KD^3C^3 - 20260315 Much as I would like all the credit
ibraries. They’re cool aren’t they?
I remember when I was a preteen, my library re-organized its catalog and created a new “Young adult” section. It has books directed at me specifically, and a dedicated space to read them in cool futuristic looking chairs. It was wonderful.
I spent unknown hours there, browsing the shelves, reading books, just existing. It was a place made for me and I loved spending time there.
I don’t remember every book I ever read. I probably don’t really remember most of the books I read. But I remembered one book I discovered on a shelf in that hideaway for teens and future teens. The only problem was I didn’t remember the name.
As I understand it, human memory isn’t a file cabinet, or a library, where everything is neatly stored on shelves, field away for later use. Memory is an active process. We remember things by remembering them. Every time you recall a memory your brain is recreating that memory. Like recording the same episode of TV show on a video tape over and over again. Sometimes the copy isn’t perfect., but the old version is gone so you can’t tell the difference.
This is also the reason for things like the Mandela Effect, where people remember things differently than they actually are. Some common examples are people remembering Nelson Mandel dying in prison (hence the name), the name of the bear family books being Berenstein instead of Berenstain, what Uncle Sam’s hat looks like, what company makes Stove Top brand Stuffing, or even a movie starring Sinbad where he played a genie. These are not facts that the brain recalls often, and when we do the copy of the memory can get easily written incorrectly. This is just how brains work and is not actually evidence that you slipped into an alternate dimension. Sorry.
I have a confession to make. If you’ve spent any time in my proximity over the course of your life, you likely have heard of my desire to open a food truck that sells day-old pizza. The confession is this: I did not invent this idea from whole cloth. I adapted it from a concept that I first read about in this book. I’ve always felt a little bad about sharing the idea (which I think is a great one) without being able to name the source. But “I read it in a book I read 25 years ago that I can’t remember the name of” felt like a good enough excuse. I have that excuse no longer.
Like a rock falling out of the sky the name of the book fell directly into my head one day this week. I couldn’t believe it. How had I discovered that random string of words amongst all the other overwritten video tape of my brain?
I don’t know, brains are weird I guess.
The name of the book: Harry Newberry and the Raiders of the Red Drink. With that name I was able to finally find it again, and the author Mel Gilden. I wasted zero time in hunting down a used copy and ordering it online. It’s been out of print for who knows how long, but a copy of it will soon adorn my shelves.
Turns out the book is almost as old as me, being originally written in 1989, so when I came across a copy at my local library it was hardly brand new. I’ve only ever known it as a used book, so that seems a fitting way to have a copy anyway.
I did seek out the author and he’s still around too! Not writing as much, but it turns out in addition to writing fiction for young adults, he has a few Star Trek novels to his name and on top of that he wrote for children’s cartoons when I was a children. His IMDB page lists shows I remember like Cenutrions, Heathcliff, Fraggle Rock, Phantom 2040 He-Man and the Masters of the Universe, MASK and The Mask (two different shows, but I watched them both). What a wonderful surprise to learn his work was all over my childhood.
I also discovered his website, which gives off delightful early 2000s vibes. The copyright logo on the bottom says 2017, so it was updated at least that recently (not that 9 years ago is that recent. I even found his email address in a contact link. What else was I supposed to do? So I emailed him. Just a short little note to tel him I fondly remembered his book and to thank him for writing. The beat part! He got back to me! He sent a short response saying how rare it is to hear things like that. So I got to make both my day and his by remembering the name of his book.
I might have to go find some others of his too.
I remember when I was a preteen, my library re-organized its catalog and created a new “Young adult” section. It has books directed at me specifically, and a dedicated space to read them in cool futuristic looking chairs. It was wonderful.
I spent unknown hours there, browsing the shelves, reading books, just existing. It was a place made for me and I loved spending time there.
I don’t remember every book I ever read. I probably don’t really remember most of the books I read. But I remembered one book I discovered on a shelf in that hideaway for teens and future teens. The only problem was I didn’t remember the name.
As I understand it, human memory isn’t a file cabinet, or a library, where everything is neatly stored on shelves, field away for later use. Memory is an active process. We remember things by remembering them. Every time you recall a memory your brain is recreating that memory. Like recording the same episode of TV show on a video tape over and over again. Sometimes the copy isn’t perfect., but the old version is gone so you can’t tell the difference.
This is also the reason for things like the Mandela Effect, where people remember things differently than they actually are. Some common examples are people remembering Nelson Mandel dying in prison (hence the name), the name of the bear family books being Berenstein instead of Berenstain, what Uncle Sam’s hat looks like, what company makes Stove Top brand Stuffing, or even a movie starring Sinbad where he played a genie. These are not facts that the brain recalls often, and when we do the copy of the memory can get easily written incorrectly. This is just how brains work and is not actually evidence that you slipped into an alternate dimension. Sorry.
I have a confession to make. If you’ve spent any time in my proximity over the course of your life, you likely have heard of my desire to open a food truck that sells day-old pizza. The confession is this: I did not invent this idea from whole cloth. I adapted it from a concept that I first read about in this book. I’ve always felt a little bad about sharing the idea (which I think is a great one) without being able to name the source. But “I read it in a book I read 25 years ago that I can’t remember the name of” felt like a good enough excuse. I have that excuse no longer.
Like a rock falling out of the sky the name of the book fell directly into my head one day this week. I couldn’t believe it. How had I discovered that random string of words amongst all the other overwritten video tape of my brain?
I don’t know, brains are weird I guess.
The name of the book: Harry Newberry and the Raiders of the Red Drink. With that name I was able to finally find it again, and the author Mel Gilden. I wasted zero time in hunting down a used copy and ordering it online. It’s been out of print for who knows how long, but a copy of it will soon adorn my shelves.
Turns out the book is almost as old as me, being originally written in 1989, so when I came across a copy at my local library it was hardly brand new. I’ve only ever known it as a used book, so that seems a fitting way to have a copy anyway.
I did seek out the author and he’s still around too! Not writing as much, but it turns out in addition to writing fiction for young adults, he has a few Star Trek novels to his name and on top of that he wrote for children’s cartoons when I was a children. His IMDB page lists shows I remember like Cenutrions, Heathcliff, Fraggle Rock, Phantom 2040 He-Man and the Masters of the Universe, MASK and The Mask (two different shows, but I watched them both). What a wonderful surprise to learn his work was all over my childhood.
I also discovered his website, which gives off delightful early 2000s vibes. The copyright logo on the bottom says 2017, so it was updated at least that recently (not that 9 years ago is that recent. I even found his email address in a contact link. What else was I supposed to do? So I emailed him. Just a short little note to tel him I fondly remembered his book and to thank him for writing. The beat part! He got back to me! He sent a short response saying how rare it is to hear things like that. So I got to make both my day and his by remembering the name of his book.
I might have to go find some others of his too.