The Memory Book [Hardcover]

 

 

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I liked this book, but I felt like the information transfer was a bit inefficient. I can probably summarize the first few chapters in a few sentences, and every other chapter after that with a small table. Most of the padding in between is devoted to stroking the ego of the reader, reassuring them that it takes practice but it works. This is something that I found frustrating because I already know this: anything impressive requires a lot of practice. Stop trying to make me feel better all the time and treating me like a child. On the other hand, maybe other people need this and would drop the book otherwise, thinking they aren't smart enough or something.

The core idea that makes all of these tricks work can also be described with only a paragraph, and I already knew it from 5 minutes of Google research before I read the book. What I was hoping to get from the book was a lot of tips and tricks from the masters Lorayne and Lucas, and I felt the book lacked in that. For example one time they point out that whenever you see a 0 in the digit sequence you just take the item before and pluralize it. That's a great tip, I didn't think of that! It's a tip that helps you remember these digits, but goes beyond just the method and comes from experience instead. That's the kind of stuff I wanted to get more of, instead of painful re-iterations of the exact same idea and tons of encouraging text.

In conclusion, this book is worth a read as I believe it provides a well written description of the entire method, and guides you through many examples, but it is only worth a quick skim by anyone serious who does not suffer from confidence issues.

This book definately requires work. It is a "How To" guide which will only be effective if the reader is committed to putting in the work of practicing the techniques explained. I think one of the most interesting aspects of this is that good memory, like many other things, can be a LEARNED skill.
I found this book after searching specifically for a helpful one to improve my poor memory. In particular, I went from being a very good law student who was a capable researcher and writer and preformed well on essay exams in school, and even won a competitive moot court competition based on advocacy skills, to a JD who failed the BAR Exam multiple times due to an inability to remember details and jargon. After time with every legal study aid possible, I turned to resources to improve my memory. While I unfortunately can't yet say I have passed the BAR exam, I can say that I have noticed a significant improvement in my relationship with my husband and others as I have become more attentinve to remembering details and with the techniques in this book thus have become a more dependable person. In the past when he or anyone else asked me to do things, though I was well intentioned and sincere in my "Yes", I had a serious problem with follow up due to inattentiveness and poor memory skills. This book was most helpful as an aid to overcoming those limitations and assisited me in becoming a more responsible and less absentminded irritating person to be around.
As a serious, logical, pragmatic person, this book was helpful in specificallly giving me the prompt to think of silly associations with the specific intent of remembering items. That would be something I wouldn't have ever NATURALLY done on my own! In discussing it with others I have found that many people ALREADY utilize many of the memory techniques described, and they were surprised these were new to me. This book is most helpful for those of us who just haven't gotton into those habits. As someone who NEVER could even remember any of those numonics throughout school it was a relief to discover that there are other techniques which are more effective for me. The book also discusses how memory and intelligence are distinct, and that the problem of poor memory, and in particular absentmindedness is one of not being fully consious in the moment. It is helpful in identifying the source of many memory problems is simply not being in the habit of focusing on the mundane with full attention. Making that ASSUMPTION that something is "simple" and "easy" and therefore doesn't require much time and attention is a trap I more consiously avoid after employing the techniques of this book. The disctinction between intellegence and memory is one which I feel is helpful as it validates those of us who have great capacity to understand things easily, but little capacity to recall. That distinction made me as reader feel more empowered to use memory as a TOOL, and I believe offers needed encouragement to anyone who has struggled in either work, school or their personal life due to poor memory skills.

Fantastic book involving lots of tricks to sharpen the memory. If you want to get the most out of it, you just have to trust the authors and commit to doing the exercises. But with just a little bit of effort, the yield can be amazing!

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1.0 out of 5 stars Totally useless
Authors provide you with their own examples of words associations. Totally useless for the real life situation. Read more

Published 1 month ago by Icinity

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent
I just started reading the book, and I already learned something really usefull... I can't wait to finish reading it, because, wow, their memory tricks really work! :)

Published 9 months ago by Carolina

1.0 out of 5 stars the memory book
#1 ok lets go/ to start you have to be a rocket scienist to do this program.#2 if you want to merorize basketbal or football plays or all 50 states (im canadian i could care... Read more

Published on Jun 1 2005

1.0 out of 5 stars ridiculous
This is the most obnoxious book I have every attempted to read. You have to remember what the associations are before u remember what u want to remember. Read more

Published on Jun 26 2004 by merrill-60

5.0 out of 5 stars Thanks to this book...I memorize whatever I want...
Thank you Harry that you changed my life.
I remember when few years ago I have read this book translated to my original language. Read more

Published on May 30 2004 by Joanna Korneluk

5.0 out of 5 stars Best for the average person
For a person with average who has little concept of the power of imagination and creativity, and who generally views it as being something childish, this is a great book. Read more

Published on July 26 2003 by M. Gray

5.0 out of 5 stars classic
If I were to recommend a book for getting a great introduction to increasing memory, I would recommend this book. A classic in the field. Read more

Published on Jun 23 2003 by J. Reich

5.0 out of 5 stars Best book I'd ever read!
This is my story! I was pretty much a failure in school. i was a D student and only got the D's because the teachers felt pity on me. Read more

Published on May 20 2003

4.0 out of 5 stars Great memory techniques -- could use minor improvements
This classic by Lorayne and Lucas is worthy of recommendation to any new student of memory systems. I do, however, wish that the authors had covered the power of the Loci system... Read more

Published on Oct 8 2002 by MCSD for Microsoft .Net

5.0 out of 5 stars A very important book -- especially for ADHD and Dyslexics!!
The 2nd chapter of this book starts out with what I believe is the most important key to improving memory: Association. Read more

Published on July 22 2002 by George Stancliffe

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