By lauren aguirre
FINALIST FOR THE 2022 PEN/E.O. WILSON LITERARY SCIENCE WRITING AWARD
Sometimes, it’s not the discovery that’s hard – it’s convincing others you’re right. The Memory Thief chronicles an investigation into a rare and devastating amnesia in a cluster of fentanyl overdose survivors. After many blind alleys and occasional strokes of good luck, doctors prove that opioids can damage the hippocampus – the brain’s memory center – a discovery that may have implications for millions around the world.
Lauren Aguirre
Aguirre is an award-winning science journalist who has produced documentaries, short-form video series, podcasts, interactive games, and blogs for the PBS series NOVA. She has covered everything from asteroids to human origins to art restoration, but is particularly fascinated by the brain. Aguirre’s articles on memory and addiction have appeared in STAT, The Boston Globe Ideas Section, Undark, The Atlantic, The Scientist, and PBS. The Memory Thief is her first book.
Appearances
Morning Joe • MSNBC
The Pulse • WHYY
Top of Mind with Julie Rose • BYU Radio
Harvard Book Store • Cambridge, MA
Cary Memorial Library • Lexington, MA
Hidden Forces with Demetri Kofinas
STAT's First Opinion Podcast
STAT & THE BOSTON GLOBE IDEAS
July 19, 2021
Lessons learned -- and lost -- from a Vietnam-era study of addiction
The scientist
June 1, 2021
The Overlooked Power of Inhibitory Neurons
STAT
July 19, 2019
Role of Seizures in Alzheimer's Disease is Gaining Overdue Attention
UNDARK & the atlantic
January 29, 2018
A Mysterious Amnesia, Related to Opioid Overdose, Creeps Beyond New England
undark
December 24, 2018
Altering Memories to Treat Addiction
PBS/NOVA
November 30, 2017
Will Surgery and Anesthesia Harm Your Memory?
Lauren Aguirre is represented by Aevitas Creative Management. The Memory Thief is published by Pegasus Books and distributed by Simon and Schuster. The writing of this book was supported in part by a grant from the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation Program in Public Understanding of Science and Technology.