Total Memory Makeover: Uncover Your Past, Take Charge of Your Future

Most readers probably remember Henner from the TV sitcom Taxi, but chances are slim that even the show's most devoted fans could recall their favorite episodes better than the woman who played Elaine Nardo%E2%80%94gifted with HSAM (Highly Superior Autobiographical Memory), Henner can literally remember ever day since her 12th birthday. Here, the actress chides folks for taking minor mnemonic shortcuts, like relying on cell phones to remember phone numbers, but she tempers her rebuke by offering strategies for memory improvement. Insisting that her remarkable recall faculty "is a product of both nature and nurture," Henner encourages readers to call upon their senses (she even provides a test to determine "your strongest sense"), "find the Juice" ("that element in the things we do that gets our blood pumping"), and try out her "Total Memory Makeover Calendar" (available for a fee via her website). Henner's tactics are interesting, but her guiding belief%E2%80%94that anyone can unblock memory if their desire "to remember is strong enough%E2%80%94" is unconvincing. But whether or not readers find themselves recounting their own 12th birthdays by book's end, Henner's story provides a compelling and fun means to reexamine remembrance. (Apr.)