The Rag and Bone Shop: How We Make Memories and Memories Make Us
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- Author：Veronica O'Keane
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Summary
A leading psychiatrist shows how the mysteries of the brain are illuminated at the extremes of human experience
A twinge of sadness， a rush of love， a knot of loss， a whiff of regret。 Memories have the power to move us， often when we least expect it， a sign of the complex neural process that continues in the background of our everyday lives。 A process that shapes us: filtering the world around us， informing our behaviour and feeding our imagination。
As a practising psychiatrist， Veronica O'Keane has spent many years observing how memory and experience are interwoven。 In this rich， fascinating exploration， she asks， among other things， why can memories feel so real？ How are our sensations and perceptions connected with them？ Why is place so important in memory？ Are there such things as 'true' and 'false' memories？ And， above all， what happens when the process of memory is disrupted by mental illness？ Here O' Keane uses the broken memories of psychosis to illuminate the integrated human brain， offering a new way of thinking about our own personal experiences。
Drawing on the poignant stories of her patients and much more， from literature and fairy tales， O'Keane uses the latest neuroscientific research to reframe our understanding of the extraordinary puzzle that is the human brain; from birth through to adolescence and old age。 This book is a testament to the courage - and suffering - of those who live with serious mental illness， showing how their experiences unlock everything we know and feel。
A twinge of sadness， a rush of love， a knot of loss， a whiff of regret。 Memories have the power to move us， often when we least expect it， a sign of the complex neural process that continues in the background of our everyday lives。 A process that shapes us: filtering the world around us， informing our behaviour and feeding our imagination。
As a practising psychiatrist， Veronica O'Keane has spent many years observing how memory and experience are interwoven。 In this rich， fascinating exploration， she asks， among other things， why can memories feel so real？ How are our sensations and perceptions connected with them？ Why is place so important in memory？ Are there such things as 'true' and 'false' memories？ And， above all， what happens when the process of memory is disrupted by mental illness？ Here O' Keane uses the broken memories of psychosis to illuminate the integrated human brain， offering a new way of thinking about our own personal experiences。
Drawing on the poignant stories of her patients and much more， from literature and fairy tales， O'Keane uses the latest neuroscientific research to reframe our understanding of the extraordinary puzzle that is the human brain; from birth through to adolescence and old age。 This book is a testament to the courage - and suffering - of those who live with serious mental illness， showing how their experiences unlock everything we know and feel。
Reviews
Jane Hunt
，
This is a fascinating exploration of the human mind by a psychiatrist who has spent her life researching the mind and all its complexities。 The book focuses on memory， drawing on advances in neuroscience， historical knowledge， personal experiences and case studies of 。psychiatric evaluation。 The process of memory-making is a human mystery which medics， philosophers and scientists have always been keen to solve。 This book looks at the evidence from all of these with practical examples of how the This is a fascinating exploration of the human mind by a psychiatrist who has spent her life researching the mind and all its complexities。 The book focuses on memory， drawing on advances in neuroscience， historical knowledge， personal experiences and case studies of 。psychiatric evaluation。 The process of memory-making is a human mystery which medics， philosophers and scientists have always been keen to solve。 This book looks at the evidence from all of these with practical examples of how the mind works and what happens when it doesn't。 Its writing style draws the reader into the subject without a need for detailed medical or scientific knowledge with a balance of anecdote， case studies and more factual historical， medical and scientific references。 It is an engaging read aimed at a wide inquiring but lay readership。I received a copy of this book from Penguin Press UK via NetGalley in return for an honest review。 。。。more
Therese
，
This book certainly gets your neurons firing on all cylinders。 You will feel your brain laying down new networks as， in her exploration of memory， Professor O’Keane draws connections between the latest findings in neuroscience， psychiatric case studies， her own memories， fairy tales and the writings of Proust， Sartre， WB Yeats， Samuel Beckett， TS Eliot and Paula Meehan。 It took me weeks to read this book， as I’m not a scientist and really struggled with the scientific descriptions of the working This book certainly gets your neurons firing on all cylinders。 You will feel your brain laying down new networks as， in her exploration of memory， Professor O’Keane draws connections between the latest findings in neuroscience， psychiatric case studies， her own memories， fairy tales and the writings of Proust， Sartre， WB Yeats， Samuel Beckett， TS Eliot and Paula Meehan。 It took me weeks to read this book， as I’m not a scientist and really struggled with the scientific descriptions of the workings of the brain。 