Still Alice

Still AliceBy Lisa Genova

I was a little apprehensive about reading Still Alice, given that you know it will have a sad ending, based on the nature of the topic. It is a fictional novel that takes you on a path of a woman who is diagnosed with early-onset Alzheimer’s in her mid 50’s. Alice is a professor at an Ivy League University, who recognizes that she is facing a debilitating disease that will take away her sense of self that she has worked hard at building up over the past few decades. What I wasn’t expecting from this novel, is the strength of family that surrounds Alice. Each family member is challenged to accept Alice’s diagnosis. It is a startlingly true synopsis of the journey a family faces with this disease. It challenges your understanding of those coping with the illness, and puts a face to the disease named Alzheimer’s.