moonwalking with einstein review

Non-fiction is a touchy subject. Not many people seems to ready any books from this genre, and are missing out. In Joshua Foer’s new book, Moonwalking with Einstein, he tells the adventure of becoming a memory champion. When Foer first though of the idea for this book, he was planning on following the best of the memory champions in the world. Then the tables turned. The mnemonists said that they were just average people, and that anyone could become a champion, so Foer decided to volunteer himself. He thought if they could train him to have a better memory, anyone really could do it. So the training began.

                Moonwalking with Einstein is Foer’s first and only book at the moment, and quite impressive. As a non-fiction writer, Foer needs to keep a tight journal of all he is going through, get all the facts, and make sure the story is interesting. Foer excelled in all of these. There is great dialogue throughout the book, as well as many interesting real characters. Foer decides after he meets the people with the best memories in the world, that he should also meet the worst. Foer meets up with a patient who has had serious memory loss from a disease. Parts of his brain have been hollowed out from this disease, and caused his memory to disappear. He cannot remember more than the current conversation. Even though this patient cannot remember his neighbor’s names, he still goes on a walk every day and meets them and greets them as if they are brand new people. This patient is a great resource for medical scientist because it allows them to see what happens to the brain when certain damage is done. It was a great dynamic to add additional people into the book; it helps gain perspective on the whole subject.  

                In terms of writing style, Foer is very straight forward, as he needs to be. In non-fiction, there does not seem to be much creativity, that every book is just listing facts and rambling on and on about a boring science subject. But in Moonwalking with Einstein, that is not the case. Foer has such a life to his writing; it feels like he is talking specifically to you. He seems to write as a friend, giving incite to this great journey that he is going on. It is not the typical non-fiction book. The author is the main character, and he is learning along the way. You can see him mess up, and question his motives. There are scientific facts throughout the book, but it is set up in a way that Foer is sharing his knowledge, rather than listing everything over and over again. If you are looking for a first non-fiction book just for your pleasure, Moonwalking with Einstein is the way to go.

                Moonwalking with Einstein has much strength throughout the whole book. There is a true beginning, middle and end, great language, scientific incite, and creativity. On the other hand, there may be a few turn-offs that may turn readers away. There are times throughout the book where you find yourself away from the main story. You can get lost in all the facts that Foer is trying to tell you. Some people could get lost in the language also. There are many scientific words thrown around as if you should know them, such as neuron, white matter, synaptic cleft, and hippocampus. For the casual reader, they may find it difficult to try and make sense of these words and to fit them into the context of the book. Other than the difference in the language, the casual reader should be able to get along just fine throughout the rest of the book.

                It is quite the task to try and get people to read non-fiction. If you are trying to get more into this genre, Moonwalking with Einstein is the way to go. Foer uses creative language, and also presents interesting facts. This is a book about memory, and you do get a look inside the world of memory champions, and what their secrets are to memorizing two decks of cards in five minutes. This is not a self-help book, but is a tool to gain more knowledge on a scientific subject. Moonwalking with Einstein is great for first time non-fiction readers, and will prove that all non-fiction is not boring. So when you get a chance, add Moonwalking with Einstein to your reading list.