Joshua Foer had recently graduation from college, and was living with his parents, when he decided to write an article about the US Memory Championships. His research brought him in contact with folks who were able to perform astonishing feats such as memorizing several decks of playing cards. Joshua wound up befriending some of those savants, and one year later he won the US Memory Championship.
Foer tantalizes his readers with the following plot question: how did he manage to win a memory championship when he clearly had no special abilities? To answer that question he plunges into the fascinating history and science of memory.
I highly recommend this book, which has a memorable name: Moonwalking with Einstein (picture Albert Einstein moonwalking across a stage as though he were Michael Jackson and you’ll never forget the title). The reason for that name will become clear when you learn the secrets of Memory Palaces, PAOs and The Major System.
Sadly, this book will not improve your memory. But, you may decide to explore the techniques that Foer reveals, and then you no doubt will improve your memory. Turns out the main thing required is a vivid imagination, and some regular practice. Activating a vivid imagination is not as easy as we (who mostly live in our left brains) might believe.
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