Book Review

Here's a book that is a MUST READ. I saw Still Alice, written by Lisa Genova, at Barnes and Noble a while back and it intrigued me but since I already had my arms full of my allowable book quota I didn't buy it. Then, last week I was wandering around again, saw it, and bought it. I intended to put it in my "to read" pile but I started reading the first page and I literally could not put it down.

Still Alice is the fictional story of Alice Howland, a highly successful professor of cognitive psychology at Harvard, married to a professor at Harvard as well, with three children. She's about to turn 50 and starts to notice odd things with her memory, she's forgetful and sometimes disoriented. She chalks it off to menopause, not getting enough sleep, or stress. However, as the severity of the memory issues increase, she makes an appointment with a neurologist at a memory disorders unit. "Alice, you have early onset Alzheimer's disease."

This book is written from the perspective of Alice so it portrays her descent into Alzheimer's and how it affects her relationship with her husband, her children and her colleagues. The author paints an incredibly intimate portrait of Alice and her family. Sometimes, I felt like I shouldn't be there listening in on their private conversations, an intrusion. There were many times that I wept for Alice and her family. I don't have any personal experience knowing anyone with Alzheimer's, but this book affected me deeply and was so touching. My grandmother has a mild to moderate form of dementia and it really helped me appreciate what she goes through sometimes. I think the next time she forgets something or asks me the same thing twice, I will have more compassion and understanding and patience. A reviewer, Beverly Beckham with The Boston Globe, wrote, "After I read Still Alice, I wanted to stand up and tell a train full of strangers, 'You have to get this book.'" I think that sums it up.