EXCLUSIVE BONUS MATERIAL: Stay to the end to hear a conversation between the author and Robin Ince, recorded exclusively for this audiobook

Did you know that memory is much more than a record of the past ? Or that forgetting is essential? Or that every time you recall a memory you update it?

Combining fascinating tales of the peculiarities of memory as well as cutting-edge science, Dr Ranganath shows the surprising ways our brains record the past and how we use that information to understand who we are in the present, and to guide our futures. Memory shapes how we experience the world, and it does that in often invisible and sometimes destructive ways. Dr Ranganath argues that we can use this knowledge to make better use of our flawed memories, whether in daily tasks like finding our keys or dealing with memory loss as we age. What's more, when we work with the brain's ability to learn and reinterpret past events, we can shed our biases, learn faster and heal after grief or trauma. This is a vital, accessible guide to understanding memory's quirks - and its power.

'Popular science at its best: entertaining and thought-provoking.' Financial Times

'You don't have to be a victim to your past and the way you used to think . . . A wonderful book.' Dr Rangan Chatterjee

'A radically new and engaging explanation of how and why we remember.' Matthew Walker