Status
Available
Genres
Publication
Gallery Books (2009), Edition: 1, 292 pages
Description
Alice Howland, happily married with three grown children and a house on the Cape, is a celebrated Harvard professor at the height of her career when she notices a forgetfulness creeping into her life. As confusion starts to cloud her thinking and her memory begins to fail her, she receives a devastating diagnosis: early onset Alzheimer's disease.
Similar in this library
Media reviews
When looking for a publisher for this story, Genova was often told that it would only appeal to the Alzheimer's community. So, she self-published and self-marketed. Word of mouth spread about the universal appeal of Still Alice, and she gained an agent, a publisher, a top-10 spot on The New York
Show More
Times and Globe and Mail bestseller lists, and some high praise for her compassionate page-turner. It's well deserved. Show Less
User reviews
LibraryThing member brenzi
At the age of fifty, Alice Howland is at the pinnacle of her career. She has been a psychology professor, a Ph.D, a noted author, an accomplished researcher and a respected speaker. For the past 25 years, her career in the Harvard community has been a source of pride for her and her family. How
Genova’s sensitive exploration of this insidious disorder provides the basis for the story Still Alice and details its heartbreaking outcome. We travel with Alice and her family through each phase of the disease, its effect on the brain, and how it changes her life and that of her family. The author holds a degree in neuroscience from Harvard herself and is able to tell the story through Alice’s point of view which provides a fascinating perspective.
As the disease progresses and it becomes apparent that her career is over, Alice’s family undergoes profound changes also. Two of her three children decide to undergo testing to ascertain whether or not they carry the gene that will result in their developing the disease. Alice’s relationship with her third child, daughter Lydia, changes also, but not necessarily in a bad way. A new acceptance seemed to develop between the two that was absent before because Lydia didn’t want to go to college and chose a career in acting instead. Mid-way through the book you have:
“She could see Lydia’s history as well, but somehow this woman sitting across from her wasn’t inextricably connected to her memories of her youngest child. This made her uneasy and painfully aware that she was declining, her past becoming unhinged from her present. And how strange that she had no problem identifying the man next to Anna as Anna’s husband, Charlie, who had entered their lives only a couple of years ago. She pictured her Alzheimer’s as a demon in her head, tearing a reckless and illogical path of destruction, ripping apart the wiring from ‘Lydia now’ to ‘Lydia then,’ leaving all the Charlie connections unscathed.” (Page 200)
I loved the way this family came together after overcoming their initial anxiety. Even her husband John, who grieved for the loss of the woman he knew, finally was able to come to terms with their new life. I’m not sure this is the way every family would be able to handle this and the author concluded the story before Alice became totally incontinent, unable to communicate, completely bedridden or in the last throes of the disease. At the end of the book, she realizes all she’s lost:
“I used to be someone who knew a lot. No one asks for my opinion or advice anymore. I miss that. I used to be curious and independent and confident. I miss being sure of things. There’s no peace in being unsure of everything all the time. I miss doing everything easily. I miss being part of what’s happening. I miss feeling wanted. I miss my life and my family. I loved my life and my family.” (Page 285)
So very sad. Highly recommended.
Show More
ironic then, that this gifted, intelligent woman, whose intellectual capabilities have secured her identity in her professional community, should suddenly find herself unable to remember the simplest details, disoriented in a onetime very familiar location and missing important engagements because she simply forgot. This happens often enough for Alice to seek a medical opinion and, after many tests and examinations, the diagnosis is frightening: early onset Alzheimer’s disease.Genova’s sensitive exploration of this insidious disorder provides the basis for the story Still Alice and details its heartbreaking outcome. We travel with Alice and her family through each phase of the disease, its effect on the brain, and how it changes her life and that of her family. The author holds a degree in neuroscience from Harvard herself and is able to tell the story through Alice’s point of view which provides a fascinating perspective.
As the disease progresses and it becomes apparent that her career is over, Alice’s family undergoes profound changes also. Two of her three children decide to undergo testing to ascertain whether or not they carry the gene that will result in their developing the disease. Alice’s relationship with her third child, daughter Lydia, changes also, but not necessarily in a bad way. A new acceptance seemed to develop between the two that was absent before because Lydia didn’t want to go to college and chose a career in acting instead. Mid-way through the book you have:
“She could see Lydia’s history as well, but somehow this woman sitting across from her wasn’t inextricably connected to her memories of her youngest child. This made her uneasy and painfully aware that she was declining, her past becoming unhinged from her present. And how strange that she had no problem identifying the man next to Anna as Anna’s husband, Charlie, who had entered their lives only a couple of years ago. She pictured her Alzheimer’s as a demon in her head, tearing a reckless and illogical path of destruction, ripping apart the wiring from ‘Lydia now’ to ‘Lydia then,’ leaving all the Charlie connections unscathed.” (Page 200)
I loved the way this family came together after overcoming their initial anxiety. Even her husband John, who grieved for the loss of the woman he knew, finally was able to come to terms with their new life. I’m not sure this is the way every family would be able to handle this and the author concluded the story before Alice became totally incontinent, unable to communicate, completely bedridden or in the last throes of the disease. At the end of the book, she realizes all she’s lost:
“I used to be someone who knew a lot. No one asks for my opinion or advice anymore. I miss that. I used to be curious and independent and confident. I miss being sure of things. There’s no peace in being unsure of everything all the time. I miss doing everything easily. I miss being part of what’s happening. I miss feeling wanted. I miss my life and my family. I loved my life and my family.” (Page 285)
So very sad. Highly recommended.
Show Less
LibraryThing member riofriotex
My online book discussion group chose this book, and I'm so glad they did. The Alice of the title is Alice Howland, a 50-year-old respected psychology professor at Harvard, with a fellow-professor husband, John, and three adult children. She's busy with her career (teaching, research, and
In the next two years, Alice's condition rapidly deteriorates. The sad part is, because of her background, Alice knows what's going on. She participates in a trial for a new medication, and makes some decisions on her own about her career. Her illness has a genetic component, and it's interesting to read why her children do (or don't) decide to get tested. Her husband reacts in ways that are understandable in some aspects and puzzling in others. Reading this book is both sobering and heartbreaking.
Author Lisa Genova has a degree in neuroscience from Harvard herself, bringing insight to the story from Alice’s point of view. Genova initially self-published the book as she was told its appeal would be limited; ultimately the book reached the top ten in sales. The book has been endorsed by the National Alzheimer's Association, and is accurate in portraying the symptoms, diagnosis, treatment options, and eventual outcome (currently) of early onset Alzheimer's. Makes me want to donate to help find a cure for this disease.
