Here is a synopsis from Amazon.com:
In Lisa Genova’s extraordinary New York Times bestselling novel, an accomplished professor diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease learns that her worth is comprised of more than her ability to remember.
Alice Howland is proud of the life she worked so hard to build. At fifty years old, she’s a cognitive psychology professor at Harvard and a world-renowned expert in linguistics with a successful husband and three grown children. When she becomes increasingly disoriented and forgetful, a tragic diagnosis changes her life—and her relationship with her family and the world—forever.
Here is an Editorial Review from Barnes and Noble:
This may be one of the most frightening novels you'll ever read. It's certainly one of the most unforgettable. Genova's debut revolves around Alice Howland - Harvard professor, gifted researcher and lecturer, wife, and mother of three grown children. One day, Alice sets out for a run and soon realizes she has no idea how to find her way home. It's a route she has taken for years, but nothing looks familiar. She is utterly lost. Is her forgetfulness the result of menopausal symptoms? A ministroke? A neurological cancer? After a few doctors' appointments and medical tests, Alice has her diagnosis, and it's a shocker -- she has early-onset Alzheimer's disease.
What follows is the story of Alice's slow but inevitable loss of memory and connection with reality, told from her perspective. She gradually loses the ability to follow a conversational thread, the story line of a book, or to recall information she heard just moments before. To Genova's great credit, readers learn of the progression of Alice's disease through the reactions of others, as Alice does, so they feel what she feels -- a slowly building terror.
In Still Alice, Genova, who has a Ph.D. in neuroscience from Harvard, uniquely reveals the experience of living with Alzheimer's. Hers is an unusual book -- both a moving novel and an important read.
My thoughts on the book:
First and foremost, I love this author. Dr. Lisa Genova (author) holds a Ph.D. from Harvard University in neuroscience which leads me to believe that she has the educational background and knowledge to be able to tackle something as difficult as portraying a disease like Alzheimer's accurately. She also did extensive research. After reading this book, I read an interview with her about all of the preparations she did prior to writing it. Her professional background and Ph.D. gave her an all access pass to the right people and information. She worked with the leading physicians and scientists in Alzheimer's research, genetic counselors, neuropsychological testing experts, caregiver support experts...basically anyone who is an expert in all things related to the research and treatment of Alzheimer's disease. She also spent time working with a variety of actual patients, caregivers, and their families to best understand the disease from all sides and how it is experienced by all parties involved. Having been at the center of caring for someone with Alzheimer's recently, I would say that her depiction is spot on. In addition, this book has been given the "stamp of approval" by the Alzheimer's Association, which is not something they normally do; however, they found this book to be valuable and accurate enough to do so. Kudos to Lisa Genova for executing this project so well. Now, on to the actual book itself...
You need to read this book. Seriously, go out and buy it right now. Especially if you have a loved one or know someone who currently is or has suffered from Alzheimer's disease. This book will change your entire perception on the disease, that person, everything. I love how Genova chose to present the story from Alice's perspective, it is so powerful in that way. We are able to see Alice's struggles first hand, as well as her thoughts about what is going on inside her head. From the outside, it is hard to understand what Alzheimer's patients are thinking or feeling, and what it must be like to not be able to make those cognitive connections. This book gives you a glimpse into their minds. Not only do you feel empathy for Alice, but you can start to feel her frustration and anxiety as her mind slowly deteriorates. Genova intentionally writes the later half of the story in a way that mimics the way Alice's brain is functioning as the disease progresses. It's repetitive, chunks are missing, it's hard to follow, it's confusing and difficult to comprehend. It makes you as the reader feel like you are experiencing disease yourself. Reading it requires a lot of focus and frustration, which immediately made me understand how trying and difficult it must be to have to feel that way 24 hours a day. That is what makes this book so eye-opening and powerful.
My personal experience with Alzheimer's disease comes from caring for my grandmother. She is currently living in a long-term memory care facility because the disease has put her beyond the type of care that we were able to provide for her at home. She now requires full time service by memory care professionals. Prior to Peyton's birth and my grandma's move into memory care, I would visit her at least once per week to spend time with her and take her places. I would observe her and try to understand as best I could what she was going through and how I could best help her. I'm so glad that I read this book because I feel like more than ever, I now have a better understanding of what she must be feeling and why she did some of the things that I observed. Throughout the book, I kept thinking of her. As Alice progressed in the disease, I felt like I was reliving the past 6 years with my grandma. I kept stopping as I was reading and thinking to myself, "yes, yes, that is exactly what happens!". Of course this was saddening and hard for me to read because it hits so close to home, but it was also enlightening and inspirational. This book really made me appreciate my grandma more than ever before. Beyond what I am even capable of articulating here. Thinking about her disease and her suffering used to make me feel angry, lost and frustrated in so many ways. Why is this happening to her? Why is she acting this way? What is going on? Why can't I help her or stop it? Why, Why Why? But now, I feel at peace with the whole thing. I get it. I understand why she does and acts the way she does. I understand my role in her life. I understand (as much as is even remotely possible) how she feels. I get it. I've accepted it. I can enjoy the time I have left with her and appreciate what she still has to offer to my life.
Can you believe it? A 292 page fictional book did all of that to me. Which is why I am telling you, you must read this book. A movie version of this story did come out last month, which I'm sure is great and I fully plan on seeing that as well. However, if you want the full experience then you have to read the actual book. Not even listening to it on tape will suffice. If you want to truly feel Alice's frustrations and struggles, you have to read her words. You will not get that experience from listening or watching. If you want all of the power that this book can provide, you have to read it. Trust me, it's worth it and you will never forget it.
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