The Perpetual Now: A Story of Amnesia, Memory, and Love

by Michael D. Lemonick Narrated by Kaleo Griffith

Overview

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.

Editorial Reviews

Publishers Weekly

12/19/2016
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.)

From the Publisher

The story of Lonni Sue, one of the great experiments of nature, is intrinsically fascinating.” —Washington Post

“The Perpetual Now is an inspiring story of human resilience and scientific progress, a reminder that great triumphs are often borne of great tragedies. Expect an education in memory research, but also expect a gorgeous and memorable testament to the fact that we are far more than our memories.” —The Huffington Post

“An enthralling story of patience, determination and love, and a window into the emerging science of how the brain makes, stores and recalls memories. You'll never think about your own brain in the same way again.” —Dan Fagin, Pulitzer Prize-winning author of Tom's River

“Through sharing Johnson’s compelling story, Lemonick delivers a fascinating lesson that deepens our appreciation for our own memories.” —Real Simple

“A well-researched, engaging and accessible combination of brain science and biography... Lemonick brilliantly employs this lens, placing Lonni Sue’s story in a personal and scientific context that keeps the reader engaged throughout...At once smart and approachable, 
“Lemonick delivers a finely observed profile of Lonni Sue Johnson.” —Scientific American
 
“Lemonick skillfully employs both a personal voice...and a scholarly authority as he travels through the incredible life of Lonnie Sue. His great accomplishment is helping us see the ‘new’ Lonni Sue as a most remarkable person. An absolutely memorable book.” —Kirkus, *starred* 


“The story is fascinating, and Lemonick's prose is accessible and engaging...Eminently approachable...” —Library Journal

“A life-affirming exploration.... Lemonick’s prior connection to the Johnson family...combined with [his]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.”—Publishers Weekly 
 
“A fascinating and poignant portrait...Lemonick’s compassionate look at illness, memory, and what it means to be human will appeal to Oliver Sacks fans.” —Booklist 
 
“The Perpetual Now is a fascinating and artful book that takes us deep into the most mysterious labyrinth in nature, the human brain. We meet Lonni Sue Johnson, an artist with profound amnesia, who lost her ability to form or recall memories, and we meet Johnson’s loving family and the scientists who have studied brain for many years, probing the mystery of memory.” —Richard Preston, New York Times bestselling author of The Hot Zone and The Wild Trees
 
“The Perpetual Now enhances not only our understanding of the brain but also our appreciation of human resilience.”—Katrina Firlik M.D., author of Another Day in the Frontal Lobe
 
“In The Perpetual Now, Michael D. Lemonick, the rare journalist and author who can weave a compelling narrative while unpacking complex science, tells Johnson's unexpectedly life-affirming story and, in doing so, explores what researchers know—and are continually learning—about human memory. With this book, as with all of Lemonick's books, I came away both moved by what I read, and smarter for having read it.” —Jeffrey Kluger, Editor at Large of Time magazine and author of Apollo 13

Library Journal

11/01/2016
Lemonick (opinion editor, Scientific American; Mirror Earth: The Search for Our Planet's Twin) one day ran into a former classmate who asked, "Did you hear what happened to my sister?" Thus began his investigation into the life of Lonnie Sue Johnson and the science of memory. In midlife, Johnson contracted encephalitis, which destroyed her hippocampus, the brain structure that was removed from the famous amnesia patient H.M. (Henry Molaison). Johnson was an accomplished woman before her illness; not only did she have a successful career as an illustrator with several New Yorker covers to her credit, but she also was a violist and certified pilot, who lived on a farm. After illness struck, Johnson's mother and sister devoted themselves to her recovery while helping her participate in research studies, to which she made groundbreaking contributions. The story is fascinating, and Lemonick's prose is accessible and engaging. This title covers some of the same ground as Luke Dittrich's Patient H.M., devoting a chapter to what happened to H.M.'s brain after death; those who enjoyed Dittrich's work may want to seek out this volume. VERDICT Eminently approachable, this book will be attractive to lay readers curious about memory and the brain, particularly those who have followed the career of H.M.—Nancy H. Fontaine, Norwich P.L., VT

Kirkus Reviews

★ 2016-10-20
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 voice—he knew the victim's sister from middle school—and 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 draw—and 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 memory—and how memory works. (He even provides a bit of film criticism—Memento comes off fairly well; 50 First Dates does not.) Although there are some familiar names—Oliver Sacks, William James—most 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.

Product Details

BN ID:	2940171963965
Publisher:	Penguin Random House
Publication date:	02/07/2017
Edition description:	Unabridged

Read an Excerpt

PREFACE
(Continues…)

---

Excerpted from "The Perpetual Now"
by .
Copyright © 2017 Michael D. Lemonick.
Excerpted by permission of Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group.
All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.
Excerpts are provided by Dial-A-Book Inc. solely for the personal use of visitors to this web site.

---

Videos