I Remember Nothing

Despite a supposed memory problem, Nora Ephron writes essays that are lighthearted with a razor-sharp wit. She has a journalist’s eye for telling details and a screenwriter’s sense of life’s absurdities. This collection follows close upon I Feel Bad about My Neck, a similar book of essays about aging. Ephron is perhaps best known for her screenplays and film directing (Julie and Julia, Sleepless in Seattle, When Harry Met Sally).

The title essay is among my favorites, and if memory serves, “I Remember Nothing” is about Ephron’s failing memory—not just senior moments, but forgetting whole events as well as smaller items like movie titles. As Ephron points out, luckily we have google.com to save us from these momentary lapses like forgetting a title. “Who Are You?” is a timely reading as I return to Florida for the winter. It makes me feel better when I recognize faces but draw blanks on names. However, no one seems to mind as they need to be reminded of my name too.

“Journalism: A Love Story” is a fascinating account of Ephron’s first jobs after college at Newsweek and the New York Post in the sixties when drinking and sexism prevailed in the workplace. Ephron’s reflections on Teflon, chicken soup, Pellegrino, and the egg-white omelet are somewhat forgettable. More remarkable though, “The Legend” about her mother was told with both tenderness and the perspective of a later life reflection.

“The D Word” is about how Ephron let her divorced status define her after her legendary split from Carl Bernstein (Heartburn). “The O Word”–can you guess—is about getting old. “You’re two inches shorter than you used to be. You’re ten pounds fatter, and you cannot lose a pound to save your soul.” A familiar lament, but, hey, misery loves company.

I recommend this book if you are looking for a light, contemporary read. Ephron takes her life with grace, humor, and candor even when she has a meatloaf named after her on a Manhattan restaurant menu.