You may know Lisa Genova from one of my favorite books, Still Alice. This year Lisa Genova takes a break from fiction to get into the science of memory and help to ease fears for those of us who tend to be forgetful.
When you reach a certain age, you can't help but be terrified about the lapses in memories that happen. Like forgetting where you parked your car or your spouse's birthday. In Remember, Lisa Genova reassures us that these examples are a perfectly normal part of aging. In fact, most of the things you don't remember are because you weren't paying attention, or it is so routine there was nothing memorable about it. It takes 30 seconds for something to store in your hippocampus. If you don't take that 30 seconds to look at the row number where you parked your car, you will never remember it.
As a neuroscientist, Lisa Genova uses some big words, but as a layperson, it is easy to follow along. She offers great, practical advice to help you with not only improving your memory but preventing Alzheimer's. For example, she is a proponent of using a to-do list. She equates it with wearing glasses. If you need help to see the print in a newspaper or reading a street sign, don't you get glasses? So why wouldn't you use a to-do list to help you remember to pick up the dry cleaning? I am a HUGE fan of to-do lists and would be a flaky employee and wife without them. Other tips include, pay attention, get enough sleep, get enough Vitamin D, and get enough exercise. It all seems simple, but it adds up.
Bottom Line - My husband and I took a road trip for the long Easter weekend and were hanging onto every word that Lisa Genova uttered in her audiobook. We would often pause the book to discuss points, talking about our own thoughts and fears. It made for a delightful reading experience and helped to ease our concerns about our own aging memories.
Details:
- Remember: The Science of Memory and the Art of Forgetting by Lisa Genova
- On Facebook
- Pages: 272
- Publisher: Harmony
- Publication Date: 3/23/2021
- Buy it Here!
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