Still Alice, by Lisa Genova

I just read one of the best books I've read in a long time - Still Alice, by Lisa Genova.

Alice is 50 years old, and a psychology professor at Harvard University. She is well-respected, has published over 100 articles and co-authored a textbook, is an in-demand speaker at conferences all over the world. She has three grown children (a doctor, a lawyer, an aspiring actress) and a cancer research scientist husband.

And she is forgetting things. Misplacing things. Getting lost less than a mile from her home. Alice has early onset Alzheimer's.

The story is told from Alice's point of view. It is absolutely incredible. I read it in about a day and a half. The characters are so real - flawed and wonderful at the same time.

From the book jacket:
"As the inevitable descent into dementia strips away her sense of self, fiercely independent Alice struggles to live in the moment. While she once placed her worth and identity in her celebrated and resepected academic life, now she must reevaluate her relationships with her husband, a respected scientist; and her ideas about herself and her place in the world."

I am at a loss for words to describe how much this book moved me. I would recommend it to everyone. There are a few instances of bad language, but other than that, nothing I found objectionable. It is just a story of real people in an increasingly familiar situation.