We had an excellent discussion of this book online, and I think it would be good for book clubs who can stomach the topic. Highly recommended.
© Amanda Pape - 2013
[This book was borrowed from and returned to my local public library.]
Show More
speaking engagements) and in good shape from her frequent running. She starts having small moments of forgetfulness, and on a run one day momentarily forgets the way home. She shrugs it off as early menopause, but as the symptoms worsen and she seeks medical help, she learns their cause: early-onset Alzheimer's.In the next two years, Alice's condition rapidly deteriorates. The sad part is, because of her background, Alice knows what's going on. She participates in a trial for a new medication, and makes some decisions on her own about her career. Her illness has a genetic component, and it's interesting to read why her children do (or don't) decide to get tested. Her husband reacts in ways that are understandable in some aspects and puzzling in others. Reading this book is both sobering and heartbreaking.
Author Lisa Genova has a degree in neuroscience from Harvard herself, bringing insight to the story from Alice’s point of view. Genova initially self-published the book as she was told its appeal would be limited; ultimately the book reached the top ten in sales. The book has been endorsed by the National Alzheimer's Association, and is accurate in portraying the symptoms, diagnosis, treatment options, and eventual outcome (currently) of early onset Alzheimer's. Makes me want to donate to help find a cure for this disease.
We had an excellent discussion of this book online, and I think it would be good for book clubs who can stomach the topic. Highly recommended.
© Amanda Pape - 2013
[This book was borrowed from and returned to my local public library.]
Show Less
LibraryThing member Jenners26
Story Overview
Alice Howland is 50-years-old and has achieved great personal and professional success. She is a tenured professor at Harvard in the field of cognitive psychology and a world-renowned expert in linguistics. Her husband John is also a respected Harvard professor and researcher in
But lately, Alice seems to be forgetting things more often—losing her train of thought in the middle of a lecture she's given hundreds of times, leaving her BlackBerry in a restaurant, mixing up times for appointments. But one day while out running, Alice finds herself completely disoriented and lost—in the town where she's lived for more than 25 years and on a route she's run countless times. Flushed and panicked, Alice wanders around her home town until her world suddenly rights itself and she knows where she is. But the experience shakes her to the core, and more lapses cause her to visit her long-time family doctor. Is it menopause? Stress? Depression?
After several tests, her physician sends her to a neurologist, who conducts more extensive tests and gives Alice shocking news: she has early-onset Alzheimer's disease. Initially reluctant to share the diagnosis with her husband, Alice finally shares her secret with him. Like Alice, he is unwilling to believe it and pushes for more tests. But the worst proves to be true, and they face a future that seems bleak and hopeless—a future where Alice will slowly disappear until the faces of those she loves are the faces of strangers and her ability to communicate (the linchpin of her professional life) disappears as her brain is ravaged by the disease.
My Thoughts
This book is heart-breaking. I struggled to read the last 65 pages or so because I was crying so hard I could barely see the words. I've always known Alzheimer's is a cruel disease, but reading Alice's story—and "experiencing" Alzheimer's from the patient's point of view—brings to life the horror and the tragedy of the disease in a way that makes it all too real. Lisa Genova has done something special with this book; she has given a voice to people who are slowly and irrevocably losing their voice. She's managed to bring her readers inside the mind of an Alzheimer's patient and take them on the journey from momentary lapses in memory to a world where the man you've been married to for years becomes "the man who owns the house" and your daughters become "the mother" and "the actress."
In many ways, the book reminded me of Flowers for Algernon by Daniel Keyes. In that book, a young man named Charlie with an IQ of 68 undergoes a special experimental procedure to increase intelligence, which seems to have worked successfully on a mouse named Algernon. The experiment works, and Charlie's IQ increases dramatically. However, the improvement is only temporary and he reverts back to his initial mental capacity. In the story, which is written as letters and notes in Charlie's journal, you can track Charlie's progress by the way he writes. Initially his writing is very simple and full of spelling errors. Then as his intelligence increases, the writing gets more sophisticated and the spelling errors disappear. Then, as he declines, the writing reverts back to how it was in the beginning. That book also made me cry; you mourn the loss of Charlie as you see him beginning to crumble mentally after achieving a "normal" life.
In Still Alice, you experience the progression of Alzheimer's as Alice does—repetitive conversations, leaving a room after talking to a long-time acquaintance and coming back moments later and introducing yourself to them as if you've never met before, losing vocabulary. As Alice deteriorates, you experience her losses and gaps in memory as if it is happening to you, and this makes for heart-breaking reading. At the end of the book, when she wonders why she can't go to her home and wonders why she is with the "man who owns the house," my heart was full of sadness. One device Lisa Genova uses to chart the disease's progression is a series of questions that Alice devises to "test" herself before her dementia gets too bad. The idea is that if she can no longer answer the questions, she should open a specific file on her computer and follow the directions there for committing suicide. As the book progresses, the answers get shorter and more inaccurate—charting her deterioration. It was a brilliant device, and I was sobbing when Alice finds her letter to herself and struggles to carry out its instructions.
As tragic as this story is and as horrible as the disease is, Genova is also able to present some beautiful moments as well. As the disease progresses, Alice lets go of many of the things that kept her separated from her family—healing her relationship with her estranged daughter and allowing her to realize what is truly important to her. Although I wouldn't wish Alzheimer's disease on anyone, I thought Genova offered some slight reassurances that the disease itself may possibly protect the people suffering from it at the end—giving them a simplified and almost childlike existence. The ending scene between Alice and Lydia offered a kind of bittersweet ending—reminding the reader that love can still be alive despite the ravages of the disease.
My version of the book included an interview with Lisa Genova about her research and motivations for the book. The book itself was given the "stamp of approval" by the National Alzheimer's Association, and Ms. Genova writes for the organization in a professional capacity. In addition, she holds a Ph.D. in neuroscience from Harvard University. I think this is worth mentioning because this isn't a writer who imagines what Alzheimer's might be like. She studied and researched it and worked hard to accurately capture the diagnosis process, symptoms, treatment options and progression accurately. I, for one, applaud her hard work and decision to write this book.
My Recommendation
I think this book is a must read for anyone affected by Alzheimer's disease. I pray that this disease never touches me or anyone I know. I cannot imagine anyone being unaffected by this book. It will rip your heart out, and I suggest you do not read it without having many tissues nearby. I haven't been this emotionally affected by a book in a long time, and, for this reason, I must give it 5 stars.
