Michael Lemonick, “The Perpetual Now: A Story of Amnesia, Memory, and Love”
Listen 00:49:30Guest: Michael Lemonick
Lonnie Sue Johnson, a successful artist, a talented musician, and an amateur pilot, contracted encephalitis in 2007. The disease wreaked havoc on her brain, particularly her hippocampus, and left her with severe amnesia. Johnson is unable to make new memories, has trouble remembering events that occurred a few minutes earlier, and has forgotten most of her past. She has, however, retained her artistic and musical skills and still plays the viola beautifully. Science writer MICHAEL LEMONICK tells Johnson’s remarkable story in his new book The Perpetual Now: A Story of Amnesia, Memory, and Love, and uses her case to explore the science of memory and memory loss.
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