You Have a New Memory: Essays
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- Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
- Create Date：2025-07-24 00:20:23
- Update Date：2025-09-07
- Status：finish
- Author：Aiden Arata
- ISBN：1538767597
- Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
Reviews
Greyson M
，
I read this book in basically one sitting， I couldn't have put it down if I had tried but I didn't try。 One of those books where when you finally finishr reading you get to walk around the world seeing everything for the first time。 You see the leaves twinkling on the trees and the insects boldly marching along the sidewalk and also you see the bright device in your hand for the first time but you see it as it really is， not as what its been made to be through repetitive collective fixation。 You I read this book in basically one sitting， I couldn't have put it down if I had tried but I didn't try。 One of those books where when you finally finishr reading you get to walk around the world seeing everything for the first time。 You see the leaves twinkling on the trees and the insects boldly marching along the sidewalk and also you see the bright device in your hand for the first time but you see it as it really is， not as what its been made to be through repetitive collective fixation。 You see your teenage years again through fresh eyes and you see your future on this burning planet。Some reviews had trouble with the detached narration and I actually think that's my favorite thing about it -- the frisson between the flame-tinted micro lens and the wide-scoped vistas， all laid out with the same perfectly objective attention to detail。 If this book is for the girlies as another reviewer wrote， please consider me an honorary girlie。 。。。more
Taylor Penn
，
Aiden Arata’s "You Have a New Memory" is less a book of essays and more a curated download of what it feels like to be alive （and online） in the new and old ages of the internet。 Her writing is concise yet metaphorical， sometimes。。。 slippery， but always emotionally precise。 The early essays were the true stand-outs of the collection: “America Online” captures the unease of digital connection with eerie clarity， “What’s Meant For You Won’t Miss” pulses with low-key grief， and “The Museum of Who I Aiden Arata’s "You Have a New Memory" is less a book of essays and more a curated download of what it feels like to be alive （and online） in the new and old ages of the internet。 Her writing is concise yet metaphorical， sometimes。。。 slippery， but always emotionally precise。 The early essays were the true stand-outs of the collection: “America Online” captures the unease of digital connection with eerie clarity， “What’s Meant For You Won’t Miss” pulses with low-key grief， and “The Museum of Who I Want To Be For You” is both cutting and tender。 Arata doesn’t just describe feelings- she builds spaces for them， especially the ones that glitch or loop。 The collection’s second half wanders more inward， less immediate， but the shift feels intentional: a kind of slow log-off a la Homer Simpson fading into the bushes。 The final pages don’t promise clarity; more like a tentative truce or coexistence with the fog。 This book won’t hold your hand; but it will call-to-light the weird little ache of wanting to be SEEN in a world that is always watching。 Lucy Dacus said it best- Arata belongs in the lineage of Didion and Babitz。 "You Have a New Memory" drops tomorrow 7/22/25。 Thank you to Netgalley & Grand Central Publishing for the ARC。 。。。more
Nina D
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Rating: 3。5
Steve Miller
，
to read
Ruby Yassen
，
Very very good ty emily ！！！！ 💗 Cool to write about hopelessness and not understanding what the fuck is happening in the world but with so much hope and presentness
andrea
，
thank you to NetGalley and Grand Central Publishing for the advanced digital copy！this one hits shelves July 22nd， 2025。--you have a new memory is for the girlies。 not girlies in the gendered sense， but in the spiritual one。 the chronically online， meme-fluent， a little-too-self-aware crew who grew up feral on fanfic forums and somehow ended up trying to live intentionally without logging off。 this is a book of essays that doesn't pretend to offer answers， it simply tries to trace the digital me thank you to NetGalley and Grand Central Publishing for the advanced digital copy！this one hits shelves July 22nd， 2025。--you have a new memory is for the girlies。 not girlies in the gendered sense， but in the spiritual one。 the chronically online， meme-fluent， a little-too-self-aware crew who grew up feral on fanfic forums and somehow ended up trying to live intentionally without logging off。 this is a book of essays that doesn't pretend to offer answers， it simply tries to trace the digital mess of how we got here。the collection is strongest when it lingers in the personal。 two standouts: "how to do the right thing"， an essay about the aftermath of a sexual assault， and how survivors often pay more than perpetrators ever will。 it's brutal， brilliant， and incredibly necessary。 