Reviews
" Absolutely phenomenal ... Part of the beauty of this book is that it makes clear how memory and understanding are not two different things. Building up the ability to reason and the ability to retain information go hand in hand... The book reminds us that we all start off with pretty much the same tools for the most part, and we can be intentional about strengthening them, or not." -Bill Gates, "His narrative is smart and funny and, like the work of Dr. Oliver Sacks, it's informed by a humanism that enables its author to place the mysteries of the brain within a larger philosophical and cultural context." -Michiko Kakutani, The New York Times "His passionate and deeply engrossing book...is a resounding tribute to the muscularity of the mind... In the end, Moonwalking with Einstein reminds us that though brain science is a wild frontier and the mechanics of memory little understood, our minds are capable of epic achievements." - The Washington Post "It's a terrific book: sometimes weird but mostly smart, funny and ultimately a lovely exploration of the ways that we preserve our lives and our world in the golden amber of human memory." -Deborah Plum, New Scientist "Joshua Foer's book...is both fun and reassuring. All it takes to have a better memory, he contends, are a few tricks and a good erotic imagination." -Maureen Dowd, New York Times "It's delightful to travel with him on this unlikely journey, and his entertaining treatment of memory as both sport and science is spot on...Moonwalking with Einstein proves uplifting: It shows that with motivation, focus and a few clever tricks, our minds can do rather extraordinary things." - The Wall Street Journal "For one year, Foer tried to attain total recall, extracting secrets from the top researchers, the real Rain Man, and the world's memory champs. He triumphed, both in his quest and in this lively account, which is, no exaggeration, unforgettable." - Parade "[An] inspired and well-written debut book about not just memorization, but about what it means to be educated and the best way to become so, about expertise in general, and about the not-so-hidden "secrets" of acquiring skills." - The Seattle Times "In recounting his year in training for the U. S. Memory Championship, journalist Foer delivers a rich history of memory." - Discover Magazine "You have to love a writer who employs chick sexing to help explain human memory. Foer is a charmer, a crackling mind, a fresh wind. He approaches a complex topic with so much humanity, humor, and originality that you don't realize how much you're taking in and understanding. It's kind of miraculous." -Mary Roach, author of Packing For Mars, Bonk, Spook, and Stiff " Moonwalking With Einstein isn't just a splendid overview of an essential aspect of our humanity-our memory; it is also a witty and engaging account of how Foer went from being a guy with an average memory to winning the U.S. Memory Championship." -Dan Ariely, author of The Upside of Irrationality and Predictably Irrational ; professor of behavioral economics at Duke University. "In this marvelous book, Joshua Foer invents a new genre of non-fiction. This is a work of science journalism wrapped around an adventure story, a bildungsroman fused to a vivid investigation of human memory. If you want to understand how we remember, and how we can all learn to remember better, then read this book." -Jonah Lehrer, author of How We Decide and Proust Was a Neuroscientist ; contributing editor, Wired " Moonwalking with Einstein isn't a how-to guide to remembering a name or where you put your keys. It's a riveting exploration of humankind's centuries- old obsession with memory, and one man's improbable quest to master his own." -Stefan Fatsis, author of A Few Seconds of Panic and Word Freak, " Absolutely phenomenal ... Part of the beauty of this book is that it makes clear how memory and understanding are not two different things. Building up the ability to reason and the ability to retain information go hand in hand... The book reminds us that we all start off with pretty much the same tools for the most part, and we can be intentional about strengthening them, or not." --Bill Gates
