Memory and Forgetting

This retrospective follows Andrei Codrescu from newcomer to near-native in New Orleans, seduced by its lush landscapes, coffee aromas, and nightlife at places like Molly's on Decatur. He shares experiences as King of Krewe de Vieux Carré at Mardi Gras, friendships with artists and eccentrics, and critiques of the city's corruption and flood unpreparedness. Even after Katrina's devastation in 2005, Codrescu affirms the enduring heartbeat of this dream-filled city.

Forever Today is a poignant memoir by Deborah Wearing, recounting the story of her husband Clive, a musician who contracted a virus in 1985 that left him with severe anterograde amnesia. Despite his inability to form new memories, Clive's love for Deborah remained strong, and she dedicated herself to his care while advocating for better support for brain injury victims. The book explores themes of love, resilience, and the human condition.

In *The Emotional Brain*, Joseph LeDoux delves into the intricate world of emotions, explaining how they are deeply rooted in biology. He focuses on the amygdala's role in processing emotions, particularly fear, and discusses the dual-route theory of emotional processing. LeDoux also explores the relationship between emotions and memory, highlighting the amygdala's role in encoding emotional memories. The book provides insights into emotional disorders and the importance of integrating neuroscience and psychology to understand emotions.

In 'Musicophilia: Tales of Music and the Brain', Oliver Sacks delves into the complex and fascinating relationship between music and the human brain. The book is divided into four parts, each focusing on different themes such as the sudden onset of musicality, musical oddities like synesthesia, and the role of music in memory, movement, and emotion. Sacks examines cases of people with conditions such as musical hallucinations, amusia, and those with extraordinary musical abilities despite neurological impairments. He also discusses how music therapy can treat conditions like Parkinson's disease, Alzheimer's, and Tourette's syndrome. The book combines scientific insight with compassionate storytelling to illuminate the profound impact of music on human experience.

In 'Jubilee City: A Memoir at Full Speed', Joe Andoe recounts his unsupervised childhood and drug-fueled adolescence in Tulsa, Oklahoma, and his improbable evolution into a successful New York-based painter. The memoir explores themes of personal struggle, artistic growth, and the complexities of life transitions.