Remember: The Science of Memory and the Art of Forgetting
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- Create Date：2021-04-06 06:31:45
- Update Date：2025-09-06
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- Author：Lisa Genova
- ISBN：0593137957
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Summary
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。
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。
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。
Reviews
Connie
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Having read Still Alice by author Lisa Genova， I was curious to read her non-fiction book on the science of memory。 I found Remember to be incredibly accessible to average readers and almost as riveting as her novel。 I loved how her style was conversational， and although she discussed scientific research， it was presented with practical examples so that anyone could understand it。I felt oddly comforted to learn that forgetting is quite natural， even for young people。 One of the biggest takeaways Having read Still Alice by author Lisa Genova， I was curious to read her non-fiction book on the science of memory。 I found Remember to be incredibly accessible to average readers and almost as riveting as her novel。 I loved how her style was conversational， and although she discussed scientific research， it was presented with practical examples so that anyone could understand it。I felt oddly comforted to learn that forgetting is quite natural， even for young people。 One of the biggest takeaways for me is that a person needs to be paying attention in order to build a memory。 Therefore， in many instances of so-called forgetting， a person didn't form the memory in the first place because they were either distracted， multi-tasking， or otherwise not paying proper attention。 What a relief！ I'm not forgetting; I just need to pay better attention！The book flowed in a narrative style with short chapters and a great one at the end that pulled together all of the major points in the book。 Ms。 Genova does discuss dementia and Alzheimer's Disease， but the focus of the book is on the capacity and limits of one's memory。I will recommend this to readers of all ages who are interested in the science of memory， forgetting and dementia。 I thank Rodale Inc。 and NetGalley for the e-arc in exchange for my honest review。 。。。more
Carolyn
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Fascinating！
Jeanne
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It makes perfect sense that if you stay alert and pay attention， you'll better remember "stuff。" Easier said than done:） Genova explains the difference between muscle and declarative memory plus how everyone approaches memories with their own way of "editing。" It makes perfect sense that if you stay alert and pay attention， you'll better remember "stuff。" Easier said than done:） Genova explains the difference between muscle and declarative memory plus how everyone approaches memories with their own way of "editing。" 。。。more
DK Simoneau
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The easiest way to describe this book is a layperson’s guide to the brain and memory。 It was clear and concise。 It answers much any of us with an aging brain are concerned about。 It explains much to those of us with loved ones who have a form of dementia。 It quite simply is excellent。
Lynn
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Lisa Genova made me feel so much better about the fact that I can't remember the name of that woman I just spent 15 minutes in a break-out room on Zoom with。 Seriously folks， the pain is real。 Genova managed to quell my anxiety by sharing personal anecdotes of forgetting。 I laughed at her fruitless trip to the kitchen， it was so familiar。 Remember outlines how different types of memory function and what can impact our retention of memories。 She advocates the use of tools as memory props; lists， Lisa Genova made me feel so much better about the fact that I can't remember the name of that woman I just spent 15 minutes in a break-out room on Zoom with。 Seriously folks， the pain is real。 Genova managed to quell my anxiety by sharing personal anecdotes of forgetting。 I laughed at her fruitless trip to the kitchen， it was so familiar。 Remember outlines how different types of memory function and what can impact our retention of memories。 She advocates the use of tools as memory props; lists， calendars and Google all help。 Genova also discusses healthy habits to keep us on the right track。 Highly recommend， especially if your family history， like mine， makes you hyper-sensitive when you forget that tip of the tongue word。 。。。more
Christal
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3。5 stars。 Not a bad book by any means， but I already knew most all of the info included。 The writing style is very accessible， and it has practical tips for improving memory。
Kris Knight
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Just wow！！ I devoured this book！ Packed with so much information。 The fascinating facts surrounding our memory; how it develops， how we retrieve them， how they are stored。 I loved Lisa Genova’s book Still Alice。 Another fabulous book about dementia and Alzheimer’s。 I highly recommend this book。
Karen
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Excellent guide。
Carolyn
