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Published in 2009, Still Alice has become popular with the general reader & with book discussion groups. Many in our area are currently reading this novel by Lisa Genova. Alice Howland is a brilliant & distinguished professor & linguist at Harvard University. When she begins to have memory problems, she thinks she may have menopausal symptoms, but a visit to her doctor & subsequent testing reveals she has early onset Alzheimer's Disease. Alice is only 50. The novel is written from Alice's point of view & relates her days as her condition worsens. Her husband & children react differently as they try to come to terms with what is happening to her. This is a very sad and disturbing novel, as Alice's disease takes away her identity & makes us question what makes us who we are? Yet a profound sense of love & the ability to still enjoy small moments of beauty make Alice a very real person, even when she is becoming less than she was. The Abingdon book group read this novel & were all touched by it. It is one to tell others about. It is insightful & revealing & is highly recommended.
From Lisa Genova's website http://www.lisagenova.com/
Lisa Genova graduated valedictorian from Bates College with a degree in Biopsychology and has a Ph.D. in Neuroscience from Harvard University. She has done research on the molecular etiology of depression, Parkinson's Disease, drug addiction, and memory loss following stroke. She is a proud and active member of the Dementia Advocacy & Support Network International and DementiaUSA and is an online columnist for the National Alzheimer’s Association. She is currently working on her next novel, LEFT NEGLECTED.

Labels: Alzheimer's disease, dementia, Lisa Genova, Still Alice