A recently released film based on a novel by lisa genoa is elevating alzheimers disease to the national stage. Books can be an extremely useful aid for people with alzheimer s or dementia. Firstly, alice is not a typical alzheimer s sufferer. This book is the best portrayal of the alzheimers journey that i have read. The tears come on their own it doesnt take much to make the alzheimer s story still alice a heartwrenching film. Heres why our book club loved still alice off the shelf. Get information and resources for alzheimer s and other dementias from the alzheimer s association. Julianne moore plays alice howland, a renowned neurolinguistics professor at columbia university who is diagnosed with familial, early onset alzheimer s disease.
Starring moore alongside alec baldwin, kristen stewart, kate bosworth, and hunter parrish, the film follows a woman through her earlyonset alzheimer s diagnosis. The respected and otherwise healthy linguistics professor, alice howland, is a fiftyyearold mother of three, an accomplished scholar, and a tragic victim of earlyonset alzheimer s. I recently wrote a book for young adults about learning to love deeper through taking care of a grandparent with alzheimer s disease. On bad days she feels like she cant find herself and on. You just have to read this book, yes, it is sad but so well written, and does have its heartwarming bits too. The greenfield library, located at the home office of the alzheimer s association in chicago, illinois, is the nations oldest and foremost library and resource center devoted to increasing knowledge about alzheimer s disease and other dementias. Still alice is a 2014 american independent drama film written and directed by richard glatzer and wash westmoreland and based on lisa genovas bestselling 2007 novel of the same name. In lisa genovas extraordinary new york times bestselling novel, an accomplished woman slowly loses her thoughts and memories to alzheimers. The book is about alice and her not so slow downfall into early onset alzheimers at the age of 50.
This talk was presented at an official ted conference, and was featured by. Still alice is a movie that addresses a nightmarish circumstance with calm, compassionate sensitivity. The disease is characterized by abnormal accumulation of plaques and by neurofibrillary tangles malformed nerve cells, changes in brain tissue first described by alois alzheimer in 1906. Still alice, lisa genova still alice is a 2007 novel by lisa genova, set in boston. Still alice by lisa genova, the notebook by nicholas sparks, the madonnas of leningrad by debra dean, merci suarez changes g. The book presents the story through alices point of view, and the thoughts of other characters are not stated. Ally was able to document her own love story because the disease progresses over time. The experience turned out to be a magical trip down the rabbit hole of memory loss, an outcome that inspired dr. Genova has stated in a postscript to a later edition of the book that her.
Shenk is a journalist and npr commentator who has written more than just a book about ad, but a moving exploration of the nature of memory and the history of the disease from its discovery to the present. The behindthescenes story is how still alice just may be the little movie that ignites a big movement on how we view people with cognitive impairment and neurodegenerative diseases and propels alzheimer s onto the same stage of awareness and support as aids, cancer and heart disease. Alices story is tender, frightening, and certainly thoughtprovoking, but mostly, its a wonderful reminder that our loved ones living with dementia are very much alive and present. Still alice novelist shines spotlight on early onset alzheimers. Still alice book by lisa genova official publisher page simon. Alzheimers doesnt have to be your brains destiny, says neuroscientist and author of still alice, lisa genova. Alice is a very well respected professor of linguistics at harvard university, traveling all over the globe giving lectures, and her opinion is listened to with respect. Still alice is shockingly accurate people living with. Does this disease that is known to affect our memories work the way it is shown in the movie. From new york times bestselling author and neuroscientist lisa genova comes the definitiveand illuminatingnovel about alzheimers disease. Just aim the camera at julianne moores face and leave it.
Still alice, starring julianne moore, chronicles a distinguished linguistic professors descent into the depths of alzheimers. In lisa genovas bestselling novel still alice, a linguist with earlyonset alzheimers navigates her symptoms with her husband and three adult children. She and her family are disbelieving when she is diagnosed with earlyonset alzheimer s at age 50, at the peak of both her professional and personal life. She feels it all happening in her head and cant do a thing about it. Alzheimer s is a form of dementia that effects an individuals memory, thinking and behavior. Still alice, and the advocacy for alzheimers in fiction. I also had the alzheimer s association read it and they approved it, though i cant use their name in my promotional material.
Picture books help people reminisce, as images are a very powerful way to access memories. Still alice is a compelling debut novel about a 50yearold womans. While alzheimer s disease comes to occupy the agonizing center of the novel, the word alzheimer s doesnt appear until halfway through the book s six hundred and twenty pages. Alice is played by actress julianne moore, who won the academy award. Shes very clever, very educated and very aware, she admits to the disease rather than hides. Still alice, starring julianne moore, chronicles a distinguished linguistic professors descent into the depths of alzheimer s. The film tells the story of a 50yearold harvard linguistics professor who is diagnosed with early onset alzheimers disease. While the book is fiction, i believe the authors careful research resulted in a very realistic depiction of younger onset alzheimers. Alzheimer s is a hard thing to frame alison flood turn of mind has just become the first work of fiction to win the wellcome trust prize for medical writing. Still alice is a compelling debut novel about a 50yearold womans sudden descent into early onset alzheimers disease, written by firsttime author lisa genova, who holds a ph. The author of still alice on alzheimers and why she writes about. Lydia asks alice what its like for her the alzheimers.
