Buy used: $7.98

Get Fast, Free Shipping with Amazon Prime

FREE delivery Sunday, August 28 if you spend $25 on items shipped by Amazon

Or fastest delivery Friday, August 26. Order within 1 hr 19 mins

Select delivery location

Used: Good | Details

Sold by KAYLEY'S PRIME STORE

Fulfilled by Amazon

Access codes and supplements are not guaranteed with used items.

Share <Embed>

Have one to sell?

Sell on Amazon

Flip to back Flip to front

Listen Playing... Paused You're listening to a sample of the Audible audio edition.
Learn more

See all 3 images

Follow the Author

Lisa Genova

Still Alice Mass Market Paperback – December 16, 2014

by Lisa Genova (Author)

10,904 ratings

See all formats and editions

Price

New from

Used from

Kindle

"Please retry"

$12.99

—

Audible Audiobook, Unabridged

"Please retry"

$0.00

Free with your Audible trial

Hardcover, Deckle Edge

"Please retry"

$39.99

$10.39

Paperback

"Please retry"

$11.50

$7.55

$1.44

Mass Market Paperback

"Please retry"

$7.98

$27.11

$0.99

Audio CD, Audiobook, CD, Unabridged

"Please retry"

$19.73

$7.00

$1.98

From New York Times bestselling author and neuroscientist Lisa Genova comes the definitive—and illuminating—novel about Alzheimer’s disease. Now a major motion picture starring Oscar winner Julianne Moore! Look for Lisa Genova's latest novel Inside the O’Briens.

Alice Howland is proud of the life she worked so hard to build. At fifty years old, she’s a cognitive psychology professor at Harvard and a world-renowned expert in linguistics with a successful husband and three grown children. When she becomes increasingly disoriented and forgetful, a tragic diagnosis changes her life—and her relationship with her family and the world—forever. As she struggles to cope with Alzheimer’s, she learns that her worth is comprised of far more than her ability to remember.

At once beautiful and terrifying, Still Alice is a moving and vivid depiction of life with early-onset Alzheimer’s disease that is as compelling as A Beautiful Mind and as unforgettable as Ordinary People.

Print length

400 pages
Language

English
Publisher

Pocket Books
Publication date

December 16, 2014
Dimensions

4.13 x 0.9 x 6.75 inches
ISBN-10

1501107739
ISBN-13

978-1501107733
Lexile measure

860L
See all details

Lisa Genova
1,647
Hardcover
75 offers from $11.67
Sharon A. Denham PhD RN CNE
56
Paperback
25 offers from $40.63
Michelle Quach
466
Hardcover
62 offers from $4.41
Lisa Genova
1,652
Paperback
142 offers from $1.46
Julianne Moore
6,170
DVD
62 offers from $2.75
Nicola Yoon
6,628
Paperback
163 offers from $1.98

Michelle Quach
466
Hardcover
62 offers from $4.41
Chaim Potok
1,440
Mass Market Paperback
181 offers from $1.38
Richard Wright
2,008
Paperback
69 offers from $7.96
Chaim Potok
1,440
Paperback
46 offers from $11.37
Saint Mary's Press
1,391
Paperback
31 offers from $19.84
Reid Forgrave
151
Paperback
37 offers from $2.58

Popular Highlights in this book

What are popular highlights?

Attention, rehearsal, elaboration, or emotional significance was needed if perceived information was to be pushed beyond the recent memory space into longer-term storage, else it would be quickly and naturally discarded with the passage of time.
Highlighted by 2,012 Kindle readers
And when the burden of her disease exceeded the pleasure of that ice cream, she wanted to die.
Highlighted by 1,782 Kindle readers
He gave them five: Be creative, be useful, be practical, be generous, and finish big.
Highlighted by 1,226 Kindle readers

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Acclaimed as the Oliver Sacks of fiction and the Michael Crichton of brain science, Lisa Genova is the New York Times bestselling author of Still Alice, Left Neglected, Love Anthony, Inside the O’Briens, and Remember. Still Alice was adapted into an Oscar-winning film starring Julianne Moore, Alec Baldwin, and Kristen Stewart. Lisa graduated valedictorian from Bates College with a degree in biopsychology and holds a PhD in neuroscience from Harvard University. She travels worldwide speaking about the neurological diseases she writes about and has appeared on The Dr. Oz Show, Today, PBS NewsHour, CNN, and NPR. Her TED talk, What You Can Do To Prevent Alzheimer's, has been viewed over 2 million times.

