How to Change a Memory: One Neuroscientist’s Quest to Alter the Past

by Steve Ramirez

Genres: Science, Nonfiction, Psychology, Neuroscience

256 pages, Hardcover

Published November 4, 2025

Reviews

[Ossama · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've been collecting memory books for years (Schacter, Kandel, Squire) and this one hit differently.
Ramirez's work is something I've cited in my own research, so I was familiar with the headline findings: memories can be turned on with light, false memories can be implanted, positive memory reactivation can have therapeutic effects. Reading about these experiments in context, though, reminded me why I got into this field.

The book moves between hard neuroscience and deeply personal narrative without ever feeling forced.
But the emotional core is the relationship with Xu Liu. Their partnership, their shared excitement, and later Ramirez's grief transforms this from a science book into something more profound.

If you work in memory research, this is essential reading. If you're just curious about how your brain creates and reconstructs your past, this will change how you think about yourself.

[Miles Holcomb]

Just won a giveaway copy- thank you! Can’t wait to receive the book and write a review :)

[Nicolette Ponzo · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5⭐️