For teens, find book selections, helpful links and videos that will help you learn more about alzheimer s disease and how it affects the people you love. While the book is fiction, i believe the authors careful research resulted in a very realistic depiction of younger onset alzheimer s. Alice s story is tender, frightening, and certainly thoughtprovoking, but mostly, its a wonderful reminder that our loved ones living with dementia are very much alive and present. The film stars julianne moore as alice howland, a linguistics professor diagnosed with familial alzheimers disease shortly after her 50th birthday. Alice howland, a 50yearold woman, is a cognitive psychology professor at harvard and is a worldrenowned linguistics expert. Terrified of the future, and the fear of forgetting the life shes created, still alice reflects not only on the ramifications of knowing such knowledge of your eventual demise, but how it affects those who know and love you.
Refusing to accept the dominant narrative of alzheimers disease as a horror story, walrath rewrote it as aliceheimers, which consists of stories and drawings about living with alice. A university professor, wife, and mother of three, she still has so much more to do books to write, places to see, grandchildren to meet. I can see the words hanging in front of me and i cant reach them, and i dont know who i am, and i dont know what im going. Youll find alzheimers books written from many different perspectives, including caregivers, family members and physicians. A recently released film based on anovel by lisa genoa is elevating alzheimer s disease to the national stage. Genova is an expert on the disease and author of the book still alice. This past weekend i spent a cold, snowy day in the theater watching the movie still alice.
Just as children can get sick, older adults sometimes get an illness that causes them to act differently and to forget things. Based on lisa genovas novel and directed by richard glatzer and wash westmoreland, it. The novel is about a woman who suffers earlyonset alzheimers disease. Alice answers that she just needs to go grab something to put on. Still alice is a 2007 novel by lisa genova, set in boston. Lisa genova, the author, is a trained neuroscientist who understands the science behind alzheimer s from a clinical point of view, but she also comprehends the personal tragedy that accompanies one losing a loved one who is standing.
Early, middle and late stage the film also provides an accurate depiction of the difficulties and emotions experienced by a person with alzheimers. The film tells the story of alice, a brilliant professor that is diagnosed with early onset alzheimers disease at the age of 50. Only after a deceptively innocent slip of the tongue, a shortterm memory loss during a lecture, and a disorientation attack inside the campus will it become. Still alice may be the movie that sparks the alzheimers.
In still alice, a professor slides into alzheimers. Author lisa genova explores the dementia landscape through this work of fiction using the character of alice howland, a cognitive psychology professor at harvard, as our guide. Still alice starring julianne moore tells the story of alice howland, a linguistics professor diagnosed with a form of earlyonset alzheimers disease. She allows the audience to see what having alzheimers could possibly be like. Still alice is beautiful, frightening and powerful, and a reminder that alzheimer s needs to be addressed now. Article highlights still alice is about the life of alice howland, who is stricken with alzheimers disease the film accurately portrays many of the signs across the three stages of alzheimers. We chatted about the beloved novel still alice and all things lisa genova. She shares the latest science investigating the disease and some promising research on what each of us can do to build an alzheimersresistant brain. Still alice is a realistic and emotional story of a woman living with alzheimers disease. Still alice is a compelling debut novel about a 50yearold womans sudden descent into early onset alzheimer s disease, written by lisa genova, who holds a ph. When alice finds herself in the rapidly downward spiral of alzheimer s disease she is just fifty years old. Alzheimer s through the looking glass, dana walrath uses drawings and stories to chronicle three years of caregiving for her mother, alice, who was in the middle stages of alzheimer s disease.
Alzheimers disease as an adventure in wonderland the. I cant help but notice that alice howland is a linguistic professor and in both books of the. Still alice has an authentic voice and a pitchperfect tone even as alice loses control of her own words. These images are separated not just by years but by illness. Mayo, mayo clinic, mayo clinic healthy living, and the. She shares the latest science investigating the disease and some promising research on what each of us can do to build an alzheimer sresistant brain. List of books and articles about alzheimers disease. She is married to an equally successful husband, and they have three grown children. Julianne moore successfully shows the struggle, confusion, anger, pain and isolation of having such a disease through her incredible performance. The disease takes hold swiftly, and it changes alices relationship with her family and the world. With women at the epicenterboth more likely to have alzheimer s and more likely to be caring for those with the diseasethe alzheimer s association and the women of still alice ask all women to help wipe out alzheimer s. Still alice author and neuroscientist lisa genova explains the symptoms of alzheimers and why she writes about families coping with.
Still alice author and neuroscientist lisa genova explains the symptoms of alzheimer s and why she writes about families coping with neurological diseases or disorders, which she says are often. Still alice novelist lisa genova shines spotlight on. Both my grandfathers died with alzheimer s disease. Alzheimer s doesnt have to be your brains destiny, says neuroscientist and author of still alice, lisa genova.
217 186 1556 1526 590 1411 334 318 942 613 518 1170 1359 1370 1194 668 175 1386 550 1318 900 209 955 260 641 1470 208 1488 1307 743 256 491 474 1472