the second， "an endless sound loop"， reads like fiction - an ethically non-monogamous love story that unfolds like magic， reminding you that sometimes people find each other in the blur， and it matters。 these essays cracked something open for me。other pieces， like "america online" and "in real life"， channel that early internet nostalgia， the chaos， the freedom， the AIM away messages and sex via lord of the rings characters。 it made me miss the lawless world we came from。 "pink skies over the empire" and "on vibing" take aim at what replaced it: a performative， flattened internet full of influencers， trend cycles， and 'vibes' that have replaced real thought。 vibes， arata argues， are just soma。 distraction。 curated numbness。 this might be one of the most biting critiques of modern culture i've read recently， especially because it's coming from someone inside the machine。the voice throughout is sharp， funny， observant。 but what sets this book apart is its refusal to claim superiority。 there’s no 'i’m not like the other girls' here。 it's more like， 'we are all the same girl， and isn't that kind of beautiful and terrifying？' i felt deeply seen by that。 the self-aware influencer， the nihilistic consumer， the person who orders something stupid off ebay to fill a void that can't be named - yeah。 guilty。 and 'my year of earning and spending' spells it out without judgment。 it just holds up a mirror。not every essay hits the same。 'what's meant for you won't miss' and 'the museum of who i want to be for you' skew more fragmented， sometimes losing their emotional thread。 but even then， there's value in the collage， an inventory of modern girlhood， commodified identity， doomscroll culture， and the contradictions we hold between our thumbs。the final essay， 'it ends and it ends and it ends （on glory）'， brings the collection full circle。 what do we owe the future？ what's the point of trying to be remembered if we never really lived？ aiden arata doesn't promise hope， but she reminds us that meaning is made， not found。if you live online， grew up too fast， miss the old internet， and want to feel something about all of it， this book is for you。 it's messy。 it's sincere。 it's a glitchy love letter to the world we're trying to survive。 。。。more
Michael
，
Thank you so much to Grand Central Publishing for a Goodreads giveaways ARC！ I came into this collection of essays completely blind without any idea of who Aiden Arata is， and I leave it feeling nostalgic， sad， called out， hopeful， and a sense of ennui towards the digital world we all now live in。 This is a strong collection of essays to be able to achieve such a feat- while some were stronger than others （How to Do the Right Thing was a major standout for me， gut-wrenching， devastating， but so Thank you so much to Grand Central Publishing for a Goodreads giveaways ARC！ I came into this collection of essays completely blind without any idea of who Aiden Arata is， and I leave it feeling nostalgic， sad， called out， hopeful， and a sense of ennui towards the digital world we all now live in。 This is a strong collection of essays to be able to achieve such a feat- while some were stronger than others （How to Do the Right Thing was a major standout for me， gut-wrenching， devastating， but so important）， each packed a punch to hit on their thesis and central themes。 Arata is a strong author and an inspiration to persevere， not despite of but partially because of her down-to-earth， almost mundane outlook and collection of experience。 She encompasses a collection of feelings， hopes， and memories of the younger Millennial and older Gen Z generations， and that relatability， and ability to put into words all the things many of us feel but can't quite get a pulse on， is significant。 。。。more
Lucy Dacus
，
I don’t hesitate at all to say Aiden belongs in the lineage of Didion and Babitz as a new hot， smart， incisive California girl translating the weirdness of our time into something palpable， in all the sensitive and strange detail her lens is uniquely able to capture。 Primarily about her experiences on the internet and the way they affect her （and us） in the off-screen world， she manages to bring a pulse to places and situations I have primarily written off as “fake”。 It was a great reminder that I don’t hesitate at all to say Aiden belongs in the lineage of Didion and Babitz as a new hot， smart， incisive California girl translating the weirdness of our time into something palpable， in all the sensitive and strange detail her lens is uniquely able to capture。 Primarily about her experiences on the internet and the way they affect her （and us） in the off-screen world， she manages to bring a pulse to places and situations I have primarily written off as “fake”。 It was a great reminder that the internet is made up of people。 It’s where she meets friends， makes money， learns about and communicates danger， and finds love。 The same can be said for many of us。 She successfully does one of my favorite things good writers can do- she looks into the deep and speaks on it with clarifying simplicity， then turns around and looks at the simple to draw depths from it。 It’s amazing to see someone with a great sense of humor and awareness of irony still manage to come across sincere。 Can’t recommend enough。 。。。more
