Journal Entry 1 by indygo88 from Lafayette, Indiana USA on Tuesday, September 14, 2010

"Still Alice is a compelling debut novel about a 50-year-old woman's sudden descent into early onset Alzheimer's disease, written by first-time author Lisa Genova, who holds a Ph. D in neuroscience from Harvard University.
Alice Howland, happily married with three grown children and a house on the Cape, is a celebrated Harvard professor at the height of her career when she notices a forgetfulness creeping into her life. As confusion starts to cloud her thinking and her memory begins to fail her, she receives a devastating diagnosis: early onset Alzheimer's disease. Fiercely independent, Alice struggles to maintain her lifestyle and live in the moment, even as her sense of self is being stripped away. In turns heartbreaking, inspiring and terrifying, Still Alice captures in remarkable detail what's it's like to literally lose your mind..."

Acquired through PaperBackSwap.com (Unabridged on 7 CD's; read by the author) 

Journal Entry 2 by indygo88 at Lafayette, Indiana USA on Friday, June 03, 2011

This book is somewhat unique in that although it's fictional, it's written from the point of view of a person WITH Early Onset Alzheimer's Disease, rather than of a loved one dealing with the familial affects. I knew going into this that it would be a difficult read, primarily because this is one of those diseases that I think is one of the most difficult for caretakers. Any disease of the mind is difficult, but to see a loved one lose recognition of familiar people is heartbreaking. I've known acquaintances with Alzheimer's Disease in their families & I've heard the stories, and I've always been grateful (if that's the right word) that I've not had a family member of my own in this situation. And yes -- this book is full of emotion & makes you think about your own life & your mortality & the choices you've made.

I probably would've rated this book higher, had it not been that I earread the audio version. Lisa Genova herself was the reader, & while she's a capable reader as far as clarity, her monotone turned me off. I would've expected some more emotion in her voice, but it just wasn't there.