Alice Howland is 50-years-old and has achieved great personal and professional success. She is a tenured professor at Harvard in the field of cognitive psychology and a world-renowned expert in linguistics. Her husband John is also a respected Harvard professor and researcher in
Show More
biology. She has three grown children, Lydia, Anna and Tom. Although she's had some tragedy in her life (her alcoholic father killed her mother and sister in a drunken car crash that only he survived), Alice has a satisfying and full life. Although her marriage has operated on cruise control for several years as she and John have pursued their separate careers and she and her daughter Lydia disagree about Lydia's decision to pursue an acting career instead of college, Alice has a satisfying life—filled with travel, teaching and family events.But lately, Alice seems to be forgetting things more often—losing her train of thought in the middle of a lecture she's given hundreds of times, leaving her BlackBerry in a restaurant, mixing up times for appointments. But one day while out running, Alice finds herself completely disoriented and lost—in the town where she's lived for more than 25 years and on a route she's run countless times. Flushed and panicked, Alice wanders around her home town until her world suddenly rights itself and she knows where she is. But the experience shakes her to the core, and more lapses cause her to visit her long-time family doctor. Is it menopause? Stress? Depression?
After several tests, her physician sends her to a neurologist, who conducts more extensive tests and gives Alice shocking news: she has early-onset Alzheimer's disease. Initially reluctant to share the diagnosis with her husband, Alice finally shares her secret with him. Like Alice, he is unwilling to believe it and pushes for more tests. But the worst proves to be true, and they face a future that seems bleak and hopeless—a future where Alice will slowly disappear until the faces of those she loves are the faces of strangers and her ability to communicate (the linchpin of her professional life) disappears as her brain is ravaged by the disease.
My Thoughts
This book is heart-breaking. I struggled to read the last 65 pages or so because I was crying so hard I could barely see the words. I've always known Alzheimer's is a cruel disease, but reading Alice's story—and "experiencing" Alzheimer's from the patient's point of view—brings to life the horror and the tragedy of the disease in a way that makes it all too real. Lisa Genova has done something special with this book; she has given a voice to people who are slowly and irrevocably losing their voice. She's managed to bring her readers inside the mind of an Alzheimer's patient and take them on the journey from momentary lapses in memory to a world where the man you've been married to for years becomes "the man who owns the house" and your daughters become "the mother" and "the actress."
In many ways, the book reminded me of Flowers for Algernon by Daniel Keyes. In that book, a young man named Charlie with an IQ of 68 undergoes a special experimental procedure to increase intelligence, which seems to have worked successfully on a mouse named Algernon. The experiment works, and Charlie's IQ increases dramatically. However, the improvement is only temporary and he reverts back to his initial mental capacity. In the story, which is written as letters and notes in Charlie's journal, you can track Charlie's progress by the way he writes. Initially his writing is very simple and full of spelling errors. Then as his intelligence increases, the writing gets more sophisticated and the spelling errors disappear. Then, as he declines, the writing reverts back to how it was in the beginning. That book also made me cry; you mourn the loss of Charlie as you see him beginning to crumble mentally after achieving a "normal" life.
In Still Alice, you experience the progression of Alzheimer's as Alice does—repetitive conversations, leaving a room after talking to a long-time acquaintance and coming back moments later and introducing yourself to them as if you've never met before, losing vocabulary. As Alice deteriorates, you experience her losses and gaps in memory as if it is happening to you, and this makes for heart-breaking reading. At the end of the book, when she wonders why she can't go to her home and wonders why she is with the "man who owns the house," my heart was full of sadness. One device Lisa Genova uses to chart the disease's progression is a series of questions that Alice devises to "test" herself before her dementia gets too bad. The idea is that if she can no longer answer the questions, she should open a specific file on her computer and follow the directions there for committing suicide. As the book progresses, the answers get shorter and more inaccurate—charting her deterioration. It was a brilliant device, and I was sobbing when Alice finds her letter to herself and struggles to carry out its instructions.
As tragic as this story is and as horrible as the disease is, Genova is also able to present some beautiful moments as well. As the disease progresses, Alice lets go of many of the things that kept her separated from her family—healing her relationship with her estranged daughter and allowing her to realize what is truly important to her. Although I wouldn't wish Alzheimer's disease on anyone, I thought Genova offered some slight reassurances that the disease itself may possibly protect the people suffering from it at the end—giving them a simplified and almost childlike existence. The ending scene between Alice and Lydia offered a kind of bittersweet ending—reminding the reader that love can still be alive despite the ravages of the disease.
My version of the book included an interview with Lisa Genova about her research and motivations for the book. The book itself was given the "stamp of approval" by the National Alzheimer's Association, and Ms. Genova writes for the organization in a professional capacity. In addition, she holds a Ph.D. in neuroscience from Harvard University. I think this is worth mentioning because this isn't a writer who imagines what Alzheimer's might be like. She studied and researched it and worked hard to accurately capture the diagnosis process, symptoms, treatment options and progression accurately. I, for one, applaud her hard work and decision to write this book.
My Recommendation
I think this book is a must read for anyone affected by Alzheimer's disease. I pray that this disease never touches me or anyone I know. I cannot imagine anyone being unaffected by this book. It will rip your heart out, and I suggest you do not read it without having many tissues nearby. I haven't been this emotionally affected by a book in a long time, and, for this reason, I must give it 5 stars.
Show Less
LibraryThing member etxgardener
What could be more depressing than a novel about Alzheimer's Disease? Well yes, it was depressing - horrifying actually - yet also so compelling that I could not put this book down.
The novel's main character is Alice Howland, a world renowned Harvard professor of cognitive psychology and an expert
On the eve of her 50th birthday shd begins to notice signs of memory disorder in herself. At first she thinks this is part of the normal aging process and the onset of menopause. However, when she forgets how to get home from Harvard Square in the middle of a run, she realizes that something else is wrong & goes to see a neurologist. There to her horror, she learns that she has early onset Alzheimer's.
Told in Alice's voice the story proceeds from the initial trauma of telling her family about the disease; to trying to cope with keeping up with her teaching, research & speaking obligations; to finally admitting that she has to retire, essentially, from public life.
Throughout the book, even as her mind slips irretrievably away, Alice maintains a dignity and sense of herself. The same, however, can not be said of her husband, who seems alternatively to be in denial of her condition or callously resentful of it.
Her children, however, especially her daughters (and isn't this the usual case?) are trumps - taking care of her and maintaining her in her home while her husband essentially flees for a new & more important job in New York City. Her youngest daughter, the one she has found it hardest to relate to probably because she is more intuitive than analytical, has the clearest insights into her mother's condition and how to handle it. The interaction between the two of them as Alice's mind continues to deteriorate is beautiful and touching.