Tayler
，
Sometimes I worry that if I read something a little too on the nose to my own thoughts and anxieties， I won’t like it。 So when Aiden Arata pulled a few particular experiences from my own annoying little psyche， I had to lean into the punch。 You Have a New Memory is a collection of essays on a modern life， lived relatively online。 There’s a huge irony to running a silly little bookstagram and then cackling at how feverish the internet can make you feel。 In one essay， Arata travels far away to wha Sometimes I worry that if I read something a little too on the nose to my own thoughts and anxieties， I won’t like it。 So when Aiden Arata pulled a few particular experiences from my own annoying little psyche， I had to lean into the punch。 You Have a New Memory is a collection of essays on a modern life， lived relatively online。 There’s a huge irony to running a silly little bookstagram and then cackling at how feverish the internet can make you feel。 In one essay， Arata travels far away to what she thought was a convent of nuns who would welcome her with soft feminine exploration of our place in the world。 But by accident， she’s in a Carthusian silent retreat wondering if she’s hallucinated yet。 Other essays question love， our place in the climate disaster， the influencer economy。 I realized I was clenching my jaw while reading most of “How to do the Right Thing” a story of calling out and calling in the predators in your life。 When a man Arata knew was publicly called out， she first tries to be a compassionately honest friend but soon realizes that she’s experienced abuse too。 I had my own semi-public me too moment of 2017。 Arata so vividly captures the reeling strangeness that comes with exposing yourself in the hopes of stopping harm。 In the end， I still don’t really know if it helped。 “How to do the Right Thing” was a strange mirror of comfort。 This books is for you。 You incredibly online soul， who is trying to exist in our strange modern world while deeply wishing to be cozy。 At the very least， please sample Arata‘s esoteric memes as a starting point。 Thanks to Grand Central Publishing for this advanced copy。 。。。more
E。R。 Burgess
，
I feel like Arata's debut is a tour de force that captures the zeitgeist of our digital age。 The stream of consciousness style is exhilarating， offering readers a visceral experience that mirrors the frenetic nature of the online world。 This approach provides deep insights into the modern consciousness。Arata's talent shines through in her powerful command of language。 Her ability to weave complex ideas with accessible prose is truly a joy to read。 The author's unique voice – at once witty， incis I feel like Arata's debut is a tour de force that captures the zeitgeist of our digital age。 The stream of consciousness style is exhilarating， offering readers a visceral experience that mirrors the frenetic nature of the online world。 This approach provides deep insights into the modern consciousness。Arata's talent shines through in her powerful command of language。 Her ability to weave complex ideas with accessible prose is truly a joy to read。 The author's unique voice – at once witty， incisive， and deeply reflective – brings a fresh perspective to a critique of internet culture。 It's a must-read for anyone seeking to make sense of their relationship with technology and the internet in the 21st century。 。。。more
Tate （booktimewithtate）
，
This read was a layered experience。 Aiden Arata writes beautifully—there's a dreamlike， dense quality to her prose that pulled me in but also made me pause often to fully absorb it。 Lately， I've noticed this with essay collections in general for me: last year， I devoured them easily， but this year， it's been more of a slow vibe。This collection explores the strange tenderness and anxiety of being young and online today， touching on meme culture， stay-at-home girlfriend content， emotional commodif This read was a layered experience。 Aiden Arata writes beautifully—there's a dreamlike， dense quality to her prose that pulled me in but also made me pause often to fully absorb it。 Lately， I've noticed this with essay collections in general for me: last year， I devoured them easily， but this year， it's been more of a slow vibe。This collection explores the strange tenderness and anxiety of being young and online today， touching on meme culture， stay-at-home girlfriend content， emotional commodification， and the often-blurry line between online and offline existence。 Arata captures the contradictions of digital life with sharp insight and vulnerability。There were times I felt like I was almost drowning in the language—getting lost in the current before resurfacing with a new thought or a new feeling。 But honestly， that feels fitting for a book about living through the internet's strange tides。 If you're looking for a collection that mirrors the disorienting， beautiful mess of modern online life， this is one to sit with slowly。Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the advance copy！！！！！！ 。。。more