I can’t get my brain around the idea that cells fire together in order to create a transient memory then wire together in order to form a permanent memory。 Experiments on rats have shown that each cell can hold a memory of a specific place。 Mind boggling。 I’ve always thought that we had a fixed and accurate store of memory that we could recall or not。 However， it seems that all biographical memory is to some degree false: memory is ‘derived from the infinite jostling and flarings of neurons in a vast， pervasive connectivity of present experience interacting with memory networks’。 In other words， the events of the present change the past。 Professor O’Keane suggests that the ‘great creative thinkers’ intuited aspects of memory that scientists are just beginning to discover。 For example， Proust somehow knew through his own observations that smell ‘is remembered as a feeling’。 Smell neurons trigger feelings in the amygdala before we are even aware of what we are smelling。 Other sensory experiences take longer to get there。 St Augustine of Hippo， similarly， intuited that only the present exists; 15 centuries later， the neuroscientist Daniel Schachter showed that the same brain circuits are employed when thinking about the past and the future。 This explains why people with Alzheimer’s have difficulty imagining the future as well as retrieving past memories。 It is memory that provides our yardstick of time and knits our present to our past and future， giving us a sense of ‘being inside’ our own lives。 Professor O’Keane is a psychiatrist who writes with great compassion about her patients whose memory has been affected by trauma; a scientist who explains the neural circuitry of memory; and an artist who writes lyrically about her own memories。 This is an extraordinary book which I could read and reread and learn something new every time。Many thanks to NetGalley and Allen Lane publishers for a free ARC in exchange for an honest review。 。。。more
Denyce
，
I was attracted to this title because I have had cause in the past to query the making of memories， a subject which interests me a great deal。This book requires your attention。 It is not a difficult read， but there is plenty of information to process about the mind and brain， coming from both a scientific and case based perspective。 I found that the case studies provided a much welcome break from the science， allowing me to have time to digest all the text book information。 They were also insigh I was attracted to this title because I have had cause in the past to query the making of memories， a subject which interests me a great deal。This book requires your attention。 It is not a difficult read， but there is plenty of information to process about the mind and brain， coming from both a scientific and case based perspective。 I found that the case studies provided a much welcome break from the science， allowing me to have time to digest all the text book information。 They were also insightful and an interesting insight into mental illness。There are literary references too， which include Beckett and Proust， which deal with memory and how they are made。 It is a very well written， informative book， but not for anyone who isn't prepared to concentrate！Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a copy of this book in return for an honest review。 。。。more
Carol Barnes
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A fascinating and informative study of the human mind and memory written in an engaging and informative style。 Of interest to practitioners and laymen alike。
Ian Lea
，
Fascinating and mostly an excellent science vs case history vs personal balance， but went off the boil towards the end。
Danay Koftori
，
I really tried to like this book。 The subject was really interesting to me and I was keen to learn more。 Sadly， the writing style was just not for me。 I kept pushing myself to try and finish it but in the end it just was not enjoyable。 There's a lot of unecessary information in there and the explanation of the science still feels difficult and confusing。 I felt like I was reading a 200 page long scientifc paper instead of a book。 And even though I wanted to learn more about how we remember and h I really tried to like this book。 The subject was really interesting to me and I was keen to learn more。 Sadly， the writing style was just not for me。 I kept pushing myself to try and finish it but in the end it just was not enjoyable。 There's a lot of unecessary information in there and the explanation of the science still feels difficult and confusing。 I felt like I was reading a 200 page long scientifc paper instead of a book。 And even though I wanted to learn more about how we remember and how we form memories every time I closed the book I was just more confused。 There is a lot of information but it is not organised properly so nothing sticks。 And for a book that is exploring how are mind rememembers， it felt very disappointing not to be able to remember anything。 Overall ， a very interesting subject but poorly executed。 。。。more
Jo-anne Atkinson
