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The Nostalgia Factory: Memory, Time and Ageing Hardcover – October 29, 2013
Purchase options and add-ons
- Print length176 pages
- LanguageEnglish
- PublisherYale University Press
- Publication dateOctober 29, 2013
- Dimensions5.75 x 1 x 9 inches
- ISBN-109780300182866
- ISBN-13978-0300182866
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“Full of intriguing information and touching interviews, The Nostalgia Factory may help you to hear Grandpa’s rambling war stories in a different way.”—Rita Carter, BBC Focus Magazine (Rita Carter BBC Focus Magazine)
‘Draaisma in The Nostalgia Factory calls this the 'reminiscence effect', but what is really appealing about his accessible and entertaining study is the enthusiasm with which he treats old age, considered so often by today’s society as a time of decay and decline.’—Lesley McDowell, The Sunday Herald (Lesley McDowell The Sunday Herald 2014-08-23)
'One of our most perceptive writers on the stories of human memory, Douwe Draaisma has written a tender and insightful meditation on the trials and consolations of old age, memory and forgetfulness.' - Charles Fernyhough, author of Pieces of Light: How the New Science of Memory Illuminates the Stories We Tell About Our Pasts (Charles Fernyhough)
‘Draaisma is a poet of memory, one whose knowledge is grounded in science, though he is far too wise to confuse the lab with life. The clarity and elegance of his treatment of the subject gives continual delight.’ - Iain McGilchrist, author of The Master and his Emissary: The Divided Brain and the Making of the Western World (Iain McGilchrist)
“For readers, the most welcome aspect of this book may be his heartening examples of the wisdom that comes with old age.”—Heller McAlpin, The Washington Post (Heller McAlpin The Washington Post)
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Product details
- ASIN : 0300182864
- Publisher : Yale University Press; 1st edition (October 29, 2013)
- Language : English
- Hardcover : 176 pages
- ISBN-10 : 9780300182866
- ISBN-13 : 978-0300182866
- Item Weight : 13.6 ounces
- Dimensions : 5.75 x 1 x 9 inches
- Best Sellers Rank: #3,478,623 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #3,107 in Memory Improvement Self-Help
- #3,780 in Popular Neuropsychology
- #9,146 in Aging (Books)
- Customer Reviews:
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I find the book to be reassuring, even as it admits that little can be done about waning abilities, and will especially recommend it to friends and family that are anxious about their own memory. There is no need to have a background in psychology to understand anything presented in the text.
I sometimes felt that there were too many examples used to make a point, but perhaps that is better than allowing for misinterpretation.
Ok, it isn't heavyweight but is vastly reassuring. Get it for your mom when she gets a decade past eligibility for AARP. Maybe get it for her with a Kindle, so she can discover what a boon one is for arthritic hands
But well written, as always. I loved Disturbances of the Mind!
Top reviews from other countries
Some of the problems with memory are nothing to do with age, it’s just that age exacerbates them. Playing up this worry of becoming forgetful, a whole ‘brain training’ industry has developed, selling us products to keep our brain fitter. There is little evidence that improving at the exercises has any impact on memory improvement, however. They may be exercising a different aspect of brain function, a different ‘mental muscle’. However, this is not a problem. Although memory does decline with age, this decline is not particularly severe, unless there is actual dementia involved.
One feature of ageing that some people experience is reminiscence, of old memories bubbling to the surface. This can be a joy, provided those memories are pleasant ones. What is surprising is not that the memories are old, but rather that they have returned after having being seemingly forgotten. Most memories are of earlier events, and later life seems to pass much more quickly, as fewer memories are formed. This may be due to a memory bias: it is easier to lay down memories of novel events, and later in life there are fewer first times or surprising experiences. This may also partly explain later memory decline: there is simply nothing new to remember!
Such reminiscing may lead to a form of homesickness. Some people suffer such severe homesickness when they move away from home that the only cure is to return; they may simply fade away and die of sadness if they don’t. Reminiscing can lead to nostalgia, a wistful desire to return to that fondly remembered past; such nostalgia may turn into severe homesickness, for the remembered past. And this homesickness cannot be cured, as return is not possible. I have fortunately never suffered from homesickness; we moved around a lot when I was young, and so I never gained a strong attachment to any one place. Hopefully I will also not suffer from past-sickness when I start to reminisce.
Overall I found this book very informative, reassuring, and enjoyable to read. Although I’m not sure how much of it I will remember…

