Thank You, Brain for All You Remember
by W.R. (Bill) Klemm, D.V.M., Ph.D.
Published by Benecton Press (Printer: Goose River Press)
Click on book
cover to order
at Amazon.com
Reviewed by Mark M. Owen, Ph.D.
Bill Klemm's Thank You, Brain, For All You Remember. What You Forgot Was My Fault, is a title well worth remembering. If we are defined by what we know, and what we know is limited by what we can remember, then Klemm's book is the ultimate in self-help titles.
The book starts off with anecdotes and overviews, and then rapidly dives into giving the reader real tools to use. Klemm accurately recounts research from the field, sharing old and new ideas from other sources to give a well-rounded summary of what can be done to improve memory.
The book is 300-pages long and organized into eleven chapters including the Introduction. Unfortunately the chapters are not numbered, which forces readers to remember the page number at the beginning of a chapter if he or she wants to find a certain chapter of interest. Perhaps this is Klemm's way of gently urging us to work on memory improvement, but I'd rather be able to lazily skim forward looking for a clearly defined chapter heading. It's a minor inconvenience.
The book is well organized, providing a detailed index to help readers find material on specific topics. Each chapter is opened with a list of the subjects discussed within. Some of the section headings are entertaining, providing a play on words to draw you in and make you want to read more. Chapters are closed with easy-to-read tables of Key Ideas to ring the material home. Sources and references are listed for completeness as you would expect from a Ph.D. author.
Readers looking for a quick fix to enhance their recollection ability can find several techniques inside the book. Each one takes personal effort, make no mistake. But because so many different approaches are given, there's sure to be something that works for everyone.
Armchair Interviews says: Something for everyone who wants to increase their brain power, especially remembering.