With half a million Americans affected by early onset Alzheimer's and many more by the disease in later life, this book is a must read for anyone ho wants to understand the disease and the people it affects.
The novel's main character is Alice Howland, a world renowned Harvard professor of cognitive psychology and an expert
Show More
in linguistics. Alice is married to a man who is a brilliant research physician and has three grown children who are also pursuing separate successful careers. On the eve of her 50th birthday shd begins to notice signs of memory disorder in herself. At first she thinks this is part of the normal aging process and the onset of menopause. However, when she forgets how to get home from Harvard Square in the middle of a run, she realizes that something else is wrong & goes to see a neurologist. There to her horror, she learns that she has early onset Alzheimer's.
Told in Alice's voice the story proceeds from the initial trauma of telling her family about the disease; to trying to cope with keeping up with her teaching, research & speaking obligations; to finally admitting that she has to retire, essentially, from public life.
Throughout the book, even as her mind slips irretrievably away, Alice maintains a dignity and sense of herself. The same, however, can not be said of her husband, who seems alternatively to be in denial of her condition or callously resentful of it.
Her children, however, especially her daughters (and isn't this the usual case?) are trumps - taking care of her and maintaining her in her home while her husband essentially flees for a new & more important job in New York City. Her youngest daughter, the one she has found it hardest to relate to probably because she is more intuitive than analytical, has the clearest insights into her mother's condition and how to handle it. The interaction between the two of them as Alice's mind continues to deteriorate is beautiful and touching.
With half a million Americans affected by early onset Alzheimer's and many more by the disease in later life, this book is a must read for anyone ho wants to understand the disease and the people it affects.
Show Less
LibraryThing member jgillin
Although a very difficult book to read, I have seldom encountered a text that was so eloquently and empathically written. Alice's strength, intelligence, and courage are remarkable testaments to the courage of an individual faced with a devastating disease. Yet, at no time do we view Alice as a
The scientific information in this text is, in some places, a bit dense, but it does not impair the reading in any way. Details, such as the availability of support groups for caregivers but not for patients further point out the inconsistencies and unreasonable nature of our healthcare system. While this book is sad and a box of Kleenex is a necessity, you can't help but wish you had the privilege of calling Alice your friend. This is a book that stays with you long after you close the covers.
Show More
larger than life heroine... Rather she is wife, a mother, a psychologist who is forced to grapple with the loss of her very essence. She feels anger and grief and guilt as she faces the loss of all that she holds dear. The scientific information in this text is, in some places, a bit dense, but it does not impair the reading in any way. Details, such as the availability of support groups for caregivers but not for patients further point out the inconsistencies and unreasonable nature of our healthcare system. While this book is sad and a box of Kleenex is a necessity, you can't help but wish you had the privilege of calling Alice your friend. This is a book that stays with you long after you close the covers.
Show Less
LibraryThing member bragan
Alice Howland is a brilliant and successful scientist with three children... until she starts experiencing unexplained memory lapses and moments of disorientation, receives a diagnosis of early-onset Alzheimer's, and begins an all-too-rapid slide into dementia.
By its very nature, this book has
It does finish very strong, though, which impressed me. This is surely the kind of story it's hard to put a good ending on, because it's never going to be able to have a happy one. But Genova does make it work, makes it moving, and makes it, somehow, affirming even as it's depressing.
Rating: I'm giving this a 3.5/5. For most of it, I was figuring it'd get a 3/5, but it definitely deserves the extra half star for sticking a difficult landing at the end.
By its very nature, this book has
Show More
moments of genuine, painful poignancy. And it's clearly very carefully researched and feels extremely realistic. But the writing is... Well, the admittedly rather unkind word I want to use is "pedestrian," and the dialog often seems a bit stilted and cliched. Honestly, several times while reading it, I found myself thinking that perhaps it felt less like a novel and more like a public service announcement, or the sort of dramatized example story you might get in an informative pamphlet. (A high-quality pamphlet. But still.) It also suffers a lot by comparison with Emma Healey's fantastic Elizabeth is Missing, which I read earlier this year and which is also told from the viewpoint of someone with dementia. Which is inevitable and probably unfair, as that one is a very tough act to follow.It does finish very strong, though, which impressed me. This is surely the kind of story it's hard to put a good ending on, because it's never going to be able to have a happy one. But Genova does make it work, makes it moving, and makes it, somehow, affirming even as it's depressing.
Rating: I'm giving this a 3.5/5. For most of it, I was figuring it'd get a 3/5, but it definitely deserves the extra half star for sticking a difficult landing at the end.
Show Less
LibraryThing member berylweidenbach
The personal story of a woman, Alice Howland, a professor of psychology at Harvard, mother of three grown children who at the age of 50 is diagnosed with Early Onset Alzheimer's Disease. Though fictional, this book has the feel of truth and involves the reactions and interactions of her family and
I feel somehow richer for reading this story. As if I have a new understanding, greater compassion for those touched by this diagnosis. We often joke about forgetting and losing one's mind, but the reality is not a laughing matter.
Show More
friends as well as the thoughts coursing through her mind as the disease begins to take it's toll. It is heart wrenching, deeply frightening to imagine how a mind slowly disintegrates and the effect that disintegration has on an individual's personhood. Thus the name of the book "Still Alice" describes the person trapped inside this terrible disease of the mind. In the past I have tended to think of how this affects those around the person but I now have what I feel is a fairly accurate picture of what it is like for the person themselves. Such a quiet, muffled, sad progression. The reactions of each of her family members spanned the spectrum of possible reactions, yet each seemed to find their own way to deal with the inevitable. Again, it felt true!I feel somehow richer for reading this story. As if I have a new understanding, greater compassion for those touched by this diagnosis. We often joke about forgetting and losing one's mind, but the reality is not a laughing matter.
Show Less
LibraryThing member varwenea
“I miss myself.”