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I have read all of Lisa Genova’s novels， which were highly excellent。 This is her first non-fiction， all about memory， and it is also very good。 She is a brilliant Harvard-educated neuroscientist who somewhere along the way learned how to write in an easily understandable way， bringing academic medical conditions into popular literature。 I thought I knew a lot about memory， having read quite a bit during my own mother’s journey through dementia， but I learned many more fascinating tidbits in thi I have read all of Lisa Genova’s novels， which were highly excellent。 This is her first non-fiction， all about memory， and it is also very good。 She is a brilliant Harvard-educated neuroscientist who somewhere along the way learned how to write in an easily understandable way， bringing academic medical conditions into popular literature。 I thought I knew a lot about memory， having read quite a bit during my own mother’s journey through dementia， but I learned many more fascinating tidbits in this book。 And I will quit freaking out every time I can’t come up with a name or word。 The appendix is a fabulous summary since， as she introduces it， “it’s likely that you don’t remember everything you’ve read in this book。” Easy 5 stars。 。。。more
Donna
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It was ok。 I learned all this in college and was hoping more was known now but it doesn’t seem as if it is。
Denise Westlake
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Very encouraging， but also a bit technical。。。 so， I decided I "got what I needed"in just a couple chapters。 Very encouraging， but also a bit technical。。。 so， I decided I "got what I needed"in just a couple chapters。 。。。more
Paula
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Very informative; however， there is a lot of repeated information。
Jay bookworm
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I previously read and reviewed two other books by Lisa Genova which I loved， so was very excited to read this nonfiction work。 Thrilled to say I was not disappointed。 One would think a book about how your brain works to create， retain， manipulate or fail to recall events， to do items， etc doesn’t sound fascinating， but this book was fantastic and held my attention throughout。 I learned so much and have put into practice some of the tips that she offered。 I will be much more focused on my sleep h I previously read and reviewed two other books by Lisa Genova which I loved， so was very excited to read this nonfiction work。 Thrilled to say I was not disappointed。 One would think a book about how your brain works to create， retain， manipulate or fail to recall events， to do items， etc doesn’t sound fascinating， but this book was fantastic and held my attention throughout。 I learned so much and have put into practice some of the tips that she offered。 I will be much more focused on my sleep habits for sure。 Loved the book and will be recommending it to my friends， book club and anyone that will listen。 Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the ebook。 。。。more
Peter Carpenter
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Book 26 of 80 of 2021: 5*。 I remember the impact that “Still Alice” had on me， so any book by Genova is one which I tend to flock to。 This book is all about the brain， how the brain works to create an store memories， and how forgetting starts and ends。 Really fascinating and compelling for anyone who enjoys works about the brain。 Easy to read and understand！
Onceinabluemoon
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After a frightening temporary memory loss， this book already on my book shelf，I bravely dived in。 I think it’s an important read for EVERYONE！
Lisa of Troy
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Why can you remember almost every detail of your wedding and almost nothing about yesterday？ Why can't you remember where your car is parked？ Lisa Genova， neuroscientist， answers these questions and takes us on a journey of how memories are created and maintained。On a personal-level， I picked this book up for two reasons。 One: In my late 20's， I was experiencing memory blocks。 Certain sections of important memories would be temporarily blocked with no notice as to which memories would be inacces Why can you remember almost every detail of your wedding and almost nothing about yesterday？ Why can't you remember where your car is parked？ Lisa Genova， neuroscientist， answers these questions and takes us on a journey of how memories are created and maintained。On a personal-level， I picked this book up for two reasons。 One: In my late 20's， I was experiencing memory blocks。 Certain sections of important memories would be temporarily blocked with no notice as to which memories would be inaccessible - gone was my recollection of my address， the name of the co-worker I sat next to and talked to daily for over a year， the name of the woman who I thought was the most beautiful in the world， how to get home， where my files were stored， who the President was （and I had a degree in Political Science）。 Second: Many people in my family have ADHD。 ADHD has been shown to negatively impact working memory （extremely prone to forgetting name badges， homework， books， To-Go boxes， that Monday is hat day）。This book was enjoyable， and it was not overly scientific。 What I mean by that it didn't have words like hyrdocortaneutroproconturtfulacil like a certain Sleep book that I had to return that Bill Gates recommended （thanks again， Bill！）。 