Product details

Publisher ‏ : ‎ Pocket Books; Media Tie-In edition (December 16, 2014)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Mass Market Paperback ‏ : ‎ 400 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1501107739
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1501107733
Lexile measure ‏ : ‎ 860L
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 6.4 ounces
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 4.13 x 0.9 x 6.75 inches

Best Sellers Rank: #464,765 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #1,075 in Medical Fiction (Books)
- #8,912 in Women's Domestic Life Fiction
- #12,575 in Family Life Fiction (Books)

Customer Reviews:
10,904 ratings

About the author

Follow authors to get new release updates, plus improved recommendations.

Lisa Genova

Brief content visible, double tap to read full content.

Full content visible, double tap to read brief content.

Lisa Genova graduated valedictorian, summa cum laude from Bates College with a degree in Biopsychology and has a Ph.D. in Neuroscience from Harvard University. Acclaimed as the Oliver Sacks of fiction and the Michael Crichton of brain science, she is the New York Times bestselling author of Still Alice, Left Neglected, Love Anthony, Inside the O’Briens and Every Note Played. Her first nonfiction book, REMEMBER: The Science of Memory and the Art of Forgetting, was released March 23, 2021 and became an instant New York Times bestseller.

Lisa's extensively researched fiction focuses on people living with neurological diseases and disorders, people who tend to be ignored, feared, or misunderstood, portrayed within a narrative that is accessible to the general public. Through fiction, she is dedicated to describing with passion and accuracy the journeys of those affected by brain diseases and conditions, thereby educating, demystifying, destigmatizing, and inspiring support for care and scientific research. She has written novels about Alzheimer's disease, traumatic brain injury, autism, Huntington's disease, and ALS.

Still Alice (Alzheimer’s) was adapted into a film starring Julianne Moore, Alec Baldwin, Kristen Stewart, and Kate Bosworth. Julianne Moore won the Best Actress Oscar. Every Note Played (ALS) is in production and will star Christoph Waltz. The film adaptation for Inside the O’Briens (Huntington’s) is in production.

Speaking about brain health, memory, and the neurological diseases and disorders she writes about, Lisa has appeared on Today, the Dr. Oz Show, GPS with Fareed Zakaria, CNN, PBS NewsHour, and NPR and was featured in the Emmy award-winning documentary film To Not Fade Away and Have You Heard About Greg? She will be featured in an upcoming PBS Special about memory in June 2021.

In 2015, Lisa was named one of the U.S. Top 50 Influencers in Aging by Next Avenue. She received The Pell Center Prize for Story in the Public Square, for "distinguished storytelling that has enriched the public dialogue," The Sargent and Eunice Shriver Profiles in Dignity Award, The Global Genes RARE Champions of Hope Award, and The American College of Neuropsychopharmacology Media Award for "informing the public about Treatment and ongoing research in medical illness." In 2016, she received an Honorary Doctorate of Humane Letters from Bates College, The Alzheimer's Association's Rita Hayworth Award, and The Huntington’s Disease Society of America Community Awareness Award.

Lisa’s first TED talk, What You Can Do To Prevent Alzheimer’s, has been viewed over 5 million times. Her latest TED talk, How Memory Works (and Why Forgetting Normal), will be released April 21, 2021.

Customer reviews

5 star		78%
4 star		16%
3 star		4%
2 star		1%
1 star		1%

How customer reviews and ratings work

Reviews with images

See all customer images

Top reviews from the United States

There was a problem filtering reviews right now. Please try again later.

J.lawson85

Great read!

Reviewed in the United States on August 5, 2022

Verified Purchase

This was a great insight on a life with Alzheimer’s. Would definitely recommend this book for anybody. Pulls on the hearts strings especially if you have experienced a family member with this.

Helpful

Amazon Customer.

Everyone needs kindness, especially when the journey has road blocks.

Reviewed in the United States on June 14, 2022

Verified Purchase

I loved the sorry, unable to put down, finished in two days. This book is for a group discussion in healthcare. Will reread as the date get closer so all of the details are fresh for discussion. Looking forward to others thoughts on this book. It held my interest as I have several family member who had experienced dementia for different reasons, medication dementia and Alzheimer's related dementia.

