After reading a non-fiction book, do you beat yourself up over not remembering all that much? This is especially painful if the book took years to complete (e.g. Anne Applebaum’s “Gulag”).
It’s a bit ridiculous to expect to become an Encyclopedia after reading something in passing too, though.
I feel as if working with a computer and using the internet daily destroyed my attention span, which is why I’m self concious about this.
Idk if it’s an ADHD thing or just a normal people thing but I think I don’t remember much about the books until I’m discussing/writing about the subject. It jogs my memory and all of a sudden I can recall significant portions of the texts. Perhaps not verbatim, but the overall vibe is there. Doubly so if it’s something you’re actually interested in. Don’t beat yourself up too much OP, you probably remember more than you realize!