Sargeant, Delys & Unkenstein, Anne: Remembering well: how memory works and what to do when it doesn't. St Leonards, NSW: Allen & Unwin, 1998.
Content: a brief, easy-to-read book about everyday memory that is particularly oriented to people who are getting older and are worried about memory failures.
Author’s qualifications: Delys Sargeant was at one time head of the Social Biology Resources Centre at the University of Melbourne, and is now prominent in the Australian Council on the Aging. Anne Unkenstein is a clinical neuropsychologist specializing in memory loss.
Readability: Extremely easy to read. Lots of bullet points and quotes.
Accuracy: This is not ground-breaking stuff. Since most of what is said is also in my book, I believe it is accurate!
Currency: Since the book is not concerned with recounting research, currency isn't really an issue.
Comprehensiveness: As I've said, this book is particularly aimed at people who have concerns about their memory, or the memory of others. There are chapters on how memory changes with age, the factors that affect remembering, Alzheimer's, and memory strategies.
Amount of background knowledge assumed: None.
Usefulness: Particularly useful for people who want to be reassured about their memory. A section on useful everyday memory strategies.
Memorability: Organized for memorability (lists; headings; key points at end of each chapter, etc).
Interest: There's nothing very deep here, but it's all sensible advice, and the many quotes from people talking about their memory failures, or the memory concerns of those close to them, would no doubt be interesting (and reassuring) to many people.
Balance: A reasonably balanced account, not pushing a particular perspective or "solution". A commonsense, practical book.
Availability: I don't know how available this is outside of Australia / New Zealand. Amazon has it as out of print, although it does have used copies for sale. There is also an audio-cassette that is available by special order.
Length: Not long. 132 pages (including a 2 page index).
Brief index; brief reference list.
Overall rating (reflects my own opinion of the book’s worth, not its usefulness to you): ***
Now available as a downloadable ebook!
