Enhanced descriptions from Syndetics:
In the aftermath of a shattering illness, Lonni Sue Johnson lives in a "perpetual now," where she has almost no memories of the past and a nearly complete inability to form new ones. The Perpetual Now is the moving story of this exceptional woman, and the groundbreaking revelations about memory, learning, and consciousness her unique case has uncovered .
Lonni Sue Johnson was a renowned artist who regularly produced covers for The New Yorker , a gifted musician, a skilled amateur pilot, and a joyful presence to all who knew her. But in late 2007, she contracted encephalitis. The disease burned through her hippocampus like wildfire, leaving her severely amnesic, living in a present that rarely progresses beyond ten to fifteen minutes.
Remarkably, she still retains much of the intellect and artistic skills from her previous life, but it's not at all clear how closely her consciousness resembles yours or mine. As such, Lonni Sue's story has become part of a much larger scientific narrative--one that is currently challenging traditional wisdom about how human memory and awareness are stored in the brain.
In this probing, compassionate, and illuminating book, award-winning science journalist Michael D. Lemonick uses the unique drama of Lonni Sue Johnson's day-to-day life to give us a nuanced and intimate understanding of the science that lies at the very heart of human nature.
Includes bibliographical references (pages 281-282).
A textbook case -- "Would like to meet Charlemagne" -- Where does memory live? -- Princeton -- How cells remember -- Artist -- Flight to Cooperstown -- Buzz the cowboy -- First turning point -- Second and third turning points -- Pictures of Lonni Sue's brain -- False memory -- Challenging the conventional wisdom -- Maggi's memorial -- The opposite of amnesia -- Other amnesics -- The saga of Henry's brain -- What does the hippocampus do? -- Lonni Sue's world.
"In the aftermath of a shattering illness, Lonni Sue Johnson lives in a "perpetual now," where she has almost no memories of the past and a nearly complete inability to form new ones. The Perpetual Now is the moving story of this exceptional woman, and the groundbreaking revelations about memory, learning, and consciousness her unique case has uncovered. Lonni Sue Johnson was a renowned artist who regularly produced covers for The New Yorker, a gifted musician, a skilled amateur pilot, and a joyful presence to all who knew her. But in late 2007, she contracted encephalitis. The disease burned through her hippocampus like wildfire, leaving her severely amnesic, living in a present that rarely progresses beyond ten to fifteen minutes. Remarkably, she still retains much of the intellect and artistic skills from her previous life, but it's not at all clear how closely her consciousness resembles yours or mine. As such, Lonni Sue's story has become part of a much larger scientific narrative--one that is currently challenging traditional wisdom about how human memory and awareness are stored in the brain. In this probing, compassionate, and illuminating book, award-winning science journalist Michael D. Lemonick uses the unique drama of Lonni Sue Johnson's day-to-day life to give us a nuanced and intimate understanding of the science that lies at the very heart of human nature"-- Provided by publisher.
"The story of Lonni Sue Johnson, a talented artist, musician and amateur pilot who lost all capacity for short term memory when she suffered encephalitis and the amazing scientific discoveries her condition has inspired"-- Provided by publisher.