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The human brain is a complex organ and one in which we are just beginning to make strides in our understanding。 Here， neuroscience and medicine come together in an exploration of memory and the tricks our minds can play on us。 There is a lot of heavy scientific content which can slow down the reader but this is interspersed by historical narrative and first person experiences。 Written by an experienced practitioner， cases are used to illustrate the manifestation of the brain chemistry。 I found t The human brain is a complex organ and one in which we are just beginning to make strides in our understanding。 Here， neuroscience and medicine come together in an exploration of memory and the tricks our minds can play on us。 There is a lot of heavy scientific content which can slow down the reader but this is interspersed by historical narrative and first person experiences。 Written by an experienced practitioner， cases are used to illustrate the manifestation of the brain chemistry。 I found this book fascinating and quite sad as individuals cope with symptoms that seem so real to them but not to the rationale mind。 Not every story has a happy ending but O'Keane's passion and sympathy shine through。 。。。more
Calum Falconer
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There are some fascinating points made but overall the book feels like it’s not one thing or the other。“Moonwalking with Einstein” by Joshua Foer is a much more interesting book on memory。
Harley
，
This book in 3 words: accessible， personal， memoryReminded me of: another I don’t think compares to other books I’ve read – in a good way。Memories are a huge part of our lives， they bring us sadness， joy， that feeling of nostalgia， moments of regret。 They are part of our human-ness， our lived experience and the backdrop to so much that we do。 O’Keane’s book asks ‘How do our brains store – and then conjure up – past experiences？’ Drawing from her experiences as a psychiatrist， balancing personal This book in 3 words: accessible， personal， memoryReminded me of: another I don’t think compares to other books I’ve read – in a good way。Memories are a huge part of our lives， they bring us sadness， joy， that feeling of nostalgia， moments of regret。 They are part of our human-ness， our lived experience and the backdrop to so much that we do。 O’Keane’s book asks ‘How do our brains store – and then conjure up – past experiences？’ Drawing from her experiences as a psychiatrist， balancing personal anecdotes with scientific evidence， as well as fairy tales and literature， O’Keane presents a book which shines a light on the way our minds work， as well as raising questions about what that means for us in our world。I really enjoyed this， although it isn’t the kind of book I would usually pick up。 If I’m going for science， it’s always going to be in the realm of ‘pop science’， which I’d describe as an opinion-based essay with just enough scientific references to add credibility to the work， without being too overwhelming for the layperson。 O’Keane’s book is slightly different， in that the science is heavily in the foreground of the writing。 This is a book concerned with the way science has developed and what that has meant for the treatment of mental health disorders。 The science is vital， it’s the bit that forces us to question how we think about memory。For that reason， at first I was a bit overwhelmed reading this， mostly because I was worried I didn’t always understand the terms being used。 I realised about a third of the way through though that this didn’t matter and I think that’s what made this such a good read for me。 I had both the science and the interpretation， the lens of O’Keane’s personal history and the literature chosen。For that reason， it was accessible， interesting and educational all in one go。 A really enjoyable and thought provoking read。*Thanks NetGalley & Allen Lane for allowing me access to this advance read copy！ 。。。more
Lucy-Bookworm
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The book delves into the scientific and cognitive processes that are involved in creating & recalling memories， but also what consciousness really is and how our idea of self is developed。 Overall this is an accessible exploration of how humans develop， recall & process memories and the links with emotions。 There is enough science to ensure credibility， but also references to literature and folklore as well as case studies， anecdotes & stories from the author’s practice as a psychiatrist to make The book delves into the scientific and cognitive processes that are involved in creating & recalling memories， but also what consciousness really is and how our idea of self is developed。 Overall this is an accessible exploration of how humans develop， recall & process memories and the links with emotions。 There is enough science to ensure credibility， but also references to literature and folklore as well as case studies， anecdotes & stories from the author’s practice as a psychiatrist to make it interesting & relevant。 I particularly enjoyed the historical sections， looking at what we use to think about the brain & treat those who were mentally ill compared to current practice。It’s quite a serious book & not one to skim read， but the style of writing makes it easy for the non-medical person to understand， though it will be of more interest to those with an interest in science or perhaps someone looking to delve into memory after having a loved one diagnosed with Alzheimers or similar。 I am not sure about the title （taken from a W B Yeats quote “the rag and bone shop of the heart”） and think that the subtitle “How We Make Memories and Memories Make Us” would be better explored as a title。Disclosure: I received an advance reader copy of this book free from the publisher via NetGalley。 Whilst my thanks go to the author， publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this， all opinions are my own。 #TheRagandBoneShop #NetGalley 。。。more
Kate Potapenko