Helpful

Kristen

Brilliant novel; a real page turner.

Reviewed in the United States on March 6, 2014

Verified Purchase

**REVIEW CONTAINS SPOILERS**

In the poignant novel, Still Alice, written by Lisa Genova, the main character Alice Howland is given the devastating diagnosis of early onset Alzheimer’s disease and struggles to cope with the changes that ensue. In her early fifties, Alice begins to experience memory loss and confusion; initially, she believes her symptoms are as a result of Menopause or stress from her demanding position as a psychology professor at Harvard University. As her symptoms become more persistent, she seeks the professional opinion of her doctor in hopes of finding a solution to her problem. After a considerable amount of testing, the doctor informs Alice of her diagnosis- Alzheimer’s. From that point on, Alice’s life is changed forever.

One of the most memorable passages in the book occurred during June 2005; at this point, Alice’s Alzheimer’s had progressed quite extensively. When Alice was aimlessly clicking icons on her computer, she stumbled upon the “Butterfly” file that she had made for herself when she was still early on in her diagnosis. In the file, she discovers a letter that she wrote and reads it in a state of bewilderment. In the letter, she tells herself about the great and successful life she had lead and the tragic disease that had stolen her precious time. The reader is aware of Alice’s state of mind when she states, “You have lost too much of yourself, too much of what you love, and you are not living the life you want to live.” (p.271) At the end of the letter, Alice tells herself to do an unthinkable deed- to commit suicide. Alice speaks of a bottle that is stashed in the back of her bedroom drawer and says, “There are a lot of pills in that bottle. Swallow all of them with a big glass of water. Make sure you swallow all of them. Then, get in bed and go to sleep.” (p. 271). As Alice rummages through the contents of her drawer, she is interrupted by John who was standing in the doorway observing her behavior. John proceeds to give Alice her daily medications- not the pills that Alice was searching for. As Alice takes her medications, she feels a sense of sadness and pride but does not understand why she feels this way. If John had not come into the room, it is possible that Alice would have been capable of killing herself. While I read Alice’s letter and understood what she had intended to do to herself, I could not help but feel her frustration and hopelessness; the feeling her letter evoked in me was startling, as I feel like I had switched into Alice’s body for a brief minute.

This novel was difficult to read at times due to how Alice’s disease somewhat relates to my personal life. I worked as a caregiver/medication technician at a senior assisted living home that specialized in memory care, or care for individuals with Alzheimer’s/Dementia. Genova captured the setting of a nursing facility perfectly with the details of the number keypad for doors, spacious hallways for wandering around, and the random encounters with residents who falsely accuse you of doing something. While Alice was receiving the tour, I visualized myself showing Alice around the facility, as the setting is similar to where I had worked. Although the senior home I was associated with takes good care of the residents, I would tell Alice to hire a personal caregiver and not put herself into this type of home. I find too often that some families would selfishly put their loved one into this home and seldom visit. I was pleased upon reading the outcome that Alice was not only still surrounded and supported by her family but was ultimately given a personal caregiver.

I was immediately attracted to reading Still Alice, as the subject matter of Alzheimer’s is something that interests me. I want to know more about the disease process of Alzheimer’s and Genova did an incredible job of emotionally investing the reader into Alice’s character. I could not stop feeling Alice’s frustration, anger, sadness, and confusion. I give this novel a 10/10 rating and would recommend this novel to everyone. I was captivated and immersed into the book and actually read it all in one day. While Alice Howland is fictional and strictly exists only on paper, I cannot ignore how the essence of her life story reverberates in the back of my mind.

One person found this helpful

Helpful

Schuyler T Wallace

A moving novel about a dread disease

Reviewed in the United States on June 24, 2011

Verified Purchase

The story of Alice Howland, as written by Lisa Genova in Still Alice, has been explained by other reviewers so I'll keep my synopsis short. The novel is about an eminent psychology professor at Harvard who is diagnosed with early-onset Alzheimer's disease. She struggles through the minor forgetfulness and disorientation of the early stages, gets diagnosed, and experiences worsening symptoms as her life disintegrates by degree. Her husband, also a PhD professor and researcher at Harvard, finds it difficult to cope with her disease while still maintaining his stature and work ethic. Her adult children, while supportive, have their own self-absorbed lives to live. And the administrators at Harvard, rightfully so, cannot allow her to continue in her current job when it becomes apparent that her teaching skills have declined. Her once brilliant worldwide lectures have become less than expert and not representative of Harvard standards. And she is deemed incapable of continuing her research programs.