Lavelle
，
"I don't know how to tell him that it's not even that I want forgiveness for doing the wrong thing， but that I don't even know if I'm doing the wrong thing。 Or I want blazing horny visions， divine contact， and that makes me feel ashamed because I know I'm not special。 No emergency exit。 What if I did turn inward—what if I found the center， and there's nothing there？"a compelling collection of essays about life in the Age of the Internet， that was depressing and hopeful in equal measure。 as someo "I don't know how to tell him that it's not even that I want forgiveness for doing the wrong thing， but that I don't even know if I'm doing the wrong thing。 Or I want blazing horny visions， divine contact， and that makes me feel ashamed because I know I'm not special。 No emergency exit。 What if I did turn inward—what if I found the center， and there's nothing there？"a compelling collection of essays about life in the Age of the Internet， that was depressing and hopeful in equal measure。 as someone who's spent almost her entire life navigating the online world （and will most likely continue doing so）， I found this really interesting and relatable， if also a little disheartening in precisely how relatable it was lmao 。。。more
Tess
，
Drawn in by the title and the cover， YOU HAVE A NEW MEMORY ended up not being what I expected。 I was not familiar with Aiden Arata before cracking this open and unfortunately， I don't feel like I know her anymore after reading。 I was excited about reading a nuanced and emotionally intellectual social media criticism （you can take the media studies major out of grad school but etc etc）， but instead it was a bit of a messy memoir that felt all over the place and offered no substantial insight。 Thi Drawn in by the title and the cover， YOU HAVE A NEW MEMORY ended up not being what I expected。 I was not familiar with Aiden Arata before cracking this open and unfortunately， I don't feel like I know her anymore after reading。 I was excited about reading a nuanced and emotionally intellectual social media criticism （you can take the media studies major out of grad school but etc etc）， but instead it was a bit of a messy memoir that felt all over the place and offered no substantial insight。 This may work for others， but the detached quality without any interesting critiques just made this a flop for me。 。。。more
Tamara
，
interesting and nostalgic reflections on the advent of the internet age; the monastery essay was my favorite， even though i don't know if i understand the purpose of that journey， unless it was solely to write about it later。 i wish that everyone could be more present and vulnerable with each other but we also all live on the internet。 interesting and nostalgic reflections on the advent of the internet age; the monastery essay was my favorite， even though i don't know if i understand the purpose of that journey， unless it was solely to write about it later。 i wish that everyone could be more present and vulnerable with each other but we also all live on the internet。 。。。more
John Michael Stroh
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This author/Internet influencer（so-called） is a prime example of the negative impact the Internet has had and continues to have on the world。
nigel （nicole） paczkowski
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The first two essays "Pink Skies Over the Horizon" and "America Online" were really strong， but I found the rest not as much。"Pink Skies" had a really immersive scientific metaphor with how the unbreakability of the Venus of Dolní Věstonice mirrors our compulsion to preserve everything in our lives。 Arata includes other such metphors into the other essays， such as the minute difference in chemical composition of two enzymes that both produce euphoria in "An Endless Soundless Loop，" but none of t The first two essays "Pink Skies Over the Horizon" and "America Online" were really strong， but I found the rest not as much。"Pink Skies" had a really immersive scientific metaphor with how the unbreakability of the Venus of Dolní Věstonice mirrors our compulsion to preserve everything in our lives。 Arata includes other such metphors into the other essays， such as the minute difference in chemical composition of two enzymes that both produce euphoria in "An Endless Soundless Loop，" but none of them serve as a driver in those essays， so they just felt like cool fun facts that allowed Arata to simply repeat what she had already said。"America Online" was really well-done with the parallel narratives and the various alter-egos that everyone inhabited， all of which made the essay itself highly immersive。 Though her other essays such as "How to Do the Right Thing" pertain to more serious topics that Arata's extremely brave in writing about， I just didn't find them as captivating。 I don't know， this all feels a little weird to say， because I'm not trying to critique Arata's experiences， just the style in which she's written about them， but they're kind of intertwined。。。so I'm just going to leave it at that。Very grateful for the eARC， thank you Grand Central Publishing！ 。。。more