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I was very curious about how memories are actually formed as I've read a little about it before， but I never thought of the way memories do form us in a way。 This book was full of discoveries for me。 I was taking my time with it as so many things needed to be digested slowly。 Definitely wasn't the one to rush。It is written in a language that is easy to read and understand， but it gives you such an indepth look into how our brain works in the memory department and how it may affect us in all diff I was very curious about how memories are actually formed as I've read a little about it before， but I never thought of the way memories do form us in a way。 This book was full of discoveries for me。 I was taking my time with it as so many things needed to be digested slowly。 Definitely wasn't the one to rush。It is written in a language that is easy to read and understand， but it gives you such an indepth look into how our brain works in the memory department and how it may affect us in all different ways。It was a brilliant and indulgent read。 I have thoroughly enjoyed it！Thank you #NetGalley for a free copy in exchange for feedback 。。。more
Catalina
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Ideas come and go， adrift on a sea of cultural zeitgeists， but living human experience， at the end of the day， is bigger than ideas - just like the brain， experience is irreducible。 One's state of normality， as Hippocrates would have called it， is for each of us to find， and none of us to judge。An enthralling look at memory: the complex processes/parts of the brain involved in the formation， storage， editing of memories from childhood to adulthood; but also how memories impact our idea of self a Ideas come and go， adrift on a sea of cultural zeitgeists， but living human experience， at the end of the day， is bigger than ideas - just like the brain， experience is irreducible。 One's state of normality， as Hippocrates would have called it， is for each of us to find， and none of us to judge。An enthralling look at memory: the complex processes/parts of the brain involved in the formation， storage， editing of memories from childhood to adulthood; but also how memories impact our idea of self and our personal stories。 Through a combination of scientific research， patient cases， literature and personal experiences O'Keane builds a very detailed image of what is happening in the brain re memories， but also presents us with a historical view of what we use to think about the brain， the mentally ill and how everything is in constant change now due to the rise of neuroscience and brain imagining。 Despite this falling in the popular science category， there's still a lot of scientific terminology as well as an in depth exploration of processes and the brain to require quite a bit of attention/dedication from the reader。 It can even be challenging at time and I guess it's going to be more for those with an interest in science than for a reader of fiction。 But at far as I am concerned， it was an engaging and very informative read that I wholeheartedly recommend。 As we age， sensation is no longer knocking down the door to swarm the brain: it is being increasingly deftly processed without much attention being applied。 Adults may even get to the point where they automatically process， and fail to appreciate， the over-familiar beauty in the natural world or the sensory vitality in a city lived in for decades。 Yes， it would be nice， one may sometime think， to return to the days of childhood， to the simplicity of experiencing， rather than interpreting the living world。 But we inevitably fall out of the relatively uncomplicated interpretations of childhood to the more layered interpretations of maturity。 One may take a sentimental view of what if often called 'innocence' -the Romantic era in literature was steeped in the idealization of lost innocence - but the refining of prefontal networks in adulthood brings with it an improved ability to understand and to predict， and overall greater self-efficacy and self-realization。 This wisdom， if it develops， can bring great peace of mind， and stability for society。*Book from NetGalley with many thanks to the publisher！ 。。。more
Brian Clegg
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Many people don't realise how recently medicine has come to be scientific。 This didn't really occur comprehensively with most areas of medicine until the second half of the twentieth century。 The area that has arguably lagged far behind the rest is mental health， where outdated Victorian ideas （such as those of Freud） with no scientific basis have clung on， as if we still resorted to bleeding people to make them better。Although the book centres on memory， Veronica O'Keane shows impressively how Many people don't realise how recently medicine has come to be scientific。 This didn't really occur comprehensively with most areas of medicine until the second half of the twentieth century。 The area that has arguably lagged far behind the rest is mental health， where outdated Victorian ideas （such as those of Freud） with no scientific basis have clung on， as if we still resorted to bleeding people to make them better。Although the book centres on memory， Veronica O'Keane shows impressively how the increasing awareness of the impossibility of divorcing aspects of the mind from the physical aspects of the brain make it necessary to have a very different understanding of mental health issues。 Often an understanding of physical problems with the brain have been developed from medical cases， and O'Keane takes us effectively and interestingly through some of these cases and the functions of the different parts of the brain relevant to memory and how problems with them can induce anything from amnesia to hallucinations。