Dr. Alice Howland is a 50-year-old psychology professor at Harvard with a specialty in linguistics. Her decline started with forgetting words, getting lost while jogging on a regular route, forgetting appointments, and even a trip. After her diagnosis, her relationship with
‘Still Alice’ delivers quite a punch. The idea of having early on-set Alzheimer is incredibly scary. Being an EON patient, the progression of the disease is faster than a typical elderly. Furthermore, because the main character is highly intelligent and a high-functioning individual, it’s possible her Alzheimer’s started sooner but she’s been able to compensate, making the progression appear to be even more extraordinary. The depictions of her decline, the gaps, the repeats, the mistakes, the moments of lucidity, are absolutely heart-breaking. The brilliance of Genova’s writing is its sparseness. She doesn’t outright point out Alice’s mistakes. She lets the readers come to the realization that an “episode” had occurred. In the last months, when her family members are described instead of using their names, the words read like a gut-wrenching blow when I realized she longer knows who they are. Damn…
Quote:
On the loss of language:
“But to tell the truth, she was very far from okay. She could still read and comprehend small amounts of text, but the computer keyboard had become an undecipherable jumble of letters. In truth, she’d lost the ability to compose words out of the alphabet letters on the keys. Her ability to use language, that thing that most separates humans from animals, was leaving her, and she was feeling less and less human as it departed. She’d said a tearful good-bye to okay some time ago.”
Dr. Alice Howland is a 50-year-old psychology professor at Harvard with a specialty in linguistics. Her decline started with forgetting words, getting lost while jogging on a regular route, forgetting appointments, and even a trip. After her diagnosis, her relationship with
Show More
herself, her husband, and her three children evolved. She finds tools to compensate her declining memory. Her husband who had loved her for her mind struggles to know the new her and to learn and fight this disease that is stealing her away. Her children, who may inherit the mutation gene, must decide what to do for themselves as well as how to be a bigger part of Alice’s life especially while she still knows them. ‘Still Alice’ delivers quite a punch. The idea of having early on-set Alzheimer is incredibly scary. Being an EON patient, the progression of the disease is faster than a typical elderly. Furthermore, because the main character is highly intelligent and a high-functioning individual, it’s possible her Alzheimer’s started sooner but she’s been able to compensate, making the progression appear to be even more extraordinary. The depictions of her decline, the gaps, the repeats, the mistakes, the moments of lucidity, are absolutely heart-breaking. The brilliance of Genova’s writing is its sparseness. She doesn’t outright point out Alice’s mistakes. She lets the readers come to the realization that an “episode” had occurred. In the last months, when her family members are described instead of using their names, the words read like a gut-wrenching blow when I realized she longer knows who they are. Damn…
Quote:
On the loss of language:
“But to tell the truth, she was very far from okay. She could still read and comprehend small amounts of text, but the computer keyboard had become an undecipherable jumble of letters. In truth, she’d lost the ability to compose words out of the alphabet letters on the keys. Her ability to use language, that thing that most separates humans from animals, was leaving her, and she was feeling less and less human as it departed. She’d said a tearful good-bye to okay some time ago.”
Show Less
LibraryThing member JosephJ
Very easy, but poorly written read.
Still Alice is a plot driven book. It begins with small hiccups affecting Alice’s memory or her sense of place then chugs right along into the more severe aspects of the disease—disorientation, total short-term memory loss, etc. Actually, I wouldn’t even
The setting plays an important role, because it represents the good life. The Harvard campus and the charm of old New England ooze out of many pages of this book. Unfortunately, the setting never really participates in the story. I would have liked to see the setting possibly play tricks on her or lead her purposefully down the wrong path.
Lastly, the science is a huge part of the structure of the book. As Alice feels something is wrong she goes from her regular doctor to a neurologist where she is tested constantly on her memory and spatial awareness skills. She has detailed discussions about drugs, treatment options, and clinical trials. Much like the other characters, however, the science comes off flat and inconsequential to the heart of the story. The characters all feel added into Alice’s life to give it the illusion of fullness, yet the reader never truly gets close to any of these characters, which makes them feel cliché at best and expendable at worst.
The idea of a woman in her early fifties with early-onset Alzheimer’s is such a compelling notion that it carries the reader through most of the book. After getting about halfway, though, the reader can only hope for the next doctor visit, rather than the story, to reveal more about Alice’s uncertain mental future.
Still Alice is a plot driven book. It begins with small hiccups affecting Alice’s memory or her sense of place then chugs right along into the more severe aspects of the disease—disorientation, total short-term memory loss, etc. Actually, I wouldn’t even
Show More
call this a plot-driven book, because not much of the real story (the family relationships that are affected both positively and negatively by the disease) rounds itself out or is resolved. I would say it is an idea-driven novel—the idea being that it must be difficult and heartbreaking to live with Alzheimer’s disease especially if you were once such a brilliant and well-respected cognitive psychologist. The setting plays an important role, because it represents the good life. The Harvard campus and the charm of old New England ooze out of many pages of this book. Unfortunately, the setting never really participates in the story. I would have liked to see the setting possibly play tricks on her or lead her purposefully down the wrong path.
Lastly, the science is a huge part of the structure of the book. As Alice feels something is wrong she goes from her regular doctor to a neurologist where she is tested constantly on her memory and spatial awareness skills. She has detailed discussions about drugs, treatment options, and clinical trials. Much like the other characters, however, the science comes off flat and inconsequential to the heart of the story. The characters all feel added into Alice’s life to give it the illusion of fullness, yet the reader never truly gets close to any of these characters, which makes them feel cliché at best and expendable at worst.
The idea of a woman in her early fifties with early-onset Alzheimer’s is such a compelling notion that it carries the reader through most of the book. After getting about halfway, though, the reader can only hope for the next doctor visit, rather than the story, to reveal more about Alice’s uncertain mental future.
Show Less
LibraryThing member Brenda63
This is an extraordinary book, chronicling the descent into Alzheimer's dementia. Alice is a 50 year old psychology professor at Harvard. First she notices being forgetful, then she goes for a run and finds herself "lost" a mile from her home of 25 years. The author details this disease through
Show More
Alice's mind in an unforgettable way, you will not be able to put this book down until the very end. Show Less
LibraryThing member elbakerone
Alice Howland is a fifty-year-old psychology professor at Harvard who begins having problems with her memory. The episodes range from forgetting words to mild disorientation but the diagnosis of Early Onset Alzheimer's Disease comes as a devastating blow to her active and successful professional
Up close and personal in the face of Alzheimer's Disease Lisa Genova's writing doesn't shy away from her protagonist's raw feelings. Alice deals with fear, frustration, embarrassment, and anger while narrating the story in such a way that the reader is painfully aware of her failing memory. Each chapter is marked as a month and as the pages turn the young professor loses more and more of her self, struggling with the fact that she is - as the title suggests - Still Alice.
Genova's book is by no means a "feel-good story" or a "comfort read". I have a hard time recommending books to others when I know how challenging the subject matter can be, but Still Alice is what I would call an important book. It might not be a book that people will want to read, but is a book that people should read. The novel paints a portrait of the heartbreaking reality of life with Early Onset Alzheimer's and this is a book of understanding and empathy for anyone dealing with the disease directly or anyone with a loved one with dementia.