CB_Read
，
This book presents the unexpected in several different ways。 The jacket copy isn't really accurate to what "You Have A New Memory" is about， but you can look past that。 Arata's writing is always swift， often metaphoric， and sometimes cryptic。 The tone feels like stream-of-consciousness， but that could be a rhetorical effect from years spent writing and reading on the internet。 Her insights were surprising， timely， and relevant。 The early essays--"America Online，" "On Vibing，" "What's Meant For Y This book presents the unexpected in several different ways。 The jacket copy isn't really accurate to what "You Have A New Memory" is about， but you can look past that。 Arata's writing is always swift， often metaphoric， and sometimes cryptic。 The tone feels like stream-of-consciousness， but that could be a rhetorical effect from years spent writing and reading on the internet。 Her insights were surprising， timely， and relevant。 The early essays--"America Online，" "On Vibing，" "What's Meant For You Won't Miss，" and "The Museum of Who I Want To Be For You"--are the strongest and most memorable。The essays after this point become longer and more repetitive。 They become more ephemeral at the same time they become more personal。 They grow more reflective while also becoming more self-contained， more solipsistic。 I have no familiarity with Arata's online/social presence or work as a visual artist; I only know her through her writing。 The first half of the collection felt like I was getting to know her。 The second half felt more guarded， like she decided she no longer wanted to be known。 （Again， this is when the essays become more personal， so a strange contradiction。）The last essay ends on an elusive note， with Arata searching for the point of it all -- why go on living when even the earth is doomed to fail？ -- a point of secret wisdom or grand conclusion that remains hidden to all writers。 While not quite a platitude， the takeaway can best be summed up with Arata's "plastic bag theory": "Basically， the internet， like a plastic bag， is a container that is both disposable and forever， and when we use the internet we become disposable and forever too。 。 。 。 I am both a flimsy vessel and an agent of destruction" （ebook 2561）。 Arata makes several fine points in this book， and I read them as genuine and sincere， rather than ironic and nihilistic。 But I also feel like the book is attempting to be a type of performance art， something temporary and self-effacing with the ambition of being remembered by its observers （readers）。Reflecting on this book reminds me of the opening line from Namwali Serpell's novel "The Furrows，" "I don't want to tell you what happened。 I want to tell you how it felt" （1）。 Arata might be suggesting a similar conviction in this book--to savor the feeling of reading her essays， even if you forget what they were ultimately about。 Like standing up in a speeding car and feeling warm air hurtling toward your skin， while your eyes remain closed and incapable of articulating the details of the vista that escapes your understanding。 。。。more
MK
，
The only thing I learned from this book is that if you hang around your ethically dubious non-monogamous boyfriend long enough， he'll eventually leave his long-time girlfriend for you。 Not sure who this book is for except for people interested in the extended Phoebe Bridgers cinematic universe and fans of the movie Children of Men*。*author’s father wrote Children of Men。 Great movie！ The only thing I learned from this book is that if you hang around your ethically dubious non-monogamous boyfriend long enough， he'll eventually leave his long-time girlfriend for you。 Not sure who this book is for except for people interested in the extended Phoebe Bridgers cinematic universe and fans of the movie Children of Men*。*author’s father wrote Children of Men。 Great movie！ 。。。more
CJ Alberts
，
I like Aiden’s internet presence （would that mean I like her work then lol） so I went into this with high hopes and feel a lil mixed bag about it。 If I had to expand on that I guess it’s the tone， incredibly impersonal and removed （purposeful I’m assuming） but I feel like I need a tonal balance when the content of the essays is mostly internet economy based。 Lots of pulled in citations too and references of other texts that felt chunky and not needed。 Idk curious to what other people get from th I like Aiden’s internet presence （would that mean I like her work then lol） so I went into this with high hopes and feel a lil mixed bag about it。 If I had to expand on that I guess it’s the tone， incredibly impersonal and removed （purposeful I’m assuming） but I feel like I need a tonal balance when the content of the essays is mostly internet economy based。 Lots of pulled in citations too and references of other texts that felt chunky and not needed。 Idk curious to what other people get from this tho 。。。more
Lottie from book club
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uuuaaaaghhhh， etc。
Stefan
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