There was a small issue with a brief foray into history of science， where O'Keane comments that heliocentrism 'effectively removed Earth from the creationist dogma of the Church。 At that time， the belief systems of the Church had dominated thinking for one and a half thousand years。' This sounds like a recycling of the Victorian attempt to blame Christianity for the non-existent 'dark ages' and （leaving aside the fact the 'Church' didn't exist in this sense 1500 years before Copernicus and Galileo） totally overlooks the fact that Aristotelian physics - the norm in the 1500s - would simply not work without the Earth at the centre of the universe。The only reason I haven't rated the book higher， though， is that I didn't enjoy reading it。 The scientific content is great， but the way it's presented just didn't work for me。 Sometimes the writing can be rather long-winded。 For example， the entire chapter 2 boils down to 'we encounter/learn things through our senses'， as if this is some sort of revelation。 But for the rest， it's more about style: if some popular science is like a good action thriller this is more like reading literary fiction。 If you enjoy literary fiction and 'intellectual' plays， this will make the book a delight。 If you find the likes of Samuel Beckett and Proust pretentious and boring， （Beckett particularly is heavily referenced here） then it will make for a difficult read。Overall， then， this is a marmite book。 The content is great， but the presentation of that content will be wonderful to some and irritating to others。 。。。more
Laura Lee
，
3。5* As per the tagline， in The Rag and Bone Shop， O'Keane is looking at how we make memories， and how they make us。 The book spans a range of content， from the specific processes involved in the brain to understand， form and store sensate experiences as feeling memories to the intersection of memory with wider concepts such as consciousness， selfhood and collective memory。 The focus of the book is not quite what I had expected， but this is on me as I was looking for something a bit more flowery 3。5* As per the tagline， in The Rag and Bone Shop， O'Keane is looking at how we make memories， and how they make us。 The book spans a range of content， from the specific processes involved in the brain to understand， form and store sensate experiences as feeling memories to the intersection of memory with wider concepts such as consciousness， selfhood and collective memory。 The focus of the book is not quite what I had expected， but this is on me as I was looking for something a bit more flowery and philosophical whereas this takes a more scientifically detailed approach of looking at memory processes themselves， supported by key psychology case studies and those of her own personal and professional experience。 I do feel that I have come out of this book with a better technical understanding of memory as well as a new perspective as a reader of human stories in terms of how narratives are constructed and the interplay between age and mental illness with memory and perception。 O'Keane's journey through memory also took on a personal significance for me， as we moved through the chapters I was able to revisit many cherished memories and reflect upon their pervasiveness in my life and identity。 Like all writings that are so broad in scope， some chapters were more appealing to me than others。 I particularly enjoyed those touching on the significance of place for the recall of memory and emotion and on the way in which memory is constantly in flux and reconstructed in the context of the present。 Likewise， there were areas I would have liked to have seen O'Keane push a bit more， the section on collective memory in particular felt a bit weak and limited。 I also think it would have been valuable to see more non-Western perspectives embraced in the volume。 However this is of course a very personal commentary of what I find interesting and would like to think about in a bit more detail。Overall this is an accessible and wide reaching look at the human experience/process of memory that I think would serve to open up new perspectives and ideas with which to consider almost all areas of life （due to the all-encompassing nature of memory！） and if nothing else， will take you on a （mostly） pleasant trip down memory lane。"Present experience and memory are in a never-ending dance of construction and re-construction" 。。。more
Amanda
，
Psychiatrist Veronica O'Keane explores the meaning and nature of memory。 Drawing on clinical observation， and referencing literature， film and folklore， O’Keane covers the latest research in neuroscience， as well as giving a potted history of what we understand of memory and the mind， a tour of the brain， and an explanation of biographical and cultural memory。The aspects covered are so wide-ranging， this book is likely to be one which the average reader will dip in and out – I’ve marked several Psychiatrist Veronica O'Keane explores the meaning and nature of memory。 Drawing on clinical observation， and referencing literature， film and folklore， O’Keane covers the latest research in neuroscience， as well as giving a potted history of what we understand of memory and the mind， a tour of the brain， and an explanation of biographical and cultural memory。The aspects covered are so wide-ranging， this book is likely to be one which the average reader will dip in and out – I’ve marked several passages I want to return to in future。Well-researched， accessible and enthralling。My thanks to NetGalley and Penguin Press UK for the ARC。 。。。more
Stacey Bookerworm
，
