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

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Overview

If you could remember the confidence you felt when your prom date said yes, could it embolden you to ask for a raise today? Could the thrill you felt fitting into your skinny jeans five years ago inspire you to skip the doughnuts this morning? Would the details of your early days with a heartbreaking ex help you recognize the potential red flags in a sexy new romance?

Marilu Henner says, “YES!”

In this revolutionary new book, the New York Times...

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More About This Book

Overview

If you could remember the confidence you felt when your prom date said yes, could it embolden you to ask for a raise today? Could the thrill you felt fitting into your skinny jeans five years ago inspire you to skip the doughnuts this morning? Would the details of your early days with a heartbreaking ex help you recognize the potential red flags in a sexy new romance?

Marilu Henner says, “YES!”

In this revolutionary new book, the New York Times bestselling author, renowned health advocate, actress, performer, and memory expert helps you develop the ability to remember more of your past, to recall it more clearly, and most of all, to understand your memories as a blueprint for the extraordinary life you were meant to have! Marilu is gifted with Highly Superior Auto-biographical Memory (HSAM), a rare and incredible ability that allows her to vividly recall every detail of her life since childhood. While most of us may prefer to keep the unhappy times buried in the past, Marilu has discovered that only by remembering what happened then can we change our lives for a better now.

The past is prelude to the future. But how much of our lives do most of us really remember? And what would our memories tell us if they could? Get ready to harness the power of your autobiographical memory. Total Memory Makeover is unlike any memory book ever written. It’s not about using mnemonic devices or unusual strategies to remember lists, definitions, names, or numbers.

The simple, practical (and fun!) exercises in this unique book will help you:

· Stop turning painful memories into emotional baggage

· Discover your personal memory Track

· Unlock repressed memories that are holding you back

· Understand the four types of memory retrieval—Horizontal, Vertical, Mushrooming, and Sporadic—and determine which works best for you

· Recall memories faster and stop them from fading

· Teach your kids to have great memories

· Turn your newfound memories into a treasure map to a successful future!

Are you ready? Let’s get started on your Total Memory Makeover!

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Editorial Reviews

From Barnes & Noble

Marilu Henner's Total Memory Makeover can radically improve your memory, but it can't claim to match its author's level proficiency: Henner is, after all, one of seven people on earth who has been classified as possessing Superior Autobiographical Memory, an almost total recall. That near uniqueness adds a strikingly personal dimension to the actress' discussions about the advantages of having an enhanced memory. A winning antidote to fears of cognitive decay and dementia.

— Alisa Schnaars

Publishers Weekly
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—gifted 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—that anyone can unblock memory if their desire "to remember is strong enough—" 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.)
Kirkus Reviews
Actress and memory whiz Henner (Wear Your Life Well: Use What You Have to Get What You Want, 2009, etc.) unveils the secrets to unlocking the hidden recesses of the mind. The author's awe-inspiring memory skills, profiled in an episode of 60 Minutes, have eclipsed the fame she won for her portrayal of Elaine Nardo on the beloved TV sitcom Taxi. Despite realizing from an early age that she processed memory differently than other people, Henner didn't know there was a name for her superlative powers of recollection until she began working with researchers at the University of California, Irvine. There, she learned that she is one of a very small number of people classified with Highly Superior Autobiographical Memory. The average person can recall up to 11 events from each year of their life; Henner remembers--in precise detail--every day of her life since the age of 12. By sharing her ability, Henner writes, readers will be able to "use these lessons to transform your memory, your past, and ultimately, your future." Blending anecdotes from her personal life and career with scientific data and exercises designed to trigger specific types of memories, the author guides readers on a tour through their past. Henner forgoes typical approaches like mnemonics, place pegs and memory palaces. One test stimulates the olfactory nerves to turn up sense memories; another asks readers to revisit their 21st birthdays to uncover the different ways they archive memories. As the text progresses, Henner skillfully demonstrates how memories can help readers process their past, direct their present and shape their future. Other useful chapters address how to effectively record events in a journal and the ways parents can help their children preserve memories. Henner's enthusiasm is infectious, though the number of exclamation points may distract some readers. An effective memory manual with an unusual approach.
From the Publisher
"The author’s awe-inspiring memory skills, profiled in an episode of 60 Minutes, have eclipsed the fame she won for her portrayal of Elaine Nardo on the beloved TV sitcom Taxi. Despite realizing from an early age that she processed memory differently than other people, Henner didn’t know there was a name for her superlative powers of recollection until she began working with researchers at the University of California, Irvine. There, she learned that she is one of a very small number of people classified with Highly Superior Autobiographical Memory. The average person can recall up to 11 events from each year of their life; Henner remembers—in precise detail—every day of her life since the age of 12. By sharing her ability, Henner writes, readers will be able to “use these lessons to transform your memory, your past, and ultimately, your future.” Blending anecdotes from her personal life and career with scientific data and exercises designed to trigger specific types of memories, the author guides readers on a tour through their past. Henner forgoes typical approaches like mnemonics, place pegs and memory palaces. One test stimulates the olfactory nerves to turn up sense memories; another asks readers to revisit their 21st birthdays to uncover the different ways they archive memories. As the text progresses, Henner skillfully demonstrates how memories can help readers process their past, direct their present and shape their future. Other useful chapters address how to effectively record events in a journal and the ways parents can help their children preserve memories. Henner’s enthusiasm is infectious."—Kirkus Reviews

