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  • Moonwalking with Einstein

  • The Art and Science of Remembering Everything
  • Written by: Joshua Foer
  • Narrated by: Mike Chamberlain
  • Length: 9 hrs and 31 mins
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars (229 ratings)

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Moonwalking with Einstein

Written by: Joshua Foer
Narrated by: Mike Chamberlain
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Publisher's Summary

The blockbuster phenomenon that charts an amazing journey of the mind while revolutionizing our concept of memory.

An instant best seller that is poised to become a classic, Moonwalking with Einstein recounts Joshua Foer's yearlong quest to improve his memory under the tutelage of top "mental athletes". He draws on cutting-edge research, a surprising cultural history of remembering, and venerable tricks of the mentalist's trade to transform our understanding of human memory. From the United States Memory Championship to deep within the author's own mind, this is an electrifying work of journalism that reminds us that, in every way that matters, we are the sum of our memories.

©2011 Joshua Foer (P)2011 Penguin

What the critics say

“Highly entertaining.” (Adam Gopnik, The New Yorker)

“Funny, curious, erudite, and full of useful details about ancient techniques of training memory.” (The Boston Globe)

"His passionate and deeply engrossing book...is a resounding tribute to the muscularity of the mind.... In the end, Moonwalking with Einstein reminds us that though brain science is a wild frontier and the mechanics of memory little understood, our minds are capable of epic achievements." (The Washington Post)

What listeners say about Moonwalking with Einstein

Average Customer Ratings
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  • Overall
    2 out of 5 stars
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    2 out of 5 stars

could be better

good points but way too much blabbering it got very long and it would never get to the point

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2 people found this helpful

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    2 out of 5 stars
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too much nonsense

there is so much useless info in this book it really needs to be condensed to useful information

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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Incredible narrative written by an incredible author

Not only is the story incredible interesting of the authors journey to becoming the US memory champion, but his perspective as a journalist adds so much more. Through his journey, the author takes many stops to investigate the actual importance of memory, interviewing many of the cooky characters that have chosen to pursue memory learning alongside him.

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1 person found this helpful

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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

An inspirational must read of mnemonics....

It's just as Bill Gates said, this book is an: "absolutely phenomenal story" - a definite must read for those embarking on the journey of learning about one of the world's most preciously hidden treasures: mnemonics. Not only is it an amazing introduction into such a field of study, it also leaves one to ponder about learning about just how one's own brain functions, and the sheer extent of their own skillset - and how they could manage to actually improve it. These are things that just about anyone has the ability to uncover; a crude conclusion one can jump to, from to hearing the author's perspective on such aspects of himself.

From going over the origins of some of the most prominently used mnemonic techniques, to showcasing several case studies of unique individuals with differential conditions/states of minds, each compared to one another to outline such varying magnitudes and spectrums various human brains, to the tale of how the author managed to accomplish the astounding feat of breaking the fastest time to memorize a deck of a cards for the American Memory World Championships, Joshua Foer's inspirational tale is described from his recollection of the training, experience, and research he went through from his journey diving into the prodigious realm of mnemonics.

I certainly enjoyed each and every moment I've listened to such an audiobook, and I highly recommend this to anyone and everyone!

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    4 out of 5 stars
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A good story

An exhaustive look into the life and mind of memory champions. You will take out of this book a better understanding of mnemonic techniques.
Do not read this book hoping to improve your memory directly, it is not its purpose.

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Good book

It was an intersting personal story/personal journey, coupled with lots of interesting information relative to the storyline. Also, kept light with a bit of comedy inserted here and there. Interesting and performed well start to finish.

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    3 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars

Too long

Agree with other comments here regarding it being a bit too long-winded. Interesting discussion but could have been much shorter.

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    4 out of 5 stars
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Memory palace

The main technique is that called memory palaces. The epilogue is good for explaining why it’s important that we still remember things in a world that has become externalized for data recall.

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    3 out of 5 stars
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Long winded

While some parts of the books were interesting, most parts were long-winded stories about other people's abilities to memorize.

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Really?

this book has been recommended by so many influencers...it was entertaining to a degree, but I personally had the assumption it was going to dive deeper into the techniques Joshua used to win the title.
It did raise my curiosity on the subject.

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