Still Alice

Statistic of the Day:  Two-thirds of those with Alzheimer's disease – 3.4 million – are women.

Book Review by Mary Aalgaard.
I was emotionally drawn into this novel from the first few pages. We're quickly introduced to Alice, her husband John, and their family dynamic. Alice is a much loved and respected Psychology Professor at Harvard University, specializing in psycholinguistics. Words have been her life.  She's a brilliant woman, independent, and renowned for her mental sharpness. She's the first person to notice hiccups in her memory, not sure what lecture she's supposed to give to her class, asking the same questions over and over to her children, completely forgetting that she was going to Chicago for a guest lecture. 

Lisa Genova does an amazing job of getting inside the hearts and minds of the characters, especially Alice. We see how her mind fogs over. We feel her confusion and panic as she gets lost on her way home from a run - the same run, the same path she's been taking for years.  We sense the ache of her family and friends as they watch this brilliant woman slipping away.

Still Alice is an emotional journey inside the mind and life of a woman experiencing early on-set Alzheimer's disease. She is only 50-years-old when she first experiences symptoms. Although her life and her relationships change as the disease progresses, what remains, even grows, is the love between her and her family.