"This is not a book that will, as many others do, teach you how to memorize the order of the cards in a deck, or long sequences of pi. It is not a book about improving one’s memorization skills, however helpful that might or might not be. Instead, this is a book about reclaiming what, in many cases, has been lost—the individual’s ability to recall the details of his or her own life. And as such, this is perhaps the most valuable book on memory to have been published to date.

This is therefore a book about revelations—the private, personal revelations that can come about when one is able to give context to a restructured and reinvigorated ability to recall.

Pretty heady stuff.

It is always most impressive, in this reader’s opinion, when in today’s culture of dependency on “experts,” an individual chooses instead to blaze their own path to health and healing. Ms. Henner is just such an individual, and as her impressive track record of books old and new attests she gets remarkable results."—New York Journal of Books

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Product Details

  • ISBN-13: 9781451651218
  • Publisher: Gallery Books
  • Publication date: 4/24/2012
  • Edition description: Simon & Schuster
  • Pages: 256
  • Product dimensions: 6.50 (w) x 9.30 (h) x 1.10 (d)

Meet the Author

Marilu Henner

Marilu Henner is well known for her roles in Taxi and Evening Shade and her participation in The Celebrity Apprentice. She is the author of the New York Times bestselling books, Wear Your Life Well, Marilu Henner's Total Health Makeover, and Healthy Life Kitchen. She lives in Los Angeles.

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Customer Reviews

Average Rating 4.5
( 7 )
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Sort by: Showing all of 8 Customer Reviews

  • Posted April 24, 2012

    I've been a fan of Marilu's since I first watched Taxi on Nick a

    I've been a fan of Marilu's since I first watched Taxi on Nick at Night as a teen. I originally bought this book for my mom this morning since she to is a fan and is ALWAYS complaining about her memory. However, I ended up devouring it before even handing it to her! This is an easy read, made more so by the fact that Marilu adds her own personal story(s) throughout the book which helps keep it from sounding too ‘text-booky’. I haven’t had time to put anything into practice since I’ve only had it for a few hours but the advice and exercises seem simple and fun. I love that it isn’t about mnemonics and memorization tricks because my brain never really grasped those anyway. I particularly enjoyed the emotional aspects of the book, and I feel my mom, when she does read it, will also greatly enjoy and relate to them as well.

    Pick this book up if you want something that is educational, fun, but different and want to learn how to remember your own daily life. This isn't a book for people looking to improve memory skills in order to pass tests. This isn't Moonwalking With Einstein -- which I found to be interesting for the first 20 pages before it became monotonous, confusing, and ultimately un-relatable!

    10 out of 11 people found this review helpful.

    Was this review helpful? Yes  NoThank you for your feedback.   Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.

  • Posted April 29, 2012

    This book was fun to read but also incredibly effective in helpi

    This book was fun to read but also incredibly effective in helping me access memories and put them in perspective. I'm not sure what I thought it would be like but it exceeded my expectations. Using Ms. Henner's analogy of queing up scenes on a DVD I found that memories began filling in with surprising detail. Looking at an old photograph I found the details of that day coming to the surface. One of those details was hurtful but rather than being unpleasant it made me realize that other people's words had informed my opinion of myself going all the way back to childhood.

    Remembering that day AS IT ACTUALLY HAPPENED helped me to hit a reset button !

    I HIGHLY recommend this book to anyone who wants the story of their own life to become more vivid. Using your past to take control of your future is a special gift and Marilu is making it available to everyone !

    2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.

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  • Posted April 26, 2012

    I'm grateful to this book for helping me revisit people and even

    I'm grateful to this book for helping me revisit people and events in my life that I would otherwise have forgotten. I especially enjoyed the exercise about revisiting events with a partner -- it makes working on your memory much more fun!

    2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.

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    Posted April 28, 2012

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    Posted May 15, 2012

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    Posted April 29, 2012

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    Posted May 13, 2012

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