The Rag and Bone Shop is a book about the complex neurological processes involved in making and storing memories。 Read more of our review here: http://www。bookerworm。com/reviews/669。。。 The Rag and Bone Shop is a book about the complex neurological processes involved in making and storing memories。 Read more of our review here: http://www。bookerworm。com/reviews/669。。。 。。。more
Lou Barber
，
The Rag and Bone Shop is a fascinating account of memories - how we form them， and how the areas of our brains interact to allow us to access them。 It also examines how mental illness and brain disorders affect our memories。 Written by a psychiatrist， the author draws on real life case studies which brings the subject to life。 History and philosophy also form the background to this examination of neuroscience， and despite some scientific detail， it is quite accessible to the layperson。
Val
，
I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for a honest reviewA very fascinating read on how our brains work， how we form memories， and how do they affect us。 Veronica O'Keane touches on cognitive， social and developmental psychology among others， making it easy for anyone to understand even without a prior knowledge of psychology/psychiatry。 Straightforward explanations of how neurons work and how dendrites connect between one another and descriptions of how the amydgala works and the importa I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for a honest reviewA very fascinating read on how our brains work， how we form memories， and how do they affect us。 Veronica O'Keane touches on cognitive， social and developmental psychology among others， making it easy for anyone to understand even without a prior knowledge of psychology/psychiatry。 Straightforward explanations of how neurons work and how dendrites connect between one another and descriptions of how the amydgala works and the importance of the hyppocampus are backed up by stories of real-life patients that O'Keane dealt with personally during her career as a psychiatrist。 Sometimes， she brings in novels and poetry as well， demonstrating how psychosis is actually way more common in our world than we might think。 We probably just don't really know that we're reading or listening about a psychothic episode。 Among the authors and works cited， we see W。B。 Yeats multiple times， but also Dostoevsky， Virginia Woolf， Aldous Huxley， and Henry James。The books feels like O'Keane is in front of you， explaining everything you didn't realise you wanted to know about memories and the brain。 It's a thought-provoking book that would be perfect for anyone interested in the topic。 I personally have a rudimentary knowledge of psychology as it was part of my BA so I was already aware of a good amount of the concepts touched upon on the book。 For me it was a good refresh of the good old uni days， but no prior knowledge is required to appreciate this book fully。 。。。more
Canadian Reader
，
Rating: 3。5Veronica O’Keane has been a practising psychiatrist and researcher for over thirty-five years。 She has worked in both England and Ireland and has particular expertise in the diagnosis and treatment of post-partum psychosis and depressive illness。 She explains that when she was training， Freudian theory and therapeutic technique dominated the field of psychiatry， but that from the late 1990s on discoveries in neuroscience have shed light on the biological underpinnings of mental illnes Rating: 3。5Veronica O’Keane has been a practising psychiatrist and researcher for over thirty-five years。 She has worked in both England and Ireland and has particular expertise in the diagnosis and treatment of post-partum psychosis and depressive illness。 She explains that when she was training， Freudian theory and therapeutic technique dominated the field of psychiatry， but that from the late 1990s on discoveries in neuroscience have shed light on the biological underpinnings of mental illness。 In The Rag and Bone Shop she provides case studies of psychiatric patients she has cared for over the years， reflecting on their illnesses—from anorexia and borderline personality disorder to mania and schizophrenia—in light of discoveries about brain anatomy， circuitry， and the neurophysiology of memory。 Psychologist William James’s observation that the study of abnormal mental function can help us to better understand what is normal resonates strongly for O’Keane， forming the bedrock of her book。 In addition to her own clinical experience with mentally ill patients， she draws on the findings of psychologists， philosophers， neurosurgeons， and researchers—historical and current—and on the literary works of greats from Samuel Beckett to Virginia Woolf， who， she declares， were highly observant and even prescient about the workings of the brain。 Rich in detail， fascinating， and informative， O’Keane’s book is ambitious， possibly too much so。 （I think the forays into physics and folklore， for example， could quite safely be cut。） Early on， she writes that she is interested in the question of memory。 However， her work ranges well beyond that subject， her stated focus seemingly ironically forgotten。 I found the title， taken from Yeats， rather misleading。 O’Keane invokes “the rag and bone shop of the heart” in her discussion of the prefrontal cortex and insula of the brain， regions which interpret and regulate our emotional responses to the external and internal worlds。 Since the book is about so much more than these areas of the brain， I would have liked to see a more general and inclusive title。I read an uncorrected proof provided by the publisher。 It was abundantly clear that the text was still in its own “rag-and-bone” form—that is， still in need of a fairly significant clean-up。 