Still Alice

Here's a plug for the book I read for my book club this month:



A heart-wrenching, yet fabulous book written from the perspective of a Harvard professor who is diagnosed with early-onset Alzheimer's disease. (fiction) I think that for the most part, I am a realist. I hated Nicolas Sparks' the Notebook for many reasons. And now I have another. Because it romanticizes about the relationship between a man and his wife who has Alzheimer's. This book may not be for everyone. I was sobbing--I mean uncontrollable, out-loud sobbing. Mark was a caretaker for a man with AD. there is nothing romantic about it. This man was a genius, an inventor, at one point in his life. (You'll have to ask Mark about the big thing he invented because I don't think I'll phrase it right). But with AD, he was confused and afraid and debilitated. Parts of his personality were still there sometimes. For instance, he loved to dance. he always wanted to dance. Even if it had to be with Mark :) But for the most part, his mind and body was ravaged by the disease. Reading this book from Alice's perspective helped me to resolve to be more empathetic--not just to people with AD but anyone suffering from any sort of ailment. So read it. let me know what you think.