Instead Lisa broke down a very complicated topic into TED talk language with actionable steps on what you can do to improve your memory。 The book was fairly short and to the point。 Unfortunately， this book really oversimplified memory and oversimplified memory issues。 You can have a memory problem and not have Alzheimer's but this book seemed to have a short decision-tree: Alzheimer's or you're fine。 This dissuades people with legitimate memory issues from seeking help， and I wish that it was written in a more collaborative form。 Let's return for a moment to my personal example of memory blocks in my late 20's。 Was this normal forgetting that Lisa would have us believe？ No， it wasn't。 After seeing many doctors， I was finally diagnosed with gluten intolerance。 This was also why the memory block would be removed when I stopped eating gluten。 When I permanently stopped eating gluten， all of the abnormal forgetting stopped。 This deeply concerns me that neurologists and neuroscientists continue to tell people that they are just A- OK if they don't have Alzheimer's and that simply may not be true。 Additionally， more and more people have ADHD which impacts working memory。 One of the things that the author did not emphasize enough is some of the frequently used coping strategies。 Do you forget where you put your car？ Simple。 Always park in the same spot。 Even if there is a magical spot in the front by the door。 Park in your usual spot。 Leave your name badge in the cup holder of your car。 If you accidently walk in the house with it on， go back immediately （do nothing else） and put it into the cup holder。 Technology is also improving where you can locate your lost phone， backpack， or watch all with the click of a button。 It would have been really helpful to have a chapter dedicated to the future of remembering and also some additional memory disorders/problems。Overall， this book was a worthy read。 I enjoyed sharing tidbits with my family， tested them on their ability to spot the real penny among the fake， and learned a few tips to try。 Looking forward to future books by this author。 。。。more
RG
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Pretty good read about memory。 Haven't read the authors previous novel Still Alice but I've had family members deal with Alzheimers and so this looked like something I could relate to。 Wish it had been a little longer Pretty good read about memory。 Haven't read the authors previous novel Still Alice but I've had family members deal with Alzheimers and so this looked like something I could relate to。 Wish it had been a little longer 。。。more
Julie
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Have you read any of Lisa Geneva’s novels？ I have read and loved both Still Alice and Left Neglected。 The author has a PhD in Neuroscoence from Harvard and does an amazing job of bringing to life stories about characters with neurological conditions。 This book is non-fiction and takes her expertise and writing skills and teaches us about the science of both memory and forgetting。 It’s hard to put down， and I guarantee you will better understand how memory works and increase your awareness on act Have you read any of Lisa Geneva’s novels？ I have read and loved both Still Alice and Left Neglected。 The author has a PhD in Neuroscoence from Harvard and does an amazing job of bringing to life stories about characters with neurological conditions。 This book is non-fiction and takes her expertise and writing skills and teaches us about the science of both memory and forgetting。 It’s hard to put down， and I guarantee you will better understand how memory works and increase your awareness on actions you can take to positively impact your memory。 It will also help you understand how and why we forget and when to be concerned。 One of my takeaways is that we remember what we pay attention to- so if we pay attention to the positive in our lives， that will impact what we remember。 Which in turn will impact our general attitude （I think）- or it might be a chicken and egg scenario- are we glass half empty or glass half full and how does that influence what we notice/focus on？ There is also a whole section on what we can do to improve （or at least maintain） our current memory。 Spoiler alert- sleep is powerful。 I highlighted quite a bit and look forward to going back to this book for reference。 I will definitely be recommending it to friends and family。Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an advance copy in exchange for an honest review。 。。。more
Constance Hannah
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This book is really amazing！
Erika
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Really loved this book I would love to purchase a hard copy and add it to my collection。 Thank you to Net Galley for proving me a copy to read。
GONZA
