White Gloves [Hardcover]

John Kotre (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 1, 1995

Most of us think of memory as a fixed, unchanging substance that exists permanently in our mind and can be called upon at will. But research shows that this conception is far from the truth. We are constantly rewriting our memories and, in the process, creating ever new personal histories, illustrating that our memory operates in very complex and sometimes puzzling ways. This work explains why some memories can only be recalled in certain physiological states; why seemingly unimportant, small moments lurk in our memory for years for no apparent reason; and why some people have total recall of all that they read and see. It also shows how and why people who witness the same event recall it so differently and how we can often have vivid and detailed memories of events that never occurred.

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

Kotre examines in brief and nontechnical terms a variety of memory mechanisms ranging from research findings on neural pathways and specialized memory cells to speculations on repression, age regression, and past lives. He uses simple concepts to explain such phenomena as de{‚}ja{ }vu and to challenge unfounded beliefs. For example, to refute the idea that everything that happens to an individual is stored in one's memory and is potentially accessible, he points out that remembering where we parked at the mall is facilitated by forgetting where we parked on previous trips. He further shows that what we believe we accurately remember often has been reconstructed, as when an event that initially evoked fear and anger is later recalled as a hilarious adventure. Kotre also discusses infantile amnesia, memory maturation from the generic to the thematic in the young and adolescent, and autobiographic and memory changes in the second half of life, particularly in late adulthood. Brenda Grazis

Product Details

• Hardcover: 16 pages
• Publisher: Free Press (May 1, 1995)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0029184649
• ISBN-13: 978-0029184646
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.3 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,646,389 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Eloquent evocation of memory and its tasks, embedded in life, August 24, 1997

By 

[e-mail] (NYC) - See all my reviews

This review is from: White Gloves (Paperback)

As the discipline of psychology struggles to emerge from its artifice-inducingdecades of behaviorism, memory research does much of the heavy lifting-- uniting laboratory rigor, theoretical sophistication, and humane concerns with "qualitative" field work (that is, talking to real people in ordinary ways). "White Gloves" presents the state of the art quite well, in a literate, well-crafted style that sounds like one very smart and wise person talking to others. The book sets current work on memory in the context of the author's life, and the lives of many famous (and less famous) characters from the professional literature.
For those who want an academic tone to their books on current science, this is the wrong book--try Daniel Schacter's "Searching for Memory." For those who find the close logic of (even the best) academic writing trying, but who would like to know the state of the art, "White Gloves" is a fine, moving choice

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great book - Rotten Tittle, November 6, 2010

By 

KC Mike - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: White Gloves (Paperback)

The person who chose the title cost the author thousand of book sales. I can't remember why I picked it up (it wasn't because of the interesting title or cover page layout), but it was one of those books you sometime find that change the way you see the world. You'll never think of your own memories or the testimony of eyewitnesses in the same way ever again. Share it with someone and you'll have conversation starters for weeks.