Book review: in praise of forgetting: historical memory and its ironies by David Rieff

Does remembering the past help us to learn from its lessons – or might it, in fact, be more moral to forget? In In Praise of Forgetting: Historical Memories and its Ironies, David Rieff asks whether historical memory and the presumed duty to remember may, in some cases, exacerbate violence, prevent reconciliation or inhibit the pursuit of justice. This is a thought-provoking and at times provocative exploration of how we collectively engage with the past, writes Lauren Murray