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This book by Lisa Genova differs from the previous ones， because this one is a real essay， i。e。 the author does not tell the story of one of her patients （real or fake） in order to describe the process of remembering， as she did in her previous books about other neurological diseases。This did not bother me at all， also because she has always been a great writer in my opinion， and although I was already familiar with the subject， the book was still very interesting。 Questo libro di Lisa Genova， s This book by Lisa Genova differs from the previous ones， because this one is a real essay， i。e。 the author does not tell the story of one of her patients （real or fake） in order to describe the process of remembering， as she did in her previous books about other neurological diseases。This did not bother me at all， also because she has always been a great writer in my opinion， and although I was already familiar with the subject， the book was still very interesting。 Questo libro di Lisa Genova， si discosta dai precedenti， perché questo é un vero e proprio saggio e cioé l'autrice non racconta la storia di uno dei suoi pazienti （vero o finto che sia） per descrivere il processo del ricordare， com'era stato invece fino ad ora nei suoi libri precedenti riguardo altri disturbo neurologici。Devo ammettere che la cosa non mi ha affatto disturbato， anche perché lei é sempre stata una grande divulgatrice secondo me， e per quanto l'argomento mi fosse giá noto， il libro é stato lo stesso molto interessante。 。。。more
Diane S ☔
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3。 5 A neuroscientist as well as author， Genova takes us on a journey through the human brain， and how it processes our memories。 The chapters cover various topics and there was quite a bit of reinforcement from one chapter to the next。 Constant repetition though is one way we ensure our memories are stored。 She show us how memories are made and what part of the brain。 She dispels several misconceptions which I found reassuring。 Many of our worries about our memories or I should say losing them， 3。 5 A neuroscientist as well as author， Genova takes us on a journey through the human brain， and how it processes our memories。 The chapters cover various topics and there was quite a bit of reinforcement from one chapter to the next。 Constant repetition though is one way we ensure our memories are stored。 She show us how memories are made and what part of the brain。 She dispels several misconceptions which I found reassuring。 Many of our worries about our memories or I should say losing them， are common after all。 Again comforting to know。I knew much of this before from previous readings， so the last chapter is the one I found most informative。 What does and doesn't work to aid in preventing Alzheimers and of course excercise and diet is of utmost importance。 I won't list all the things that help or don't， one should read the book themselves， but I will say that red wine drinkers will be disappointed。 ARC from Edelweiss。 。。。more
Ajla
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You know the author is knowledgeable when the information conveyed in the book are easily digestible without being dumbed down。 Genova explains how memory works， how we remember， why we forget and what we can do to hopefully escape Alzheimer's。 I already knew some things on the topic but I also gained some new knowledge。 You know the author is knowledgeable when the information conveyed in the book are easily digestible without being dumbed down。 Genova explains how memory works， how we remember， why we forget and what we can do to hopefully escape Alzheimer's。 I already knew some things on the topic but I also gained some new knowledge。 。。。more
Paula
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This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 p9 'Without adding your attention， you never formed a memory。。。"p21 "Memory is stored throughout your brain in the pattern of neural activity that was stimulated when the event or information was first experienced。"p23 "Remembering is an associative scavenger hunt， a reconstruction job that involves the activation of many disparate but connected parts of the brain。 We remember memories; we don't replay them。"p34 discusses the choice of being mindful/paying attention to the positive experiences s p9 'Without adding your attention， you never formed a memory。。。"p21 "Memory is stored throughout your brain in the pattern of neural activity that was stimulated when the event or information was first experienced。"p23 "Remembering is an associative scavenger hunt， a reconstruction job that involves the activation of many disparate but connected parts of the brain。 We remember memories; we don't replay them。"p34 discusses the choice of being mindful/paying attention to the positive experiences so that they consolidate into memory。 When depressed， less likely to consolidate the happier moments。 p51-56 Chapter on Muscle Memory: 3 basic types of memory--memory for information （semantic）， memory for what happened （episodic） ， and memory for how to do things （muscle memory）。 Hippocampus essential for forming new semantic and episodic memories。 Muscle memory bond together in basal ganglia， and consolidation requires repeated activation through lots of focused practice。p64 semantic memory is data unattached at any specific life experience。 episodic is attached to a where and when。p66-67 for learning， the spacing effect is more helpful as it gives the hippocampus time to fully consolidate what you've learned， and time to self-test。 p69Self-testing greatly increases recall。p107 "Putting any sensory experience into words distorts and narrows the original memory of the experience。" What an interesting statementAuthor discusses how different people remember events differently depending on what they paid attention to， how much they have thought about the events。 Memory， especially over time， can be right， wrong， or somewhere in between。 Some details may be left out over time， other information added， in the retelling。