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Rating: 
Summary: A reassuring book about a dreaded disease
Review: Alzheimer's is a distinctly unglamorous disease that nevertheless has been thrust into the public eye of late. Famous names have withered in its clutches and most recently, the film Iris thrust dementia out from behind closed doors. The recent death of former President Reagan is likely to highlight the disease once again. The losing of one's memory, arguably the essence of the person, is one of the most distressing disease processes to contemplate, making Alzheimer's a name that brings with it stigma and fear. Shenk gives a uniquely humane coverage of the condition, in a book that is devoid of harsh clinical language. He explains concepts such as the multifactorial causes of the disease with a pleasant use of analogy. A roughly chronological account of both the natural history of the disease and the history of scientic study of Alzheimers allows the book to evolve naturally and gives it a structure that is often not found in lesser disease-orientated books. Cases, both of anonymous families and famous victims of the disease, are woven into the narrative in a wholly sympathetic manner. Shenk offers us helpful ways of seeing the degeneration of the disease in a mirror held up to childhood development which may help some people to break through their fear and disgust. This gentle book holds much of value for victims, families and carers as well as for students of health related subjects.
Rating: 
Summary: Scant on Alzheimer's
Review: An extremely well-written book that gives me as a lay person a better understanding of the disease. Another reviewer considered it to be a "fluff" book. I strongly disagree. It is not meant to be a medical text. However, it gives an excellent breakdown of the disease and provides insight into what is happening to the individual from a physical and mental point of view.
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Summary: Don't forget this one
Review: Certainly one of the more interesting aspects of this book is its references to famous people and how they dealt with (or didn't) getting this disease. Painters, writers, and other are listed and this part is fascinating as are the other sections. This book helped confirm my beliefs that people with Alzheimer's are still valuable souls, no matter the form or mind they take, or rather is taken from them. Throughout the book, there are short quotes from caregivers and from those with the disease. I also recently discovered the fiction writer Jackson McCrae, whose family has been devastated by this horrible illness. He's written about it in his book, the most recent being "The Children's Corner" which has a wonderful story titled "Crook." Other are starting to include this disease in their works and thank goodness it has come more to light. The sad part, I suppose, is that these books dealing with the "A" word are selling quite well-a depressing statement on the number of individuals who have or are going to get "it." Still, we need to know as much as we can, especially with the baby-boomer generation heading into this territory.
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Summary: A Basic Getting Started Book
Review: David Shenk's book is a good basic beginning book for anyone newly associated with the disease. It gives a brief history of the beginning research and awakening knowledge of this horrible disease. A combination of "scientific" knowledge coupled with "real life" examples make this a riviting book.
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Summary: That's still Dad, why can't my family see that?
Review: I read "The Forgetting" in hopes of getting support for myself about how my family has been dealing with dad's alzheimer's for four years. We know how awful the disease is, and we can only hope for a cure, which the book puts into perspective, but I need to know how mother can be in denial about it and how my brother can say that in his mind dad is already dead.
This book helped confirm my beliefs that people with alzheimer's are still valuable souls, no matter the form or mind they take, or rather is taken from them. Throughout the book, there are short quotes from caregivers and from those with the disease. They said things I also experienced with my dad and it supports my compassion for him. I think this book could help others desperately seeking peace and reconciliation with dementia. In my search for meaning, "The Forgetting" also presented to me an enlightened viewpoint about what it is like to have memory loss.
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Summary: The Forgetting
Review: I was diagnosed nine years ago with Alzheimer's and have read everything I could get my hands on about this disease. I think your book is the most informative book on Alzheimer's that I have read. I think it could be called the Alzheimer's Bible.
Rating:
Summary: The Forgetting
Review: I was diagnosed nine years ago with Alzheimer's and have read everything I could get my hands on about this disease. I think your book is the most informative book on Alzheimer's that I have read. I think it could be called the Alzheimer's Bible.
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Summary: An important book about a very serious disease
Review: Just in case you don't have enough to worry about, consider Alzheimer's disease. Over five million Americans currently suffer from this degenerative disease that attacks the neurons in the brain, slowly erasing memory, verbal skills, motor skills and the basic elements of identity. It is lethal, incurable and only negligible treatments are available. Now think about the baby boomers, currently poised on the brink of the years when Alzheimer's disease begins to strike. Over the next fifty years, the number of Alzheimer's patients is expected to triple, resulting in a crushing burden on the medical community and on family caregivers, who may suffer more than anyone. 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
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Summary: NOT MUCH HERE ON ALZHEIMERS DISEASE
Review: The Forgetting is a book which will give you a wide angle view of a disease which is reaching epidemic proportions. He looks at the history of the disease, the political ramifications and the cost to our nations health care system. If you are looking for a wide ranging examination of the topic of Alzheimer's disease this is the book.
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