Losing Yourself

Still Alice by Lisa Genova
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This book was so poignant. Some things I wondered about were:

Is Alice a true representation of a person with Alzheimers (ie: is someone really cognizant of what's going on). This article about Pat Summit seems to confirm much of her early experiences.

I found much in the story that struck me as sad, which I guess is to be expected when you are losing the person you love to Alzheimer Disease. One of the saddest things ever was when Alice said: "I miss me". Heart breaker.

The story depicts the changing relationships between Alice and her husband and Alice and her children, and even, really, Alice and herself. It must be so hard and scary to know you are losing parts of yourself. There are so many good lessons for real life - be patient and kind to each other, accept each other and love each other no matter what. How fleeting might be our own memories, or the memories of another. What if this happened to me? My husband?

One thing the book didn't talk about, and that I wonder about, is the financial implications. This family could afford a nurse, and to care for Alice. The story would be so different if a family could not afford that type of care.

It feels funny to call this a "good" story,because it is a hard story, but still, it is worth the read.


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