p125 Baker/baker paradox Easier to remember details of person than name due to associations。p128 "Neurologically， recognition is always easier than recall。"P132 "Prospective memory is our memory for what you need to do later。" Calendars， lists， etc。 so helpful for this。p150 "。。。two main ways to resist the effects of time on memory: repetition and meaning。"p163 "When performing optimally， memory doesn't remember everything。 It retains wha tis meaningful and useful， and it discards that isn't。。。Our ability to forget is likely to be just as vital as is our ability to remember。"p191 "Memory retrieval is far easier， faster， and more likely to be fully summoned when the context of recall matches the context that was present when the memory was formed。 We see this。。。with prospective （what you plan to do）， episodic （what happened）， semantic （information you know）， and muscle （how to do things） memories。"p204 "Stress inhibits you prefrontal cortex， impairing your ability to think。" 。。。more
Tanja Berg
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An incredibly accessible account of how memories are formed， retained and modified。 I didn’t really learn anything new， but now I remember it better。 Personal detail add highlights to the book。 If you want to learn more on how we remember and why we forget， read this。 It’s an easy， I formative and delightful read， highly recommended！
Bill Kupersmith
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Like most aging persons， I’m constantly apprehensive about forgetfulness。 Lately I was trying to recall the name of an evolutionary biologist and all could think of was Carl Sagan， who was an astronomer。 Later， apropos to nothing， the name Stephen Jay Gould popped into my mind—the very name I was trying to recall。 And then I thought of a mnemonic to remember it; Jay Gould the crooked railway magnate。These are the strategies Lisa Genova recommends in her book Memory。 The more associations we have Like most aging persons， I’m constantly apprehensive about forgetfulness。 Lately I was trying to recall the name of an evolutionary biologist and all could think of was Carl Sagan， who was an astronomer。 Later， apropos to nothing， the name Stephen Jay Gould popped into my mind—the very name I was trying to recall。 And then I thought of a mnemonic to remember it; Jay Gould the crooked railway magnate。These are the strategies Lisa Genova recommends in her book Memory。 The more associations we have for an item， the easier it is to recall。 Context is important。 Walked into the living room and then found you can’t recall what you were looking for？ Go back to where you were before and you may well remember it。 And always try to write things down， place them on the calendar of your smart phone， and always have a set place for things when you put them down。 Genova explains based on brain chemistry why these techniques work。 Our brains are designed to forget useless information， so we need ways of signaling them which items they should remember。And like many of us， I’m fearful of dementia。 Actually， forgetting where you parked your Jeep isn’t a sign of dementia。 That’s forgetting you have a Jeep。 When I think back of literally spending entire mornings looking for my car keys or mobile phone （I once found it at the bottom of a basket of dirty clothes after hours of searching everywhere）， I realize how valuable the information in this book is。 Though I cannot regain those lost hours， or the lost memories， I shall be able to form and retain new memories better thanks to this book。 。。。more
Kimberly
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While I was initially disappointed to learn that Lisa Genova’s latest book wasn’t another fiction novel， this was fantastic。 Interesting but also providing useful， actionable tips to improve memory， this is one I’ll read again， and will give as a （hopefully inoffensive） gift to friends。
Cat
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I will read any book Lisa Genova writes - her work is captivating and well researched， and this non-fiction book is no exception！ I devoured it in a couple days。Remember is divided into three sections: how memory works， why we forget， and how we can improve or impair memory through our everyday habits。 Genova relates the research to her own personal experiences and those of people on both ends of the memory spectrum （from highly superior autobiographical memory to Alzheimer's）， and elegantly use I will read any book Lisa Genova writes - her work is captivating and well researched， and this non-fiction book is no exception！ I devoured it in a couple days。Remember is divided into three sections: how memory works， why we forget， and how we can improve or impair memory through our everyday habits。 Genova relates the research to her own personal experiences and those of people on both ends of the memory spectrum （from highly superior autobiographical memory to Alzheimer's）， and elegantly uses the very memory techniques she espouses to make her writing memorable。 。。。more
Kassie Blount
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Interesting book on different types of memories， Alzheimer’s disease and what to do about it。 The author made this read enjoyable by including first hand experiences。 Also made me feel better about some lapses in memories I can experience almost on a daily basis。 I won this book via a goodreads give away
E
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