Lisa Genova - Still Alice

What is your favorite scene in the book?

There are probably two. One is a small scene with Alice and her three children. The kids are all arguing over whether their mother should be trying to remember something or not. Alice asks what time they'll be going to a play the next day. Her son tells her not to worry about it, she doesn't need to try to remember something she doesn't have to because they're not going to go without her. Her oldest daughter thinks she should be exercising her memory whenever possible, the sort of "use it or lose it" philosophy. The youngest thinks they should just let their mom know the information, and she can do with it what she wants. This is pretty common in families where someone has Alzheimer's. There's disagreement and people dig in their heels and take things personally. It's rife with conflict. In this scene, they argue and hurt one another's feelings and never agree, all in front of Alice. People talk about people with Alzheimer's all the time right in front of them, as if they're not there.

The other is the first paragraph. I just love everything about it. It still gives me the chills, and I've probably read it a hundred times.

What has the response been to Still Alice from the Alzheimer's community? How about from the non-Alzheimer's community, from people who have no connection to this disease?

Overwhelmingly positive. I can't tell you how much this means to me. For someone with Alzheimer's, or a caregiver of a loved one with this, to tell me that I got it right, that it's uncanny how true it all was, that they saw themselves all over the book, well, that's the highest compliment I can get. That I told the truth about this disease. This really became an important goal of mine while I was doing the research for the book and I came to know more and more people living with Alzheimer's. And it became a careful line to walk, to not overdramatize or romanticize this disease, yet not minimize it either.

And the National Alzheimer's Association has endorsed it. Of all the books out there on the topic of Alzheimer's, mine is the only one, to my knowledge, to have this stamp from them.

There are people who've read the book who have no personal connection to Alzheimer's and who've given me feedback. It's a moving story, and I think it works because it's about so much more than Alzheimer's. It doesn't lecture or preach or get too clinical. It's about identity and living a life that matters and about what a crisis does to relationships. And it's been incredibly rewarding to know that the book has given these readers a new awareness and sensitivity to the realities of living with Alzheimer's.

Table of Contents

Even then, more than a year earlier, there were neurons in her head, not far from her ears, that

SEPTEMBER 2003 Alice sat at her desk in their bedroom distracted by the sounds of John raci

OCTOBER 2003 That was a lot to digest," said Alice, opening the door to her office. "Yah,

NOVEMBER 2003 Dr. Tamara Moyer's office was located on the third floor of a five-story prof

DECEMBER 2003 On the night of Eric Wellman's holiday party, the sky felt low and thick, lik

JANUARY 2004 She had good reasons to cancel her appointments on the morning of January nine

FEBRUARY 2004 Friday: Take your morning medications Department meeting, 9:00, room 545 R

MARCH 2004 Alice popped open the Monday lid of her plastic days-of-the-week pill dispenser

APRIL 2004 As smart as they were, they couldn't cobble together a definitive, long-term pla

MAY 2004 Alice first thought of peeking inside the week after she was diagnosed, but she di

JUNE 2004 An unmistakably elderly woman with hot pink nails and lips tickled a little girl,

JULY 2004 John? John? Are you home?" She was sure that he wasn't, but being sure of anythi

AUGUST 2004 Her mother and sister had died when she was a freshman in college. No pictures

The well-being of a neuron depends on its ability to communicate with other neurons. Stud

SEPTEMBER 2004 Although it was officially the beginning of fall semester at Harvard, the we

OCTOBER 2004 She sat up in bed and wondered what to do. It was dark, still middle of the ni

NOVEMBER 2004 The movies that John had bought over the summer now fell into the same unfort

DECEMBER 2004 Dan's thesis numbered 142 pages, not including references. Alice hadn't read

JANUARY 2005 Mom, wake up. How long has she been asleep?" "About eighteen hours now." "Ha

FEBRUARY 2005 She slumped into the chair next to John, across from Dr. Davis, emotionally w

MARCH 2005 Alice stood at the podium with her typed speech in her hand and looked out at th

APRIL 2005 The energy required to write her speech, to deliver it well, and to shake hands

MAY 2005 They reached the counter after waiting a long time in a long line. "All right, Al

JUNE 2005 Alice sat at her computer waiting for the screen to come to life. Cathy had just

SUMMER 2005 Alice sat in a big, comfortable, white chair and puzzled over the clock on the

SEPTEMBER 2005 John sat at the end of a long table and took a large sip from his black coff

EPILOGUE Alice sat on a bench with the woman and watched the children walking by them. Not

POSTSCRIPT The clinical trial drug Amylix, described in this book, is fictional. It is, how

Table of Contents

Even then, more than a year earlier, there were neurons in her head, not far from her ears, that

SEPTEMBER 2003 Alice sat at her desk in their bedroom distracted by the sounds of John raci

OCTOBER 2003 That was a lot to digest," said Alice, opening the door to her office. "Yah,

NOVEMBER 2003 Dr. Tamara Moyer's office was located on the third floor of a five-story prof

DECEMBER 2003 On the night of Eric Wellman's holiday party, the sky felt low and thick, lik

JANUARY 2004 She had good reasons to cancel her appointments on the morning of January nine

FEBRUARY 2004 Friday: Take your morning medications Department meeting, 9:00, room 545 R

MARCH 2004 Alice popped open the Monday lid of her plastic days-of-the-week pill dispenser

APRIL 2004 As smart as they were, they couldn't cobble together a definitive, long-term pla

MAY 2004 Alice first thought of peeking inside the week after she was diagnosed, but she di

JUNE 2004 An unmistakably elderly woman with hot pink nails and lips tickled a little girl,

JULY 2004 John? John? Are you home?" She was sure that he wasn't, but being sure of anythi

AUGUST 2004 Her mother and sister had died when she was a freshman in college. No pictures

The well-being of a neuron depends on its ability to communicate with other neurons. Stud

SEPTEMBER 2004 Although it was officially the beginning of fall semester at Harvard, the we

OCTOBER 2004 She sat up in bed and wondered what to do. It was dark, still middle of the ni

NOVEMBER 2004 The movies that John had bought over the summer now fell into the same unfort

DECEMBER 2004 Dan's thesis numbered 142 pages, not including references. Alice hadn't read

JANUARY 2005 Mom, wake up. How long has she been asleep?" "About eighteen hours now." "Ha

FEBRUARY 2005 She slumped into the chair next to John, across from Dr. Davis, emotionally w

MARCH 2005 Alice stood at the podium with her typed speech in her hand and looked out at th

APRIL 2005 The energy required to write her speech, to deliver it well, and to shake hands

MAY 2005 They reached the counter after waiting a long time in a long line. "All right, Al

JUNE 2005 Alice sat at her computer waiting for the screen to come to life. Cathy had just

SUMMER 2005 Alice sat in a big, comfortable, white chair and puzzled over the clock on the