BR1-13: The Memory Man

“It's just a matter of exercise.”

Gianni Golfera is a man who has an extraordinary brain. This Italian man memorized more than 250 books, and he can remember every detail of every day of his life. What's more, he also 

remember these details from the time he was less than one year old.

Memory is very difficult to understand. Even scientists don't really know how it works, yet. Does the memory depend on heredity? or environment? According to researchers, great memory may not depend on the DNA only. It seems that everyone can remember if they try harder.

You may say, “No, I can't believe it, he is a special when he was born!” Exactly, genes are one of his great gifts, but since the age of 11, he has been training his brain to remember more and more. He practices continuously to improve the power of his memory.

To prove that anyone can have a great memory, he holds classes to teach people how to develop their memories. In the classes, he shows students how to organize their memories and how to 'remember to remember.' He believes that there is a lot of brain space, so there are no limits.

As he mentioned in the book, I think memory can improve by working hard. For instance, before examinations, we have to memorize so many words or phrases. When we see a wide range of text books we must tackle, we must be throw them away. However, we finally memorize a lot of things. So, it means, we can remember, but we simply try not to memorize. The final exams are approaching now, so I decided that I will face a large numbers of reports and tests.

Footprint reading library with video from National Geographic. (2008). The Memory Man. Boston : Thomson Heinle.

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