Thank You, Brain, For All You Remember
W. R. Klemm, DVM PhD
(Reviewer - Rebecca Brown)
2004 Benecton Press
ISBN: 0975522507

What You Forgot Was My Fault.

“Clunky” title notwithstanding (commas & periods -- which give the Internet search engines hiccups) this book caught my attention because it's about the how, why, when & what of remembering.

W. R. (Bill) Klemm is the Professor of Neuroscience at the Texas A& M University, so he should know a thing or two about how our minds work, right? Does he ever! & he pulls no punches: “If you are reading this, you probably want to improve your memory... I did the research on this book, because I too want to improve my memory... The subtitle... is not meant to make us feel guilty... [b]ut if your memory has not improved after reading this book, then be my guest: feel guilty. You will have deserved it.” (p.2)

You will find the purpose of his book in the Introduction: “Remember those kids in grade school who always shot up their hands when the teacher asked a question? Those kids always seemed to have the answers. They thought they were so smart -- and you thought so too... But what is smart? Technically, being smart is having problem-solving skills that are measured on IQ tests. There are other kinds of intelligence, such as innate social skills and emotional intelligence. But these don't concern us here. What we are talking about... is basic competency that depends on knowing a lot of "stuff"... being smart to most people means knowing a lot. And how much you know depends on how well you can remember... Poor students are typically poor students because they don't know how to memorize efficiently. That is a skill than can be learned.”

Memory has been a lot on my mind lately as I feel the old Rolodex flapping around slower & slower, stopping at the oddest memories & whizzing by the ones I'm looking for, so I took Dr. Klemm's lessons to heart... well... that's not exactly where his info went... more like an infusion right into my old grey matter.

Titles of his chapters are:
My Memory is O.K. Your Memory is O.K.
Why Your Teacher Always Bugged You to Pay Attention
Memories Hang Out With the Right Crowd
Catch It While You Can
We Get Emotional About Our Memories
It's In There Somewhere. I Just Can't Find It
Memories That Lie
Sleep: Perchance to Dream. Perchance to Remember
Why Old dogs Can't Learn New Tricks(Or Can They?)
Untie That String On Your Finger
& luckily for us, the good professor includes a synopsis of what each chapter covers (& suggests we put sticky pads on each for quick reference) & he provides a pretty good Index, too.

I've rarely read a book (& I'm still reading it) that my brain actually got up, like a sleepy old elephant remembering her hay days, & danced a jig, whooping: “Finally, she's giving ME something to think about!”

“Before the printing press, a great premium was placed on good memory. Not only did everyday business affairs depend on memory, but entire cultures were passed down by oral histories. In modern times, when information is freely available all around us, memory skills have atrophied.” (p.3)

That one hit the mark -- I'm old enough to remember having to ‘learn by heart’ things at school & reciting them, again & again & again -- times tables, the succession of monarchs, historical dates, national capitals, English language rules, & those long, meandering poems. I was stunned when both my kids told me the only thing they had to memorize was the capitals of all 50 States. I wonder if they were kidding me?

My brain assures me that Thank You, Brain, For All You Remember. is a good book, & as I wouldn't be worth my hire if I didn't listen it now & again, I recommend it for anyone who sees their students struggling, or is themselves slogging away at remembering "stuff".

I also recommend it for new parents: if you know how to get the best out of your memory, you will be able to start guiding your kids BEFORE they hit the books at school.
(06/04/06)

Rebecca