Most of us think of memory as a fixed, unchanging substance that exists permanently in our minds and that we call upon at will. But recent research on "autobiographical" memory shows that this conception is far from the truth. As John Kotre elegantly demonstrates in White Gloves, we are constantly rewriting our memories and, in the process, creating ever new personal histories.

Using a variety of compelling narratives and drawing on the latest research on memory and the brain, Kotre provides the definitive look at how and why our memories change over a day and over a lifetime. In the process, he illustrates the true nature of memory in childhood, adolescence, adulthood, and old age.