for a Bar Exam, probably learned to employ similar techniques for memorizing procedure, jurisdiction, elements of a section of law, etc.). I don’t think there is anyone who hasn’t (on numerous occasions) parked their car and then walked back a block to two to make sure they remembered to lock it, or later on remember where they parked it, or fell into a hypnotic trance while driving only to suddenly become disoriented and not remember passing familiar landmarks. This book answers many questions this layman has often pondered – and many more I never knew to ask. And, I read it like a layman – for pleasure and not for study – so fun!

Thank you NetGalley and Rodale Inc./Harmony for and ARC of this amazing book. I LOVED IT! show less

Remember by Lisa Genova is a non-fiction book that explores how we do, and don’t, remember. Genova is a neuroscientist who’s also the author of five fiction books, all of which I’ve read. They feature characters with neurological conditions like Alzheimer’s (Still Alice) and Huntingdon’s (Inside the O’Briens).

The book begins by describing how memories are formed, and the amazing process by which creating memories creates structural and connective changes in the brain. Genova points out that popular understanding of how memory works can miss the mark. For example, memories aren’t stored in the hippocampus, and muscle memory isn’t stored in the muscles.

The book explains different types of memory, including semantic show more (described as the Wikipedia of the brain), episodic (for things that have happened to us), and prospective (things we have to remember to do in the future). You’ll learn why you go into a room and forget what on earth you’re there for, and Genova reassures readers that using a to-do list isn’t somehow cheating.

As much as you might like to think that your episodic memory is quite accurate, Genova bursts that bubble. When the original memory was encoded, it didn’t capture everything that was going on at the time, just what stood out to you. What I found really fascinating was that each time we recall a memory, it changes a bit, and this overwrites the original memory, so it’s like an old-school game of telephone where the original message gets more and more garbled as it gets passed along.

Genova also explains that, when faced with leading questions, people will fabricate memories, and eyewitness accounts are highly unreliable. That certainly doesn’t bode well for our legal system. Do you feel confident that certain memories are accurate? Turns out that confidence has no bearing on their level of accuracy.

There’s a chapter devoted to tip of the tongue experiences. These occur when we know a word but can’t immediately bring it to mind until it jumps out at you two hours later while you happen to be sitting on the toilet. Doing this (and doing it quite regularly) is not, in fact, a sign that you’re losing your mind. In my case, sometimes I feel like my mind is permanently lost, but that’s a whole other issue.

The book is full of surprising tidbits and explanations, like the Baker/baker paradox, whereby you’re more likely to remember someone is a baker than you are to remember their name is Baker. Putting people in boxes can be bad in terms of discrimination, but apparently, it helps us to remember.

You’ll learn the difference between normal age-related memory changes and the changes caused by dementia. There are also tips to improve your memory (chronic stress bad, sleep very, very good). Finally, there’s an appendix that pulls it all together, including the specific things you can do to improve your memory.

While the book is very informative, it’s presented in a conversational rather than academic tone. The examples used are realistic and help to make the concepts relatable. Genova seems very authentically present in the writing, and isn’t afraid to make fun of herself, such as when she’s describing her fussy coffee order that the baristas at Starbucks manage to remember.

This book made my inner geek very happy, but I think it will be much more widely appealing than simply my inner geek. Memory is obviously very important to all of us, and this is a great opportunity to learn more about it.

I received a reviewer copy from the publisher through Netgalley.

This review first appeared on https://mentalhealthathome.org/2021/03/24/book-review-remember/ show less

Lisa Genova is one of my favorite authors, and I was delighted to be able to read an advance copy of her latest book, Remember. Although this book is nonfiction, it was a fast and easy read. It is written in layman's language, but it wasn't over-simplified. I found the research she presented very interesting, and as someone in her 60s, I found it very reassuring. I also appreciated her advice on what one can do to sharpen your mind/improve your memory. Very effortlessly, I learned a lot about how the brain processes memories. I highly recommend this book.

Written by a neuroscientist (who’s also written novels about characters with neurological conditions), this is a compulsively readable, broad overview of learning/memory and forgetting.

What has stayed with me most is the importance of attention in memory: 1) you don’t “forget” something you never paid proper attention to -- it was never a memory in the first place; 2) you’ll better remember things that really catch your attention via emotion, surprise or meaning; 3) additional attention via repeated exposure and retrieval (re-reading notes, quizzing) develops a more durable memory; 4) leaving negative memories alone lets them fade, while paying attention to positive memories can develop optimism.

And this:
Deep sleep is like a show more power cleanse for your brain. show less

This is a blend of health science and self help that’s so well written it reads like a novel. Lisa Genova, a neuroscientist and the author of Still Alice, explains how memory works, where forgetting fits into the picture, and ways to maintain and even improve on memory function. It’s a great resource for anyone of any age but it’s especially relevant for those of us who are getting up there in years. She details the differences between the typical mental decline that come with aging and the symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease, including examples her friend Greg O’Brien has shared with her about how the disease has affected him. His own book On Pluto is a powerful first person account of living with Alzheimer’s and one I highly show more recommend. show less

The author of this book is a neuroscientist I know best for her novel Still Alice. This is the first time I’ve read a book by her of nonfiction, and it was fascinating! I felt great relief to learn that I constantly lose my cell phone, not because I am getting senile, but because I simply am not paying attention to where I put it. That might be key information for me to stop forgetting things while I move through my house daily.

The author has a very easy-to-read writing style in nonfiction so I highly recommend this book for anyone who has enjoyed Geneva’s novels in the past. Her expertise in science is a plus. She holds an undergraduate degree in biopsychology from Bates College and a PhD in neuroscience from Harvard University.

show more I learned why steady learning for exams with good rest each night is more effective at permanent memory rather than cramming for an exam. I was fascinated by the chapters near the end which explained the difference between forgetting as part of the normal again process and what is scientifically known about forgetting as part of sleep deprivation and as part of the onset of Alzheimer’s.

In addition, I learned why, during the pandemic when everyone had ample opportunity to read, our reading rate actually went down. The brain is a fascinating organ, and this book will help you understand the role of different parts of your brain in forming memories as well as losing them. This is an excellent book which I highly recommend. show less