Tough Topics Book Club

Join our Community Resource Specialist, Libby Richter, and Reference & Digital Services Librarian, Anna Zook, for a book discussion that will challenge readers to contemplate difficult subjects in a supported environment. Registration will be limited to 10 participants. Copies of this title are available in the MORE system.

Note: If you'd prefer to join virtually via Zoom, type "yes" into the appropriate field while registering below. 

November's Book: Still Alice by Lisa Genova

Alice Howland—Harvard professor, gifted researcher, and lecturer, wife, and mother of three grown children—sets out for a run and soon realizes she has no idea how to find her way home. She has taken the route for years, but nothing looks familiar. She is utterly lost. Medical consults reveal early-onset Alzheimer’s. Alice slowly but inevitably loses memory and connection with reality, as told from her perspective. She gradually loses the ability to follow a conversational thread, the story line of a book, or to recall information she heard just moments before. Genova shows the disease progression through the reactions of others, as Alice does, so readers feel what she feels: a slowly building terror.

About Self-Care

Please remember that self-care is essential when engaging in difficult subjects. We encourage you to take breaks and utilize self-care throughout our discussion. If at any point you wish not to continue for your own well-being, that is okay. We are all at different points on our journey. Please feel free to reach out if you would like to talk or find more resources, but in case of a more urgent issue here are some crisis lines and supports:

• In case of an emergency please contact 911
• Wisconsin Alzheimer’s Association 24/7 Helpline 800.272.3900
• Alzheimer’s & Dementia Alliance of Wisconsin
• Eau Claire County Support for People Living with Dementia
• Support for Caregivers: TRUALTA provides educational support for caregivers day or night. To register, visit WisconsinCaregiver.Trualta.com.
• If you or someone you know is struggling or in crisis, help is available. Call or text 988 or chat 988lifeline.org.