We experience all this deterioration from Alice's viewpoint, instead of as an outside observer, as most stories are told. And we suffer along with her.

The destruction of brain process is visible from the outside but Genova takes us to the internal devastation where portions of the brain responsible for cognition and awareness are no longer accessible. People in advanced stages of dementia cannot understand or verbalize such decimation so the author presents Alice's view by using early-onset as a tracking vehicle to gain the point of view while cognitive recognition is still available in her.

I felt uncomfortable with the suddenness of the Alzheimer's diagnosis on Alice, thinking it normally took more time for the disease to be uncovered. The author, in an interview at book's end, apparently reading my mind, stated she gave Alice a rapid path to diagnosis to get the book moving and to keep it to a reasonable length. She also mentioned the need to include suicidal thoughts occurring in Alice that, although somewhat controversial in public mindset, has occurred in virtually every person with early-onset under the age of sixty five that the author knows.

I found it interesting that symptoms in an early-onset victim's life that get assimilated and adjusted to, seem to always change at a later time creating more problems to be dealt with. An insufferable life just starts to be tolerable when new obstacles appear, creating a sense of hopelessness. To me, this gradual descent into despair is a very frightening aspect of Alzheimer's

This book is brilliant. It is written by an academic about events in the lives of academics so, as expected, there is abundant use of scientific and medical jargon. However, Dr. Genova is careful to use professional language where appropriate and to write for the rest of us in the overall context of her story. I actually found it enjoyable to delve into some of the terms and studies she included to find out more about them.

Dr. Lisa Genova holds a Ph.D. from Harvard in neuroscience. She is a columnist for the National Alzheimer's Association and a recognized neurology expert who is also a public speaker on Alzheimer's issues. She seems to focus on fictional stories that deal with brain disorders. Here we have early-onset Alzheimer's. Her new book, Left Neglected, is about a fast-living professional woman who suffers a life-altering brain injury in an automobile accident. And still to come is a book about childhood autism.

Genova makes abundant use of experts in formulating her story line. Her education and academic standing gives her uncommon access to other brilliant minds. She has the ability and credentials to ask the right questions in the right professional language and to understand the clinically formed answers. She is then able to apply the knowledge she gains to form the thought processes and actions of those suffering from the disabling disorder into clear layman prose.

She also states in her interview that she wanted to create a story that was "a truthful and respectful depiction of life with Alzheimer's," and she wanted the story to be from the point of view of the victim rather than the caregiver. Dr. Genova, you have done so magnificently.

2 people found this helpful

Helpful

Top reviews from other countries

Nicky Rice

An amazing, touching story.

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on August 3, 2020

Verified Purchase

I read 'Still Alice' first in 2017 and have just re read it July 2020.
I find the story so captivating and compelling. Each time i have read it in a few days. It gives a very real and truthful account of both the person with the disease and the carers. And it leaves me sad, that i didn't understand my father more. The times he may have understood more than i thought. Yet the beauty of this story gives me a chance to celebrate how i did interact have with him in his final stages and enjoy the beautiful memories i have, helps me grieve still now. It gives hope. All is not lost. Don't give up trying to connect with someone who has this disease. I lost my 83 year old father to Alzheimer's disease in 2016, three years after diagnosis.

