The Perpetual Now, Michael D. Lemonick
The Perpetual Now, Michael D. Lemonick
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The Perpetual Now
A Story of Amnesia, Memory, and Love

Author: Michael D. Lemonick

Narrator: Kaleo Griffith

Unabridged: 10 hr 37 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Published: 02/07/2017

Synopsis

In the aftermath of a shattering illness, Lonni Sue Johnson lives in a "perpetual now," where she has almost no memories of the past and a nearly complete inability to form new ones. The Perpetual Now is the moving story of this exceptional woman, and the groundbreaking revelations about memory, learning, and consciousness her unique case has uncovered.

Lonni Sue Johnson was a renowned artist who regularly produced covers for The New Yorker, a gifted musician, a skilled amateur pilot, and a joyful presence to all who knew her. But in late 2007, she contracted encephalitis. The disease burned through her hippocampus like wildfire, leaving her severely amnesic, living in a present that rarely progresses beyond ten to fifteen minutes.
     Remarkably, she still retains much of the intellect and artistic skills from her previous life, but it's not at all clear how closely her consciousness resembles yours or mine. As such, Lonni Sue's story has become part of a much larger scientific narrative—one that is currently challenging traditional wisdom about how human memory and awareness are stored in the brain.
     In this probing, compassionate, and illuminating book, award-winning science journalist Michael D. Lemonick uses the unique drama of Lonni Sue Johnson's day-to-day life to give us a nuanced and intimate understanding of the science that lies at the very heart of human nature.

About Michael D. Lemonick

Michael Lemonick is a former senior science writer at Time, and the author of several books including Echo of the Big Bang. He teaches at Princeton, Columbia, and Johns Hopkins Universities, and lives in Princeton, New Jersey.

Reviews

Goodreads review by Allison on December 17, 2016

I love books about how the brain functions, and this true story about an amnesiac whose hippocampus was destroyed by a life threatening bout of encephalitis had all the elements of a great read. Unfortunately the writing hovered between textbook and pedestrian with none of the elegance of Oliver Sac......more

Goodreads review by Marty on November 16, 2016

Received this in exchange for review There were parts I really loved about this book, the scientific discussions on brain and function, memory and how memories are made, how injury or illness can change everything. The book is primarily about one women who lost her memory due to illness. Also thrown i......more

Goodreads review by Anderson on July 19, 2017

This clearly seemed like a shill for the New Yorker. My opinion aside, It [the book] was a fantastic read. You must want to pick it up if you have some neuroscience to do later.......more

Goodreads review by Olivia on December 18, 2016

In "The Perpetual Now" Lemonick explores what we know about memory through the case of Lonni Sue, a woman who had viral encephalitis which was cured after severe brain damage, primarily in the temporal lobe (hippocampus). She lives in a "perpetual now" as she cannot retain or make memories. Lemonick......more

Goodreads review by Donna Barney on November 11, 2016

Lonnie Sue became alive to me as I read this story.......more

Quotes

"A well-researched, engaging and accessible combination of brain science an biography... Lemonick brilliantly employs this lens, placing Lonni Sue’s story in a personal and scientific context that keeps the reader engaged throughout...At once smart and approachable, The Perpetual Now is an inspiring story of human resilience and scientific progress, a reminder that great triumphs are often borne of great tragedies. Expect an education in memory research, but also expect a gorgeous and memorable testament to the fact that we are far more than our memories."
--The Huffington Post

"Through sharing Johnson’s compelling story, Lemonick delivers a fascinating lesson that deepens our appreciation for our own memories."
--Real Simple

"Lemonick does an excellent job of explaining why Lonni Sue's 'enormous storehouse of knowledge' regarding visual art, music and aviation made her an especially rich research subject...[A] very diligent reporter...the story of Lonni Sue, one of the great experiments of nature, is intrinsically fascinating."
--Washington Post

"Watching Lonni Sue and her family reconstruct her life under nearly impossible circumstances is an enthralling story of patience, determination and love, and the bonus is that it's also a window into the emerging science of how the brain makes, stores and recalls memories. You'll never think about your own brain in the same way again."
--Dan Fagin, Pulitzer Prize-winning author of Tom's River

"The Perpetual Now is a fascinating and artful book that takes us deep into the most mysterious labyrinth in nature, the human brain. We meet Lonni Sue Johnson, an artist with profound amnesia, who lost her ability to form or recall memories, and we meet Johnson’s loving family and the scientists who have studied brain for many years, probing the mystery of memory."
 --Richard Preston, New York Times bestselling author of The Hot Zone and The Wild Trees

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