Impact Factor: 6.78 Journal Quality Score (JQS): 85.34
    Email Id: chiefeditor.ijeel@gmail.com
    Impact Factor: 6.78 Journal Quality Score (JQS): 85.34
    Email Id: chiefeditor.ijeel@gmail.com

    Resilience and Vulnerability: A Journey of the Self in Lisa Genova’s Still Alice

    Journal Article
    Author(s)
    Maha Samih Al-Anbagi
    Keywords
    Alzheimer, identity, memory, family, loss, love
    Abstract
    The novel Still Alice presents one of the most significant social problems which contemporary society needs to resolve. It presents Alzheimer's disease which now affects almost every family across the globe because of its growing presence in society. Lisa Genova's novel stands out because she used her neuroscience background and her clinical research experience with Alzheimer cases to create an authentic character through Alice. Genova described her creation of an Alzheimer experience which shows Alice as a university professor who speaks fluently yet suffers from the disease. The novel presents an emotional story which helps readers understand the disease better while it shows that Alice maintains her human qualities through her ability to feel love, joy and compassion after losing her memory and identity. The paper first presents an overview of Genova's research career and scientific work before describing Alice's character and then examining the identity theme, the final section presents the study's results.
    References

    Alzheimer's Association. Alzheimer's Disease Facts and Figures (2023).

    Burke, L. On (not) caring about dementia: Thinking with Lisa Genova’s Still Alice. Feminist Review, (2014)107(1), 1–19

    Charles, R. [Review of the book Still Alice, by L. Genova]. The Washington Post, (2009, January 22), C01

    Clark, A. Still Alice by Lisa Genova. The Guardian. (2009, January 24)

    Genova, Lisa. Still Alice. Gallery Books/Simon & Schuster, 2009, p. 228

    Genova, L. (Various Interviews).  NPR interviews around the book and film releases. Fresh Air (2015) https://www.npr.org/2015/01/09/375931442/neuroscientist-turned-novelist-explores-alzheimers-in-still-alice (Audio & Transcript)

    Hydén, Lars-Christer. Entangled Narratives: Collaborative Storytelling and the Re-Imagining of Dementia. Oxford University Press. (2018)

    Kirkus Reviews. [Review of the book Still Alice, by L. Genova]. Kirkus Reviews, (2007, December 1) 75(23), 1224

    Maslin, J. [Review of the book Still Alice, by L. Genova]. The New York Times. (2009, January 21).

    McDonagh, Patrick.. Still Alice, Still Human: Personhood, Narrative, and Dementia in Lisa Genova’s Novel. Journal of Medical Humanities, 34, 459–471. (2013)

    Zeilig, Hannah. Dementia as a cultural metaphor. The Gerontologist, 2014, 54(2), 258-267.

    How to Cite
    Loading APA citation...
    Article Details
    Published 01 Jun 2025
    DOI 10.22161/ijeel.4.3.17
    Pages 115-124
    Views 1014
    Downloads 15
    Full Text Access