Reviews

A Primer for Forgetting: Getting Past the Past by Lewis Hyde

mateaaah's review against another edition

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informative reflective slow-paced

3.75

ameeth's review against another edition

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challenging informative reflective fast-paced

5.0

drx's review

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informative reflective slow-paced

4.5

mikeerrico's review

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4.0

A “thought experiment” that looks at the role of forgetting in our lives via a series of interconnected essays. In short: we pay for cloud storage and hard drives and digital archiving; the internet remembers and sells every move we make; but in many ways, forgetting is the more creative, clarifying, and forward-thinking choice. The essays give the whole piece a kind of staccato feel, but overall, I think the experiment worked incredibly well. Hyde makes forgetting cool again.

jozbill's review against another edition

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informative inspiring reflective slow-paced

4.0

I really enjoyed the unusual format of this book. I also loved the wide range of information that was touched on. 

mikeerrico's review against another edition

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4.0

A “thought experiment” that looks at the role of forgetting in our lives via a series of interconnected essays. In short: we pay for cloud storage and hard drives and digital archiving; the internet remembers and sells every move we make; but in many ways, forgetting is the more creative, clarifying, and forward-thinking choice. The essays give the whole piece a kind of staccato feel, but overall, I think the experiment worked incredibly well. Hyde makes forgetting cool again.

henhenthehen's review

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hopeful informative inspiring reflective relaxing fast-paced

3.0

It was a fun read. Sometimes it was repetitive and sometimes the stories were hard to understand. I liked when there were quotes and symbolism about forgetting and the importance of it. I learned some information I did not know before. It was an interesting perspective on the importance of forgetting and not forgetting. 

m_n_r's review against another edition

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3.0

3.5

partypete's review against another edition

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5.0

not really sure about the lukewarm takes, I thought this was excellent. The format is certainly unusual for a work of nonfiction - it sort of imitates (to me) David Markson’s “This Is Not a Novel” series, and the format itself is a practice of memory and forgetting. Some of the takes were definitely more interesting than others, but it’s an incredible new way of writing, this probably means I have to go and read The Gift now.

One of my great regrets in reading this is not taking Prof Hyde’s creative nonfiction class in college. Stupid Pete!

laurenmorrell's review against another edition

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4.0

reflections on the idea of knowing yourself and then forgetting yourself. I enjoyed as a book to flip through and read segments of, didn’t read front to back like a typical book. enjoyed not doing so.

favorite parts: connection between authenticity and memory / forgetting, the value of getting to know yourself by gaining distance and... letting go of the pressure to perfectly know yourself.