Still Alice by Lisa Genova

This is a powerful novel about a female Psychology Professor in Massachusetts. She is married to John who works at Harvard in another department. She is the mother of three grown-up children who are either married, are starting a family or working to build a career. Alice's identity will change as her condition separates her from her career and from her family. She will be diagnosed with Early onset Alzheimer's Disease. I felt badly for Alice. It helped to learn about her willingness to fight this battle. She is a strong woman who never quits. She keeps striving to hold on to herself and to give back to those whom she loves and to new people who enter her life.

It's very moving when she attends a graduation at Harvard. One of her students, Dan, is graduating. She is there for him. She doesn't remember him as an individual. Still, she's there to give hope and love to this student. I also felt very moved when she drew up a support group for people who were sufferers of Early onset Alzheimer's Disease. So, Alice really is "still Alice." She's able to think and form new ideas successfully.

The book is stunning. I came to know Alice. I thought of her as a professor or friend. It will be impossible to forget how desperate her struggle became from month to month and from year to year. Her most dreaded fear will come true, not recognizing her family.

At the beginning of the book, I did become lost on the streets of Massachusetts. To me ,the novel became too localized. However, the novel weaves an intricate story as Alice battles with this insidious disease which will cause her to suffer auditory and visual problems symptomatic of the disease.  In the end, the disease doesn't conquer Alice. Alice conquers the disease by never giving up her daily fight against it.http://lisagenova.com/

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