When I was first pitching Forget Memory to agents, a very successful agent whom I admire a great deal told me that it was a great idea, but that unfortunately, in her experience, “dementia doesn’t sell.” I just got word today that Lisa Genova’s book Still Alice, which she initially self-published, has been picked up by Simon and Schuster for a hefty six figures. It’ll be out in early 09.
There are three books out there right now on midlife memory loss (Carved in Sand, Can’t Remember What I Forgot, and Where Did I Leave My Glasses?) and an elegantly written fictional account of early on-set AD, The Story of Forgetting. I’m sure the film rights for The Story of Forgetting and Still Alice can’t be far behind, if they haven’t already been snapped up.
Dementia is starting to sell. Perhaps this means that we are starting to break the threshold of being able to talk about dementia…and to live with it as human beings rather than be considered vegetables.
