"Moonwalking with Einstein": The art and science of remembering everything
Josh is also, by the way, the youngest member of a fascinating family. His oldest brother is Franklin, editor of The New Republic (and author of the brilliant 2004 book "How Soccer Explains the World"). The middle brother is Jonathan Safran Foer, author of "Everything is Illuminated" (and a former interviewee here on Author Talk!). Hope you enjoy.
Jeff Glor: What inspired you to write the book?
Joshua Foer: In 2005, I went to the U.S. Memory Championship to cover the event as a science journalist. I figured the people who competed had to be savants, or at least have photographic memories. But that wasn't the case. The competitors claimed they simply had average memories, and had trained themselves to perform these incredible mental feats. It made me realize I didn't know the first thing about how my memory worked. I decided to spent the next year not only training my memory, but also investigating it.
JG: What surprised you the most during the writing process?
JF: I spent time with an amnesic named EP who, tragically, had possibly the worst memory in the world. He didn't even remember he had a memory problem. Meeting someone who was otherwise totally functional except for the fact that he lacked a memory was an incredible window into just how much our memories make us who we are.
JG: What would you be doing if you weren't a writer?
JF: I always thought I was going to be an evolutionary biologist. That's what I studied in college. But I discovered I didn't have the talent or temperament for it. I like jumping around from subject to subject too much. It's hard to do that and be a successful scientist.
JG: What else are you reading right now?
JF: James Gleick's "The Information." I'm loving it.
JG: What's next for you?
JF: The second annual International Obscura Day [www.obscuraday.com], which I co-founded, is coming up on April 9th. All over the world, people will be going out in groups to explore the curious places in their hometowns. It's going to be a lot of fun.
For more on "Moonwalking with Einstein," visit the Penguin Group website.
