alzheimers

For those who closely follow basketball, the loss of Pat Head Summitt last month hit hard. Summitt's nearly 30-year coaching career for the University of Tennessee Lady Vols--starting when she was just out of college herself--revolutionized NCAA basketball play. By the end of her career, Summitt had led an undefeated season, taken 10 NCAA titles, and racked up more wins than any other coach in NCAA basketball history.  Still, most would say her coaching time was cut short when, in 2012, an Alzheimer's diagnosis led to her stepping down from the Lady Vols.

Sum It Up is a memoir that weaves in

Still Alice is a very moving book that captures the heartbreak and suffering of someone diagnosed with early onset Alzheimer's disease. We often hear about older people dealing with this dreaded disease but it also affects a surprising number of younger people. Genova captures the great loss felt by a young Harvard professor and mother as she faces the detrimental impacts of the disease. Alice’s story is powerfully written, engaging, and fast paced, although it takes place over two years. It's very emotional and I identified with all the characters on some level. Recommended for book club

It’s hard to read a tough book – a book that hits hard at your fears, with no solutions.  Such is the novel Still Alice by Lisa Genova.  Dr. Alice Howland, renowned Harvard professor, is at the peak of her profession at age 50.  Respected by her colleagues and students, she leads a busy life, while enjoying her family – her professor husband and three grown children.  But lately she’s forgetting things – where she is on a usual walk through Harvard yard, failing to show up for a conference.  So the fear is set – it’s the reader’s fear – she is finally diagnosed with early onset Alzheimer’s