There were numerous distracting typos， dangling modifiers， pronoun agreement and reference problems， punctuation issues， and many baggy， ungrammatical sentences。 Since the material is fairly dense and complex for the lay reader， I do hope the prose undergoes a rigorous editing。 I would especially love to see someone correct O’Keane’s tendency to refer to research subjects， not in the expected plural—i。e。， as “rats”， “monkeys”， or “babies”—but in the singular， as proper nouns。 Her writing about how seven-month-old babies learn that their parents are separate people is particularly grating and awkward: “If Baby is left alone too long or if they are not soothed 。 。 。 difficulty in forming trustful relationships may start” and “About eighteen months later Baby begins to become aware of themself。” I have no doubt that O’Keane’s subject matter would fascinate many。 Having said that， I think some expert revision and editing are in order before this book is sent out into the larger world。Many thanks to Allen Lane/Penguin for providing me with a digital ARC in exchange for an honest review。 。。。more
Heather Trevis
，
Written by a neuroscientist， this book delves deep into the workings of memory， self awareness and consciousness。 Although the book gets quite technical at times， everything is explained so it's accessible to the layperson and the author draws from her clinical experience to give plenty of illustrative case studies。 For lovers of literature， O'Keane also gives lots of examples of how great artists like Proust， Sartre and Dostoevsky wrote about the experience of memory and consciousness before mo Written by a neuroscientist， this book delves deep into the workings of memory， self awareness and consciousness。 Although the book gets quite technical at times， everything is explained so it's accessible to the layperson and the author draws from her clinical experience to give plenty of illustrative case studies。 For lovers of literature， O'Keane also gives lots of examples of how great artists like Proust， Sartre and Dostoevsky wrote about the experience of memory and consciousness before modern science was able to explain the processes involved。 It's an utterly fascinating and mindblowing read， and I would recommend the book to anyone who's interested in the human condition。 。。。more
Peter Baran
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This is a fascinating book， extremely accessible to the layperson， which walks the tightrope between clinical experience and science （and neuroscience） at its cutting edge。 It is centrally a discussion on what memory is， how memories are made and stored， and what they mean to us。 So oddly it is interesting that its greatest impact on me was not so much about memory at all， but rather the repeated examples of psychotic patients experience sensations created by their own brains and the impact both This is a fascinating book， extremely accessible to the layperson， which walks the tightrope between clinical experience and science （and neuroscience） at its cutting edge。 It is centrally a discussion on what memory is， how memories are made and stored， and what they mean to us。 So oddly it is interesting that its greatest impact on me was not so much about memory at all， but rather the repeated examples of psychotic patients experience sensations created by their own brains and the impact both of the memories of this psychosis， but also the ability of anti-psychotic drugs to cure the sensate issues， if not those caused by the memories。 As a philosophy graduate I am pretty comfortable with the idea of how memory makes us， and how all we are is our experiences， what O'Keane does a good job at trying to explain is how and why。Why do we have very few memories of our youth？ why is it that memory seems to be a negotiation between our initial sensations and our own retelling， and re-editing of a story。 In talking about how short term memory is formed （and how much it is tied to emotion） and how it slowly gets archived she also powerfully explains partly how aspects of grief fade but grief memories can still conjure up copies of those emotions。 She is in a tricky position here， as with all psychology and brain science， there is the challenge of dealing with subjective experiences （mapped sometimes to brain bits firing）。 There are a few throwaway bits I would have liked to see explored more - there is often a split between visual and linguistic brains， people who have a high internal narrative and I would have been interested to explore how people who might describe their own memories more with words are editing their memories more。 But she is robust on some sloppy areas of terminology， she has little truck with false memory as a term because to some degree all memory is false。 She certainly has dealt with enough people with trauma to feel its a tiny subset of what you might deal with in memory disorders。If I had a problem with the Rag And Bone Shop， is I wanted a bit more。As said the philosophical aspect I am up to date with， the brain chemistry was new to me， and this is a still a fast moving area of neuroscience。 So there are probably things I want that we don't know yet， though O'Keane is happy to speculate in places， entertainingly so。 It certainly goes beyond its promise of what memory is， and really flips it to what are we without memory。 Our memory， short or long term， is intractably tied to our sense of self and how we sense the world。 。。。more
Violet
