The Forgetting

Afflicting nearly half of all persons over the age of 85, Alzheimer's disease kills nearly 100,000 Americas a year as it insidiously robs them of their memory and wreaks havoc on the lives of their loved ones. It was once minimized and misunderstood as forgetfulness in the elderly, but Alzheimer's is now at the forefront of many medical and scientific agendas, for as the world's population ages, the disease will kill millions more and touch the lives of virtually everyone. The Forgettingis a scrupulously researched, multilayered analysis of Alzheimer's and its social, medical, and spiritual implications. David Shenk presents us with much more than a detailed explanation of its causes and effects and the search for a cure. He movingly captures the disease's impact on its victims and their families, and he looks back through history, explaining how Alzheimer's most likely afflicted such figures as Jonathan Swift, Ralph Waldo Emerson,and William de Kooning. The result is a searing, powerfully engaging account of Alzheimer's disease, offering a grim but sympathetic and ultimately encouraging portrait.

David Shenk is the author of three previous books, including <b>Data Smog</b><i>, </i>which <i>The New York Times</i> hailed as an “indispensable guide to the big picture of technology’s cultural impact.” A former fellow at the Freedom Forum Media Studies Center at Columbia University, he has written for <i>Harper’s, Wired, Salon, The New Republic, The Washington Post, </i>and<i> The New Yorker, </i>and is an occasional commentator for NPR’s <i>All Things Considered.</i> He lives in Brooklyn, New York, with his wife and daughter.