Lisa Genova

Lisa Genova (born November 22, 1970) is an American neuroscientist and author. She self-published her debut novel Still Alice (2007), about a Harvard University professor who suffers early onset Alzheimer's disease. The book gained popularity and was acquired by Simon & Schuster; it was published in January 2009 by Pocket Books (now Gallery Books). There are over 2.6 million copies in print, and it has been translated into 37 languages. It was chosen as one of the thirty titles for World Book Night 2013. The book was adapted into a film in 2014 and won the Academy Award for Best Actress for Julianne Moore's highly acclaimed performance as Alice Howland.

Genova has written fiction about characters dealing with neurological disorders. Gallery Books published her next three novels, Left Neglected, Love Anthony, and Inside the O'Briens, all New York Times bestsellers.

Life and science career

Genova has Italian ancestry;^[1] she graduated valedictorian, summa cum laude from Bates College with a BS degree in biopsychology and received a Ph.D. in neuroscience from Harvard University in 1998.^[2]

She did research at Massachusetts General Hospital East, Yale Medical School,^[3] McLean Hospital, and the National Institutes of Health. Genova taught neuroanatomy at Harvard Medical School fall 1996.

Literary and related career

Still Alice

Her first novel was Still Alice (2007), about a woman who suffers early-onset Alzheimer's disease. Alice Howland, a 50-year-old woman, is a cognitive psychology professor at Harvard and a world-renowned linguistics expert. She is married to an equally successful husband, and they have three grown children. The disease takes hold swiftly, and it changes Alice’s relationship with her family and the world.^[4]

Genova self-published ^[5] the book in 2007 with iUniverse. Beverly Beckham of The Boston Globe wrote of it, "After I read "Still Alice" I wanted to stand up and tell a train full of strangers, "You have to get this book."^[6] Beckham notes that the story is told from the inside: "This is Alice Howland's story, for as long as she can tell it."^[6]

The book was later acquired by Simon & Schuster and published in January 2009 by Pocket Books (now Gallery Books). It was on The New York Times best seller list for more than 59 weeks. There are over 2.6 million copies in print, and it has been translated into 37 languages.

The book was later adapted for the stage by Christine Mary Dunford for the Lookingglass Theatre Company in Chicago. The play was produced from April 10-May 19, 2013.^[7]

Neon Park Productions and Killer Films produced a film adaptation of Still Alice in 2014, starring Julianne Moore as Alice, and co-starring Alec Baldwin, Kristen Stewart, and Kate Bosworth.^[8] Moore won an Academy Award for Best Actress at the 87th Academy Awards for her role.

Left Neglected

Left Neglected (2011) became a New York Times bestseller in hardcover and in paperback. It tells the story of a woman who suffers from left neglect (also called hemispatial or unilateral neglect), caused by a traumatic brain injury. As she struggles to recover, she learns that she must embrace a simpler life. She begins to heal when she attends to elements left neglected in herself, her family, and the world around her. It was the #1 Indie Next Pick for January 2011, the Borders “Book You’ll Love” for January 2011, and the #4 Indie Reading Group Pick for summer 2011. Left Neglected was chosen by the Richard and Judy bookclub in the UK.

Love Anthony

Love Anthony her third New York Times bestseller was published by Gallery Books in September 2012; the main character is Anthony, a nonverbal boy with autism. this story goes inside the mind of autism and how he affects two women. An October 2012 Indie Next pick and a People Magazine Great Read. USA Today calls it “beautifully written and poignant to the point of heartbreak.”

Inside the O'Briens

Inside the O'Briens was published by Gallery Books in April 2015. It focuses on members of the O'Brien family, several of whom have inherited Huntington's Disease, and how the disease affects their lives and relationships. It was nominated for the Good reads Choice Award for Fiction in 2015.^[9] An instant bestseller on its first week, it became the #1 hardcover fiction title in Canada and #12 on the New York Times bestseller list. "An unsparing, heart-piercing portrait…compelling…enlightening." -Washington Post. "A gut-wrenching and memorable read." -Library Journal, starred review.

TV and film

Since her first novel was published, Genova has become a professional speaker about Alzheimer's disease.^[10] She has been a guest on the TODAY Show, Dr. Oz, CNN, PBS News Hour, and the Diane Rehm Show. She appeared in the documentary film To Not Fade Away. It is a follow-up to the Emmy Award-winning film, Not Fade Away (2009), about Marie Vitale, a woman who was diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease at the age of 45.

Awards and honors

On April 23, 2015, it was announced that Genova will receive the third annual Pell Center Prize for Story in the Public Square, an award recognizing a contemporary storyteller whose work has had a significant impact on the public dialogue. Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Dana Priest and Emmy-winning actor and screenwriter Danny Strong have previously received the Pell Prize, bestowed by Salve Regina University's Story in the Public Square program. Genova was awarded with the Sargent and Eunice Shriver Profiles in Dignity Award, which recognizes individuals whose actions have promoted greater understanding of Alzheimer’s and its effects on diagnosed individuals, families and caregivers.^[11]

She received the Abe Burrows Entertainment Award for the film "Still Alice”,^[12] Global Genes - Fourth Annual RARE Champions of Hope Award,^[13] Bates College Sesquicentennial Award ^[14] and the American College of Neuropsychopharmacology Media Award for Informing the Public about Treatment and Ongoing Research in Medical Illness.^[15]

The Alzheimer's Association presented the coveted Rita Hayworth Award to Genova on May 7, 2016 ^[16]

Genova was awarded an honorary degree from Bates College, in Lewiston, Maine on May 29th, 2016.^[17]

References

External links

• Official website
• Simon & Schuster Author Page
• Lisa Genova interviewed on Conversations from Penn State
• Lisa Genova's Official Wattpad Profile