Rating: 5 stars
Cover synopsis: Alice Howland is an accomplished woman who slowly loses her thoughts and memories to a harrowing disease -- only to discover that each day brings a new way of living and loving.
Alice is a Harvard professor and a world-renowned linguistics expert. She's married to a brilliant man, also a Harvard professor, and has three grown children. She's a runner and feels like her body is at its physical peak. But her mind begins slipping. She becomes disoriented and increasingly forgetful. She suspects it's menopause, but the diagnosis is even more tragic: Early-onset Alzheimer's disease.
I found this book mesmerizing, perhaps because my grandmother had Alzheimers and lived with my family when I was a teenager. I've witnessed the ravaging effects the disease first hand. But "Still Alice" doesn't look at Alzheimers from the perspective of family members or caregivers. Instead, we see it from Alice's point of view. We see this smart woman trying to come to terms with the fact that she can't leave the house unaccompanied, has to rely on others to remember the simplest things, and ultimately must give up her career.
I finished the book two days ago, but I can't stop thinking about it, or talking about it with anyone who will listen. Truly a fascinating -- and heartbreaking -- read.