Show More
and family life. From her husband's refusal to accept the truth to her children fearing for their own futures and her coworkers uncertainty of how to deal with her illness a range of characters in Alice's life convey the difficulties of seeing a loved one cope with dementia but it is the narration of the story - told through Alice's eyes - that make this book so stunning.Up close and personal in the face of Alzheimer's Disease Lisa Genova's writing doesn't shy away from her protagonist's raw feelings. Alice deals with fear, frustration, embarrassment, and anger while narrating the story in such a way that the reader is painfully aware of her failing memory. Each chapter is marked as a month and as the pages turn the young professor loses more and more of her self, struggling with the fact that she is - as the title suggests - Still Alice.
Genova's book is by no means a "feel-good story" or a "comfort read". I have a hard time recommending books to others when I know how challenging the subject matter can be, but Still Alice is what I would call an important book. It might not be a book that people will want to read, but is a book that people should read. The novel paints a portrait of the heartbreaking reality of life with Early Onset Alzheimer's and this is a book of understanding and empathy for anyone dealing with the disease directly or anyone with a loved one with dementia.
Show Less
LibraryThing member whitreidtan
One of my book groups chose this for this month's book. When I heard what we would be reading, I wrinkled my nose and sighed. This was a book I intended to give a miss as it just didn't much interest me and had such potential for the treacle that was evident in Nicholas Sparks' The Notebook (a book
Alice is a Harvard professor whose specialty is cognitive psychology, specifically in the way that we make langauge. She is well respected in her field and frequently off giving speeches at conferences. Her husband is also a Harvard professor and their children are grown and pursuing their own lives. So when Alice starts to forget small things, she chalks it up to stress, tiredness, or perhaps even menopause, knowing that her symptoms are indeed normal for any of these situations. But when she goes out for a run and gets lost in harvard Square, a place she has been in countless times on countless days, she knows that she should see a doctor, still hoping that she'll be told that everything is normal and knowing that it isn't.
As Alice starts down the path of a probably diagnosis of Early Onset Alzheimer's disease, followed by genetic confirmation, Genova continues to have Alice herself narrate the story so the reader lives the denial, poignancy, and helplessness of the patient rather than the caregiver. And this decision adds to the power of the novel. Alice is a very intelligent woman. She knows exactly what she's losing, and it's more than her memories. It's the sense of herself and those things that make her uniquely Alice. In the early stages of the disease, she tells of her relationship with her grown children, and especially her youngest daughter, the family rebel. There is no suggestion that Alice has been the perfect mother, she details her failings honestly and believably, but it is the imperfect mother that they had whom each of her children wants to hold onto.
This is not a handbook on how to handle a loved one's descent into the fog of Alzheimer's. It is a powerful and heartbreaking look at the breakdown of the person, the family, and the relationships with outsiders that Alzheimer's strips from its victims. Alice's intention to leave this world before she can't answer her touchstone questions, the questions which define her sense of self is shattering, understandable, and begs the question of who a person is if those things that defined them, internally and externally are all gone.
Genova's novel is really exquisitely done. The characters are human, with the failings and frustrations of real people. And Alice is, of course, the central character, showing the reader, through the eyes of the afflicted, the great extent of this horrible disease. Each of the women in my book group who had had a family member affected by this disease, early onset or not was grateful for the insight into the mind of the sufferer, even when that insight was necessarily painful. And all of us admitted to sobbing in the end. This disease ravages so many, those with the diease and those caring for someone with the disease. It truly is a thief and Genova has shone a light on the great need for better understanding, more research, and ultimately a cure. Highly recommended.
Show More
I loathed). I can't begin to explain how glad I am that I was forced to read this. The group's discussion was more personal than focused on the book but the book is really well done and viscerally effecting.Alice is a Harvard professor whose specialty is cognitive psychology, specifically in the way that we make langauge. She is well respected in her field and frequently off giving speeches at conferences. Her husband is also a Harvard professor and their children are grown and pursuing their own lives. So when Alice starts to forget small things, she chalks it up to stress, tiredness, or perhaps even menopause, knowing that her symptoms are indeed normal for any of these situations. But when she goes out for a run and gets lost in harvard Square, a place she has been in countless times on countless days, she knows that she should see a doctor, still hoping that she'll be told that everything is normal and knowing that it isn't.
As Alice starts down the path of a probably diagnosis of Early Onset Alzheimer's disease, followed by genetic confirmation, Genova continues to have Alice herself narrate the story so the reader lives the denial, poignancy, and helplessness of the patient rather than the caregiver. And this decision adds to the power of the novel. Alice is a very intelligent woman. She knows exactly what she's losing, and it's more than her memories. It's the sense of herself and those things that make her uniquely Alice. In the early stages of the disease, she tells of her relationship with her grown children, and especially her youngest daughter, the family rebel. There is no suggestion that Alice has been the perfect mother, she details her failings honestly and believably, but it is the imperfect mother that they had whom each of her children wants to hold onto.
This is not a handbook on how to handle a loved one's descent into the fog of Alzheimer's. It is a powerful and heartbreaking look at the breakdown of the person, the family, and the relationships with outsiders that Alzheimer's strips from its victims. Alice's intention to leave this world before she can't answer her touchstone questions, the questions which define her sense of self is shattering, understandable, and begs the question of who a person is if those things that defined them, internally and externally are all gone.
Genova's novel is really exquisitely done. The characters are human, with the failings and frustrations of real people. And Alice is, of course, the central character, showing the reader, through the eyes of the afflicted, the great extent of this horrible disease. Each of the women in my book group who had had a family member affected by this disease, early onset or not was grateful for the insight into the mind of the sufferer, even when that insight was necessarily painful. And all of us admitted to sobbing in the end. This disease ravages so many, those with the diease and those caring for someone with the disease. It truly is a thief and Genova has shone a light on the great need for better understanding, more research, and ultimately a cure. Highly recommended.
Show Less
LibraryThing member JessicaReadsThings
An important and terrifying and lovely and eloquent and compassionate and heartbreaking and wonderful book.
LibraryThing member DubaiReader
Very powerful.
This was not an easy book to read - being, as I am, "a woman of a certain age"!
Last year I was sufficiently worried about my memory to go for tests myself, fortunately I was not diagnosed with any form of dementia, but there but for the grace of God....
There were also aspects of the
Plus, I found I was reading at such a pace that I didn't stop to memorise the address/lists that the neurologist used to test Alice's memory - and wondered why I couldn't remember them either!!
