Remember: The Science of Memory and the Art of Forgetting, by Lisa Genova →

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Remember: The Science of Memory and the Art of Forgetting is one of Lisa Genova’s six books about neurological diseases and disorders. If you have read all of them, as I have, you will find some familiar material in this book.

The book begins by describing how memories are formed and how creating memories creates structural and connective changes in the brain. I found it fascinating that each time we recall a memory, it changes slightly, overwriting the original memory. She also points out that the original memory didn’t capture everything happening then, just what stood out to you.

This view of memory makes it clear that we are not stuck with our past histories but can learn and see things differently, looking back at events that looked like when they happened, or the last time we thought about them. My writing and books have focused on our ability to reinvent ourselves and that past events do not trap us.

(I originally read and reviewed this book in October 2021, but ironically, for many reasons, I forgot that I had read it, some irony here)