Reviews provided by Syndetics
Library Journal Review
Lonnie Sue Johnson was an artist who painted covers for The New Yorker, a virtuoso on the viola, and a pilot. Then, in 2007, she contracted encephalitis and much of her brain, including the hippocampus, was destroyed. Johnson's sister and mother began to teach her how to talk, walk, and feed herself again. Apparently, though, Johnson's memory was unable to retain information in the short term. She is a real-life version of the main character from the film Memento. Lemonick's (Mirror Earth: The Search for Our Planet's Twin) book tells the story of Johnson's decline from a brilliant, independent, creative woman to a childlike creature who spends most of her time doing word search puzzles and how the scientific experiments performed on her will lead to a better understanding of how memory works. Kaleo Griffith narrates expertly as his voice conveys sorrow and sympathy for Johnson and also the joy she brings to others. -VERDICT A tremendous book on how memory works, this pairs perfectly with Luke Dittrich's Patient H.M.: A Story of Memory, Madness, and Family Secrets. ["Eminently approachable, this book will be attractive to lay readers curious about memory and the brain": LJ 11/1/16 review of the Doubleday hc.]-Jason L. Steagall, Gateway Technical Coll. Lib., Elkhorn, WI © Copyright 2017. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Publishers Weekly Review
Lemonick (Mirror Earth), opinion editor at Scientific American, recounts the curious medical case of Lonni Sue Johnson, whose 2007 bout of encephalitis destroyed her hippocampus and left her with dense amnesia that affected both her past episodic memories and her ability to retain new information for longer than a few minutes. It's a life-affirming exploration that combines a sympathetic biography of Johnson with the history of Henry Molaison, a notable case study of amnesia who for years was known only as "H.M." Lemonick illuminates what these patients have taught researchers about the creation and storage of memories. Johnson's retention of some skills and information from her past as a violist, an illustrator for the New Yorker, and a pilot has allowed researchers to do detailed experiments on where in the brain skilled procedural memories reside. Lemonick's prior connection to the Johnson family adds an extra dimension to his discussions with Johnson's mother, sister, and colleagues. That history, combined with Lemonick's personal delight at Johnson's optimism and obsession with word puzzles and spontaneous bouts of song, bridges the gap between his interest in Johnson as a research topic and his affection for her as a human being. Fans of the late Oliver Sacks will appreciate the blend of heart and science in Lemonick's account. (Feb.) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
Booklist Review
What is it like to not be able to make new memories? That is the baffling question behind science writer Lemonick's (Mirror Earth, 2012) fascinating and poignant portrait of Lonni Sue Johnson, an artist who designed covers for the New Yorker, a musician, and an amateur pilot, whose life suddenly changed in 2007 when she contracted encephalitis. The virus raced through the hippocampus of her brain, leaving her in a severe state of amnesia in which she lives in the perpetual now. She has retained her artistic skills but lives in 10-to-15 -minute increments. For Johnson, every experience is the first time, over and over again. Lemonick addresses profound mysteries, such as, If we have no memories of the experiences that made us, how can we know who we are? With the consent of family members and Johnson herself, who remains relentlessly cheerful, doctors are mapping her brain, hoping to learn more about the human mind. Lemonick's compassionate look at illness, memory, and what it means to be human will appeal to Oliver Sacks fans.--Sawyers, June Copyright 2017 Booklist
Kirkus Book Review
A veteran science journalist uses the story of Lonni Sue Johnson, a young woman who suffered a severe infection that destroyed her hippocampus, to illuminate his journey into the murky subject of memory itself.Scientific American opinion editor Lemonick (Mirror Earth: The Search for Our Planet's Twin, 2012, etc.) skillfully employs both a personal voicehe knew the victim's sister from middle schooland a scholarly authority as he travels through the incredible life of Lonnie Sue, a successful artist (among other projects, she produced covers for the New Yorker) and writer whose life changed forever in late 2007 when the infection hit her. Her nonagenarian mother and her sister swooped in to care for her in ways that seem miraculous in today's warehouse-the-elderly and -disabled culture. Since the destruction of the region of the brain responsible for "relational processing," Lonni Sue has maintained a cheerful, friendly manner (despite her inability to remember people she has just met) and shows an astonishing capacity for word games. She can also still play her viola, can describe how to fly a plane (she had a pilot's license), and can drawand much more. Lemonick focuses on her case and biography, but he has larger goals: to acquaint us with the history of research on memory, to review some of the most notable cases in memory loss, and to help us comprehend current theories about types of memoryand how memory works. (He even provides a bit of film criticismMemento comes off fairly well; 50 First Dates does not.) Although there are some familiar namesOliver Sacks, William Jamesmost of his references are to working neuroscientists today. His great accomplishment is helping us see the "new" Lonni Sue as a most remarkable person. An absolutely memorable book. Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.