So it was quite a raw experience, reading Still Alice.
The incidious progression of the disease was palpable, told from Alice's perpective, and gradually erroding the Alice that both she and her family knew.
There were some wonderful episodes - Alice completely rearranging her kitchen because everything was in the wrong place - only to discover that it wasn't her kitchen at all!
Some uncomfortable episodes too - Alice avoiding the big black hole that has opened up in front of her main door - only to realise, when her daughter walked on it, that it was the black rug that had always been there.
And of course, many emotional episodes as her husband and grown children, and Alice herself, come to terms with the reality of a disability that is only going to get worse.
Altogether a very powerful book that I would highly recommend.
This was not an easy book to read - being, as I am, "a woman of a certain age"!
Last year I was sufficiently worried about my memory to go for tests myself, fortunately I was not diagnosed with any form of dementia, but there but for the grace of God....
There were also aspects of the
Show More
Americanised English that had me confused regarding the meaning of some sentances - this in itself made me feel confused - and vulnerable!Plus, I found I was reading at such a pace that I didn't stop to memorise the address/lists that the neurologist used to test Alice's memory - and wondered why I couldn't remember them either!!
So it was quite a raw experience, reading Still Alice.
The incidious progression of the disease was palpable, told from Alice's perpective, and gradually erroding the Alice that both she and her family knew.
There were some wonderful episodes - Alice completely rearranging her kitchen because everything was in the wrong place - only to discover that it wasn't her kitchen at all!
Some uncomfortable episodes too - Alice avoiding the big black hole that has opened up in front of her main door - only to realise, when her daughter walked on it, that it was the black rug that had always been there.
And of course, many emotional episodes as her husband and grown children, and Alice herself, come to terms with the reality of a disability that is only going to get worse.
Altogether a very powerful book that I would highly recommend.
Show Less
LibraryThing member frisbeesage
Still Alice address the heartbreaking reality of early onset Alzheimer's disease with grace, wit, and bravery. Lisa Genova has a Ph.D in neuroscience, so though it is a novel, Still Alice reads like a memoir told from the perspective of the patient.
This is an eloquent and important book that gives
While this is a very sad story, it has its light moments when Alice is able to laugh at the crazy things she does to get through everyday life. The compassion with which she is treated by some of her friends and family is heartening and her bravery in the face of what she knows her mind will become is inspiring. This is a book that everyone should read.
I listened to this book on audio. The author reads it herself and she does a commendable job. Alice's humor, confusion, anger, and hope all come across in the author's voice.
This is an eloquent and important book that gives
Show More
us a glimpse into the minds of people slowly slipping into dementia. It has definately changed how I will look at Alzheimer's patients. Now I will see the brave, intelligent, scared person trapped inside the disease. While this is a very sad story, it has its light moments when Alice is able to laugh at the crazy things she does to get through everyday life. The compassion with which she is treated by some of her friends and family is heartening and her bravery in the face of what she knows her mind will become is inspiring. This is a book that everyone should read.
I listened to this book on audio. The author reads it herself and she does a commendable job. Alice's humor, confusion, anger, and hope all come across in the author's voice.
Show Less
LibraryThing member Smits
I fell for Alice big time while reading this book. She was so real that I find it hard to believe that it is fiction.
Reading about Alzheimer's disease from the perspective of someone with the disease is new and refreshing.
Reading about Alzheimer's disease from the perspective of someone with the disease is new and refreshing.
LibraryThing member MelanieSki
5 stars!! Phenomenal book about a woman in her early 50's and her early-onset of Alzheimers.
Just turning 50 Alice, a Doctorate Professor of Psycology at Harvard starts noticing that she is forgetting words, appointments, and even getting lost during a run. She consults a neurologist and they go
This book is written from Alice's perspective. The alertness and detailed life of Alice at first, to the last chapter when she is mostly unaware. Brilliant in that it not only is taken from Alice's perspective, but also that it is written so well that you see the emotional changes that her husband and children go through as they become to accept her diagnosis. Their struggle to understand, to live their own lives, yet to go on with their own.
Fantastic details about alzheimers, studies on it, medications and how they work, and the brain activity. Only a Doctor in Neuroscience like Lisa Genova could write with such precision and details, yet keeping it readable for the general public.
When I finished the book I just set it down with tears in my eyes and said Wow.. amazing book.
If you know anyone with Alzheimers I strongly recommend this book. One of the only books that The National Alzheimer's Association has endorsed. I recommend it even if you just want to have a new understanding and perspective on this disease, good chance you sometime will run into someone with it. A real chance to grasp the disease, and the person who still has to live with it. May give you a whole new respect for those suffering with this disease.
Just turning 50 Alice, a Doctorate Professor of Psycology at Harvard starts noticing that she is forgetting words, appointments, and even getting lost during a run. She consults a neurologist and they go
Show More
through numerous tests, first being told it is probably depression, or fatique. Further testing pushed by her husband John, results in a diagnosis of early onset Alzheimers .This book is written from Alice's perspective. The alertness and detailed life of Alice at first, to the last chapter when she is mostly unaware. Brilliant in that it not only is taken from Alice's perspective, but also that it is written so well that you see the emotional changes that her husband and children go through as they become to accept her diagnosis. Their struggle to understand, to live their own lives, yet to go on with their own.
Fantastic details about alzheimers, studies on it, medications and how they work, and the brain activity. Only a Doctor in Neuroscience like Lisa Genova could write with such precision and details, yet keeping it readable for the general public.
When I finished the book I just set it down with tears in my eyes and said Wow.. amazing book.
If you know anyone with Alzheimers I strongly recommend this book. One of the only books that The National Alzheimer's Association has endorsed. I recommend it even if you just want to have a new understanding and perspective on this disease, good chance you sometime will run into someone with it. A real chance to grasp the disease, and the person who still has to live with it. May give you a whole new respect for those suffering with this disease.
Show Less
LibraryThing member CarolynSchroeder
This is an excellent book on the neuroscience, neuroanatomy and the resulting emotional and physical effects of early-onset Alzheimer's disease ~ as told from the perspective from the diagnosed. The research is flawless and the writing competent.
My only real complaint with this book is that the
There is one incredibly powerful scene where Alice is trying to get dressed to go running (she is told exercise helps stave off symptoms, but since she gets lost, her husband is forced to accompany her on runs), and she gets stuck in the broom closet because she cannot find the bathroom. How powerless this disease makes a person ~ very sad.
