****9 stars****
Dedication:
In Memory of Angie
For Alena
Epigraph:
"Even then, more than a year earlier, there were neurons in her head, not far from her ears, that were being strangled to death, too quietly for her to hear them. Some would argue that things were going so insidiously wrong that the neurons themselves initiated events that would lead to their own destruction. Whether it was molecular murder or cellular suicide, they were unable to warn her of what was happening before they died."
One of our July book club selections, Still Alice is simply heartbreaking. One of our book club members has been diagnosed with early-onset Alzheimer's disease (just like the main character, as well as half a million people in the U.S. under the age of 65), and she suggested this as one of our summer reads...and I'm so thankful that she did.
Everyone with a friend or family member with this diagnosis, perhaps the cruelest of all diseases, should read this book without delay. Not only will it increase your awareness of the disease itself, but it will reveal new aspects of what the patient and caregivers go through. I was reminded of my grandmother on every single page.
It wasn't easy to read, and it certainly isn't one to tuck under your arm for the beach (unless you don't mind crying on your towel), but it was important and I'm so thankful to Libby for suggesting it...and for Lisa Genova for writing it. The discussion questions at the back were thought-provoking and should guarantee some lively debate next month at our book club meeting.
See you at Memory Walk this fall, where I'll proudly walk with Team Libby.
