The Forgetting: Alzheimer's: Portrait of an Epidemic [Paperback]

People are scared to read David Shenk's book. In his afterword, he refers to a family friend who bought it and intended to read it, but was too intimidated by the subject matter and its implications to delve into it. It's easy to understand why. If you already suffer from Alzheimer's, you may think it's too late to learn about it. If you don't have Alzheimer's and you don't know anyone who does, you might not want to learn any more about this terrible, merciless disease. However, as our population ages, it becomes increasingly likely that everyone will be touched by Alzheimer's --- as a patient, as a caregiver, or simply as a citizen of a world wherein a substantial segment of the population can no longer drive, dress themselves, speak rationally, recognize loved ones, or remember their own names. It is a social force as strong as any war --- and information and communication are our greatest weapons against it.

THE FORGETTING provides a brief history of the disease. Shenk describes Dr. Alois Alzheimer's first patient, a woman who suffered from what was believed to be inexplicably premature senility. He intersperses his accounts of ongoing research with anecdotes of famous people we now know to have had Alzheimer's disease, great minds that self-destructed inside otherwise healthy bodies. Ralph Waldo Emerson's decline was slow and sad. Jonathan Swift died bitter and thwarted by his waning skills. His last words were, "I am a fool."

Painter Willem de Kooning had a different experience. He kept painting, even though his mind was failing and produced some of the best works of his career. His story is a reminder that some Alzheimer's patients find a sort of peace through their disease. In letting go of ordinary habits and concerns, some patients reach a level of tranquility before their last decline.

The book also introduces us to the research community: an army of doctors, scientists, independent researchers and pharmaceutical companies who are working fiercely to find a cure before Alzheimer's disease overwhelms us. It is heartening to know that such an effort is in progress, although it's cruel to end Chapter 14 hinting that a vaccine has been found that will prevent Alzheimer's disease from ever developing and stop existing Alzheimer's disease from progressing, only to mention in the afterword that the vaccine never made it past FDA phase 2 trials. False hope is the last thing these people need.

David Shenk does not mean to be cruel; it's just that research is moving so quickly that the best prospect for a cure in the hardcover edition had already been scrapped by the time the paperback came out. Even so, there's a lot of good information here. Readers might find the Resources section in the back to be the most practical help and Chapter 16, "What Not to Do," lists behavior patterns that researchers (currently) find helpful in avoiding the disease.

--- Reviewed by Colleen Quinn

My reason for reading this and all other books I've read about Alzheimer Disease is probably the same as yours. I have a reason to want to learn more because I have a loved one that suffers from Alzheimers, I am the full time caregiver for my Mother.

When I first started reading, I thought this was going to be the best and most informative book on the subject I had ever read. But as I went on, I felt the writer was mostly out to prove his writing abilities and that he is well educated. I don't read these kinds of books to be impressed with writing abilities, and I sure don't care how educated author might be. It is written in pure NPR and Washington Post fashion, so perhaps if you're impressed with that, perhaps you'll be more impressed than me with his efforts.

By the time I finished the book (I admit, I did have to finish it) I was sick of hearing about Ralph Waldo Emerson, the authors idle. If you want to write a book about Emerson, do it...but if the book has Alzheimers in the title, you told me way more than I needed to know about Emerson.

That being said, it is definitely worth reading, and I'm glad I read it. Just don't put it first on your list about this subject.