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This is a very thorough examination of how memory works，cleverly illustrated by several case studies。 It is very in depth - with a lot of scientific facts， but it reads well and the case studies were well-chosen。 I find memory a fascinating topic and I learned so much reading this - how we form memories， and maybe more crucially， how we lose them - there were a=many stories of tragic accidents or illnesses - some temporary - that caused patients to lose their memories。 An excellent book and plea This is a very thorough examination of how memory works，cleverly illustrated by several case studies。 It is very in depth - with a lot of scientific facts， but it reads well and the case studies were well-chosen。 I find memory a fascinating topic and I learned so much reading this - how we form memories， and maybe more crucially， how we lose them - there were a=many stories of tragic accidents or illnesses - some temporary - that caused patients to lose their memories。 An excellent book and pleasantly written。Free copy sent by Netgalley。 。。。more
Fern Adams
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One of the most interesting and deeply engaging books I’ve read for a long time。 I was sad to get to the final page as it was such a fascinating read。Veronica O’Keane， with a background in psychiatry and neuroscience， explores the idea of memory in this book。 What a memory is， what memories do and the effect memories have on us。 With a mixture of scientific literature， case studies and personal anecdotes this is packed full of fascinating information。 I feel I’ve learned lots and it’s made me re One of the most interesting and deeply engaging books I’ve read for a long time。 I was sad to get to the final page as it was such a fascinating read。Veronica O’Keane， with a background in psychiatry and neuroscience， explores the idea of memory in this book。 What a memory is， what memories do and the effect memories have on us。 With a mixture of scientific literature， case studies and personal anecdotes this is packed full of fascinating information。 I feel I’ve learned lots and it’s made me reflect about how wrong the stigma of mental ill health is as well as how much is changing about what we know （and still don’t know） about the brain。 While this is fairly academic， there are easy to understand explanations and it’s a very readable and accessible book。 The only thing I maybe would have liked to have seen is a section on the idea of inherited trauma and whether trauma can be genetically passed on as a memory and how this effects biology， neurons and the brain。 O’Keane also employs multiple examples from novels and literary figures to present her arguments and examples which I found really added to the book and really helped the reader to understand and apply the information。Think this may have just sparked an interest in neuroscience for me。 A very strong five stars！Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for sending me an ARC in exchange for a honest review 。。。more
Nicola
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I received this book prior to publication date from Netgalley after request in exchange for an honest review。 This book I found so interesting， with an in depth look into the subject matter on the complexities of the brain and how memories are made and formed （along with instances of how this can sometimes go wrong or be affected in different ways！）。 The author discussed and brought to the reader the information in an entertaining and informative way and was broken up into digestible chunks to p I received this book prior to publication date from Netgalley after request in exchange for an honest review。 This book I found so interesting， with an in depth look into the subject matter on the complexities of the brain and how memories are made and formed （along with instances of how this can sometimes go wrong or be affected in different ways！）。 The author discussed and brought to the reader the information in an entertaining and informative way and was broken up into digestible chunks to prevent things from getting a little overwhelming！The brain is such an amazing thing and I think within every person is a child-like fascination into the brain and how it works。 So with all of those who are awe struck by the brain and all it can do， this book is beyond perfect。 I think many would benefit from reading this in so many ways。 It’s impossible to read this book， not be mind-blown or come away with at least one very interesting and astounding thing you’ve learnt。 I definitely learnt a lot。 It’s true， I’m a scientist and a science lover so topics like these will always fascinate and interest me but I think anyone with a passing interest in the brain will find interest。 I learnt and took in a lot and found it to be structured so well that the information flowed easily from one point to another。 I loved that the author included case studies and her own experiences which was just so interesting to read。 I was enraptured！ It has a great balance between science， providing the basis for understanding on the subject， the authors own encounters and case studies。 There’s also some great illustrations， pictures and drawings which really help to bring a visual aspect to some of the more technical parts。 I loved the references to literature too and the relationship to the illnesses that the characters may have been experiencing at the time。 As well as the writings on the links between physics， time and our brains on time and perception。 It was great to read about the authors career and her encounters too and overall， I found the book very informative and enjoyable with many notable sections that I think will stay with me for some time to come！ 。。。more
Janet
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