• Moonwalking with Einstein

  • The Art and Science of Remembering Everything
  • By: Joshua Foer
  • Narrated by: Mike Chamberlain
  • Length: 9 hrs and 31 mins
  • 4.4 out of 5 stars (5,865 ratings)

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Moonwalking with Einstein

By: Joshua Foer
Narrated by: Mike Chamberlain
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Editorial reviews

Your body may be a temple, but your mind, memory experts say, is a palace, or should be, to master remembering. The Memory Palace is one of the notions that Joshua Foer explores in Moonwalking with Einstein: The Art and Science of Remembering Everything, his entertaining and enlightening account of competing in the U.S. Memory Championships.

Narrated by Mike Chamberlain, who genuinely conveys the author’s nerdy and playful persona, Moonwalking began in 2005 when Foer, a 20-something fledging journalist living in his parents’ basement, covered the New York-based championships and met Ed Cooke, a memory Grand Master and delightfully eccentric brainiac. Cooke convinced Foer to become a contender in the contest, becoming his guru and guide over his year of training. In addition, Foer broadened his training by meeting with memory experts and athletes like Cooke’s European colleagues, who, Foer says, make their American counterparts seem like Jamaican bobsledders in the Olympics. While Chamberlain’s curiously random use of accents is a minor distraction, his interpretation of the group’s pub games getting and memorizing women’s phone numbers and stealing kisses against the clock is plenty funny.

Foer focuses first on the construction basics of The Memory Palace, a technique derived from the ancient Greek poet Simonides that takes advantage of the mind’s visual and spatial bent. A physical structure, a childhood home say, is selected from memory and filled, room by room, with the numbers, names, concepts, etc., to be memorized. One has to prepare the items previously, however, by charging them with the most vivid, better yet, erotic and bizarre personal associations possible. Using the PAO (Person Action Object) technique, one can also consolidate and compound the associations, thus producing a moonwalking Einstein, not to mention, Foer writes, the “indecent acts my own grandmother had to commit in the service of my remembering the eight of hearts”. It’s a nutty business inside and out, which Chamberlain as Foer conveys drily, none more so than when, working at his desk in anti-distraction earmuffs and goggles, he looks up to find his father staring at him.

While the narrative follows the calendar leading up to the competition, relevant digressions include looks at the clinical and other literature about mnemonists, plus visits with living examples. Tony Bouzon, a memory entrepreneur; ‘savants’ like 'Rainman' Kim Peek and 'pi' reciter Daniel Tammet; and memory researchers are interviewed, which raises issues and controversies related to autism, intelligence, and photographic memory. We also grasp more of the reality of those who suffer from remembering too much or too little. Foer additionally spends time exploring cultural questions of memory and memorizing; once considered a sign of nobility, what will be its fate in our infinite, digitally preserved age?

The idea of actually “moonwalking with Einstein” encapsulates wonder and delight at the boundaries of knowledge; so does Foer’s memorable book. Elly Schull Meeks

Publisher's summary

The blockbuster phenomenon that charts an amazing journey of the mind while revolutionizing our concept of memory.

An instant best seller that is poised to become a classic, Moonwalking with Einstein recounts Joshua Foer's yearlong quest to improve his memory under the tutelage of top "mental athletes". He draws on cutting-edge research, a surprising cultural history of remembering, and venerable tricks of the mentalist's trade to transform our understanding of human memory. From the United States Memory Championship to deep within the author's own mind, this is an electrifying work of journalism that reminds us that, in every way that matters, we are the sum of our memories.

©2011 Joshua Foer (P)2011 Penguin

Critic reviews

“Highly entertaining.” (Adam Gopnik, The New Yorker)

“Funny, curious, erudite, and full of useful details about ancient techniques of training memory.” (The Boston Globe)

"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)

What listeners say about Moonwalking with Einstein

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Engaging, thought provoking, entertaining

I had high expectations, and they were met. I felt like I got the intro to using basic techniques but through engaging and interesting stories. I also appreciated Joshua's analysis of characters and events.

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fantastic!

If you could sum up Moonwalking with Einstein in three words, what would they be?

This is an incredibly well written book. I for one took a lot from this and use these techniques in my daily life. My memory has improved by simply taking on a few simple changes that Joshua explains in the book. A must read!

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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Nice story

Nice story with good research on memory but no big break throughs. Enjoyable but could benefit from editing.

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Enjoyable moonwalk

Loved the breadth of coverage concerning memory methods, practitioners, and contests. Educating while simultaneously hilariously entertaining.

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A memorable listen

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

I'd love to have friends read this. I picked it up because I thought it would give me memory tools. It did give me insight into memorizing, but it was much more engaging that just some ways to remember things. It was a personal story as well as interesting background and tips on the art of the memory.

Who was your favorite character and why?

The author is a great character. He's a reporter who cares enough about a story to step inside it. He's funny, intelligent, and someone I'd love to meet.

What about Mike Chamberlain’s performance did you like?

He read with perfect inflection. It wasn't dull - although some of the material was somewhat straightforward and factual. It also wasn't overly dramatic. It was like hearing a friend tell the story as well as some interesting information.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

My favorite moment was the final World Championship. The tension buildup was perfect, but I won't give away the ending.

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    4 out of 5 stars
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Good, honest intro to the viability of memory trix

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

I would recommend with the understanding that this teaches very few ways to increase one's memory but it a good first read/listen for anyone that is wondering about the extent at which these tricks are helpful.

What was one of the most memorable moments of Moonwalking with Einstein?

The author's travels to those with memory conditions and how they have helped neuroscience.

Which character – as performed by Mike Chamberlain – was your favorite?

The author/narrator.

If you were to make a film of this book, what would the tag line be?

Practice, practice, practice.

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interesting read

never before thought of memory the way described in the book, its pretty interesting and I would like to tap in to that. looking forward to learning and using major system.

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Great Story; a bit redundant. Awful Reader Voice

Enjoyed the story. Was a lot like a self-help book by appealing to people by stating that "anyone can do these absurdly hard things." It had some really, truly great 'ah-ha' moments.

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    4 out of 5 stars

some good moments, some dry hard listens

Overall it was not too difficult to understand themes demonstrated in this book. The author takes a long time to explain simple key ideas which made me lose interest a few times. I need to go back through the book to see if I missed something.

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Fun Story

Though he doesn't go into detail about hiw he works his memory skills, it has a lot of fun facts and info about the brain and how it works along with different research that is going on to learn more.

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