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Some interesting facts about the history of memorization and its cultural importance in the face of writing, printing, etc.
Overall however, the book is the story of the author's fascination with and ultimate absorption into the small club of competitive memorization fanatics.
I haven't tried the techniques mentioned in the book, but I don't really see their point. I don't need to memorize phone numbers, let alone Pi to a 1,000 digits. The author claims that this is good for more than parlor tric ...more
Overall however, the book is the story of the author's fascination with and ultimate absorption into the small club of competitive memorization fanatics.
I haven't tried the techniques mentioned in the book, but I don't really see their point. I don't need to memorize phone numbers, let alone Pi to a 1,000 digits. The author claims that this is good for more than parlor tric ...more
This book was more enjoyable than I expected it to be, and I did plan to enjoy it. Foer's journalistic trip into the U.S. and World Memory Championships was engaging. But the meat of the book that I found most tasty was the musings on what the human memory is truly comprised of, and in that, how we store, access and relate to all the data that we're constantly collecting.
The philosophical side to this was also compelling--for example on a day that we create a memory of a new experience, by the ...more
The philosophical side to this was also compelling--for example on a day that we create a memory of a new experience, by the ...more
This book follows the author's journey into the world of competitive memory and his mastery of underutilized mnemonic techniques. It is not a "how-to" book (though you will get ideas of where to start if memory improvement is an interest of yours). Foer introduces you to many colorful characters in international memory events along the way, which adds to the entertainment value.
As a psych teacher, I particularly enjoyed Foer's discussion of the history of purposeful memorization and its rather m ...more
As a psych teacher, I particularly enjoyed Foer's discussion of the history of purposeful memorization and its rather m ...more
Mar 26, 2011
Mary
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Somewhat disappointed by this book, as I saw the author on Colbert and thought the book sounded interesting. Foer does make the point that competitive memorization is not a thrilling spectator experience - and despite his fluid writing style, the whole thing comes off rather dry.
I found the actual science-y parts interesting but couldn't concentrate on the memory techniques - I'm thinking this should tell me something??? Some intriguing ideas, a worthwhile read.
...more
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