5 people found this helpful

Camilla Macaulay

Convincing and moving

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on May 19, 2016

Verified Purchase

Lisa Genova is a neurologist and that may explain the unsentimental and approach she take with "Still Alice". It is a deeply moving story but not maudlin. Alice, who has been a professor at Harvard for twenty five years, one day goes for a run and finds that she can't remember her way home. There are other memory lapses but she is only fifty years old and hopes they are a symptom of the menopause. At first, she keeps her worries from her family and visits a doctor by herself. It is not good news, she has early onset Alzheimer's disease. Genova's writing is so convincing that I just could not put this book down. The only thing that becomes slightly tiresome is the inference that intelligence is the only quality worth having. Genova went to Harvard and is understandably proud of that fact nevertheless the university seems to be mentioned on every other page. When Alice's youngest daughter wants to become an actress Alice is beside herself. For her, a life without an academic degree is a life wasted.
I knew there was not going to be any magic cure at the end of the story but I wanted to follow Alice on her journey. Her husband, John, her three children and her work colleagues all have to come to terms with the fact that the woman they have known and loved is gone for ever,or at least part of her is. As Alice says "I miss myself". I learnt a lot about the disease from reading this book. My mother, much older than Alice, has the first signs of dementia and I now realise that she can't "try harder" to remember things. What people in this position need is patience, understanding and love.

4 people found this helpful

Mrs. Claire Buckle

Very disappointed

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on May 3, 2015

Verified Purchase

I was disappointed with the book although, if the reviews are to be believed, the film is brilliant. Throughout this novel I never got to know the characters. They came across as two-dimensional and it was as though I was watching them from a distance. I didn't believe in the way Alice's children behaved or that her husband could be so detached. The whole scenario of the dementia being revealed to the family was presented in a matter-of-fact, somewhat unemotional manner. There was a lot of 'telling' by the author (she went for a run, she was sweating, he looked happy, excited etc) and use of cliches (e.g. using a mirror to describe an appearance) In my opinion, there is a lack of narrative style and part of the joy of reading for me, is the way in which a writer uses language. There's also lots of unnecessary medical terminology which is meaningless to the lay person and I can't remember reading a more abrupt and unsatisfactory ending. There are pages of Q&A's with the author at the end. On a positive note, the success of the book and film has brought the subject of early onset dementia out into the open and increased public awareness and hopefully, sensitivity.

5 people found this helpful

Glorybe

The best book I have read this year.

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on September 15, 2016

Verified Purchase

I read this on the recommendation of my sister and have to say it has to be the best book I have read this year. It is heartbreaking with a tiny touch of humour to it, if that is possible!
The book is about Alice and her not so slow downfall into early on-set Alzheimer's at the age of 50. Alice is a very well respected professor of linguistics at Harvard university, traveling all over the globe giving lectures, and her opinion is listened to with respect. She feels it all happening in her head and can't do a thing about it.
The author Lisa Genova captures the progressive descent beautifully, with sympathy and empathy and manages to get a touch of humour in it from time to time. The way she writes, repeating sentences often and with little asides brings it home to you how awful this disease is.
It is heartbreaking to read and I have to admit to a little tear after Alice gives her talk to the world renown experts in the disease.
You just have to read this book, yes, it is sad but so well written, and does have it's heartwarming bits too.

2 people found this helpful

jodenoy

Educational, Informative and Already a Classic

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on July 22, 2015

Verified Purchase

I bought this book because my husband's Aunt had recently been diagnosed with dementia, and we knew very little about it. I have mild cognitive impairment due to Multiple Sclerosis and Alice's sessions with the neuro-psychologist reminded me of my own cognitive assessments. I was annoyed when I had to flip the pages of my Kindle to remind myself of John Black's address, but at least that developed empathy for Alice. I know what it is like to struggle to remember words and using a wholly inappropriate substitute. I could share her anger, frustration and sometimes surprise at realising her forgetfulness.

I take an opposite view to the negative reviews I have read on Amazon. Some reviewers find it difficult to be empathetic to Alice and John because of their middle-class, educated environment. I think this is the crux of the point Lisa Genova is trying to make. Alice Howland is a Harvard Professor, a highly intelligent woman who thinks her life and career are commensurate with her intelligence. Her husband, John is equally educated and successful. They believe their's and their children's success in life is assured. Then they are hit with disaster. The family have to not only come to terms with the knowledge that the woman they know so well, will be irrevocably changed and they may be strangers to her, but also the realisation that this condition could be past to them and their children.

Within the confines of the space of a book, exaggerating the juxtaposition of what Alice is at the start with what she becomes at the end, gives the reader an intimate experience of this horrific condition. I felt personally involved with Alice's struggle and thought I was living the experience alongside her.

I found the book a wonderful exploration of family survival and development at a frightening time.

One person found this helpful

See all reviews

Follow the Author

Still Alice Mass Market Paperback – December 16, 2014

Customers who viewed this item also viewed

Customers who bought this item also bought