Nostalgia Factory

Douwe Draaisma, a memory specialist, focuses here on memory in later life. He explains neurological phenomena without becoming lost in specialist terminology. This volume includes an interview with Oliver Sacks, who speaks of his own memory changes as he entered his sixties. Draaisma moves from anecdote to research and back, weaving stories and science into a description of the terrain of memory. He brings to light the 'reminiscence effect', just one of the unexpected pleasures of an ageing memory. The author writes about forgetfulness and dismantles the myth that mental gymnastics can improve memory. He presents a case in favor of the ageing mind and urges us to value the nostalgia that survives as recollection, to appreciate the intangible nature of past events, and to take pleasure in the consolation of reminiscing.