My grandmother died from Alzheimer's related complications after the prolonged illness and the portrayal of the progression of disease is very accurate ~ and the kinds of confusion that set in. Overall, I recommend this book, but it would have been more powerful with more flushed out, dimensional humans ~ ones I cared about more. As it was, it turned out more of like reading a text book.
I would "highly" recommend this book for anyone either suffering from Alzheimer's; or caregivers of same. Alzheimer's disease - as to both the sufferer and the family - is handled with grace, compassion and reality in this novel.
My only real complaint with this book is that the
Show More
characters just seem like vessels for the author to expound on the her copious amount of science and medical knowledge on the subject. I never got a feel for the pre-diagnosed Alice, or John, her husband (other than sort of mild dislike - they are both cold, emotionless people before the diagnosis). Even their conversation is flat and staid. But they were, in fact, scientists, so perhaps that was supposed to be why they were so analytical and dry about everything. But that being said, I still enjoyed the book. It's a surprisingly easy, quick read despite the science involved.There is one incredibly powerful scene where Alice is trying to get dressed to go running (she is told exercise helps stave off symptoms, but since she gets lost, her husband is forced to accompany her on runs), and she gets stuck in the broom closet because she cannot find the bathroom. How powerless this disease makes a person ~ very sad.
My grandmother died from Alzheimer's related complications after the prolonged illness and the portrayal of the progression of disease is very accurate ~ and the kinds of confusion that set in. Overall, I recommend this book, but it would have been more powerful with more flushed out, dimensional humans ~ ones I cared about more. As it was, it turned out more of like reading a text book.
I would "highly" recommend this book for anyone either suffering from Alzheimer's; or caregivers of same. Alzheimer's disease - as to both the sufferer and the family - is handled with grace, compassion and reality in this novel.
Show Less
LibraryThing member MsGemini
A touching and realistic story about a 50 yr old woman living with Early Alzheimer's disease. The subject matter is difficult but the writing is wonderful. I was pulled in from page one and finished the book in less than 2 days. I highly recommend this gem.
LibraryThing member Laine-Cunningham
I gave this a try. I approached it because it is written from the viewpoint of a woman who is degenerating, which is unusual for fiction dealing with this ailment. I also was very interested in the author's approach, to show her degenerating slowly after having a successful career based on her
The writing has weaknesses in areas that I just can't tolerate. The use of dialog to provide information that would be better provided in narrative form is the primary issue. Using dialog to dump data really slows the pace, and it takes away from the internal development of individual characters. I found this too much of an issue to move beyond and so stopped reading after a short time.
Show More
ability to work with very high concepts. The writing has weaknesses in areas that I just can't tolerate. The use of dialog to provide information that would be better provided in narrative form is the primary issue. Using dialog to dump data really slows the pace, and it takes away from the internal development of individual characters. I found this too much of an issue to move beyond and so stopped reading after a short time.
Show Less
LibraryThing member turtlesleap
I didn't expect to enjoy this book; was, in fact, dreading reading it for my book group. Once begun, however, the book proved to be a compelling story, and, although it was as full of sadness and heartbreak as I had feared, there was a strong uplifting element that left this reader pondering the
Show More
issue of what makes a life worth living. It's a very quick read--I finished it in a few hours, but the book draws you in with engaging, intelligent, flawed characters and their powerlessness against this juggernaut of a disease. Well worth reading. Show Less
LibraryThing member PermaSwooned
For me, this was an absolutely gripping book. Choosing a Harvard professor whose specialty was linguistics as the victim of early-onset Alzheimer's disease made the story tragically ironic. My father had mild Alzheimer's when he died, but he was 95 years old. From the perspective of looking back on
Show More
50, it's hard to imagine how frightening it would be to see yourself losing function at such an early age. It seemed to me that the progression was awfully fast. Even with early-onset, I would think such a fast deterioration would not be the norm. I can well understand what Alzheimer's organizations would support the book. It gives a great deal of insight. Highly recommended. Show Less
LibraryThing member bobbieharv
What happened to me is quite ironic given the subject of this novel, which is written from the point of view of a 50-something Harvard professor who is slowly developing early-onset Alzheimers. I was sure I had read it, entered it here, couldn't remember a thing about it, read ALL the reviews and
This book was just amazing. Wonderful, poignant writing - you felt like you were inside her head experiencing the tragic, profound decline. All her little strategies to remain in control of her life, including her set of test questions were just heartbreaking. I have two friends with early-onset Alzheimers, and Genova got it exactly right.
My only tiny tiny little quibble, which I wrote about on the Still Alice site, is about the scene where Alice and her daughter watch the sun setting over the Atlantic on Cape Cod. I've been on the Cape a lot, and maybe there's a twisted around place where this could happen, but I can't figure out how.
Show More
descriptions both here and on Amazon; still couldn't remember a thing about it; and finally went to my pile of library books and there it was, unread.This book was just amazing. Wonderful, poignant writing - you felt like you were inside her head experiencing the tragic, profound decline. All her little strategies to remain in control of her life, including her set of test questions were just heartbreaking. I have two friends with early-onset Alzheimers, and Genova got it exactly right.
My only tiny tiny little quibble, which I wrote about on the Still Alice site, is about the scene where Alice and her daughter watch the sun setting over the Atlantic on Cape Cod. I've been on the Cape a lot, and maybe there's a twisted around place where this could happen, but I can't figure out how.
Show Less
LibraryThing member lauriejenness
This book scares me for my future...I often forget things and need to make lists. My grandmother had Alzheimer's and I fear that I will also get this. It think this is a great book for anyone who has a family memeber dealing with this issue right now.
LibraryThing member steller0707
Told with great sensitivity by Genoa, who is a neuroscientist herself, this novel explores what it is like to be diagnosed with Early Onset Alzheimer's Disease. There is much information about EOAD, it's diagnoses, potential causes and treatment.
Alice is a professor of language and linguistics at
One hopes there will be a cure for this devastating disease soon.
Alice is a professor of language and linguistics at
Show More
Harvard with a loving family, a husband and three adult children. Because the story is told from her perspective, the reader feels almost under the skin of Alice as she suspects what is wrong with her, is diagnosed and declines. As the disease progresses, we feel not only her anguish but that of her family and the decisions they have to make. Although sad and scary, it is also uplifting, as Alice has the ability to reach out to others like herself and to the medical community. One hopes there will be a cure for this devastating disease soon.
Show Less
Awards
Next Generation Indie Book Awards (Finalist — 2008)
Language
Original language
English
Original publication date
2007
Physical description
8.25 inches
ISBN
1439102813 / 9781439102817