The guest is Joshua Foer author of the new book MOONWALKING WITH EINSTEIN: The Art and Science of Remembering Everything. The book has been described as science journalism wrapped around an adventure story.
In 2006, Josh won the U.S. Memory Championship, a feat he never imagined possible when he actually entered the competition as an exercise in participatory journalism. He is not a savant, but found his brain doing savant-like things after being trained by the world’s top “mental athletes.” Winning the competition, however, was just the first step to the larger exploration he takes in this book: to find out exactly how our brains are wired to remember, and what we have lost when our memory fails us.
Joshua Foer's writing has appeared in National Geographic, Esquire, Slate, Outside, the New York Times, and other publications. He is the co-founder of the Atlas Obscura, an online guide to the world’s wonders and curiosities. He is also the co-founder of the architectural design competition, Sukkah City. Moonwalking with Einstein is his first book.