“The art and science of remembering everything” is a suitable subtitle. Foer turns a reporting gig at the World Championship of Memory into a yearlong effort to train himself in the ancient skills of the mnemonist. The Greeks had to have these drills in the pre-reading, pre-writing, pre-printing days in order to recite poems (e.g. Homer’s Iliad) and convey information. Foer describes the neuroscience behind the techniques (images are stickier than names) such as elaborative coding (which also builds on our evolutionary strength in spatial orientation), creating a memory palace, using the Mayer System or P-O-A (person/object/action) to assign an image to every two-digit number from 00 to 99 or every card in the deck—OY! He pushes through the “OK Plateau” where most of us stop through deliberative practice—focus on technique, stay goal-oriented, use immediate feedback. Also discusses some fascinating savants and synesthetes. A darn good read!