Lisa Genova
| Lisa Genova | |
|---|---|
| Born | November 22, 1970 |
| Occupation | Novelist and neuroscientist |
| Nationality | American |
| Genre | Literary Fiction |
| Website | |
|
www | |
Lisa Genova (born November 22, 1970) is an American neuroscientist and author. She self-published her debut novel Still Alice (2007), about a Harvard 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 2.1 million copies in print, and it has been translated into 31 languages. It was chosen as one of the thirty titles for World Book Night 2013. The book was adapted into a film in 2014.
Genova has written fiction about characters dealing with neurological disorders. Gallery Books published her next two novels, which also became bestsellers.
Life and science career
Genova 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.[1]
She did research at Massachusetts General Hospital East, Yale Medical School,[2] 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.[3]
Genova self-published [4] 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."[5] Beckham notes that the story is told from the inside: "This is Alice Howland's story, for as long as she can tell it."[5]
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 40 weeks. It has been sold in 30 countries and translated into more than 20 languages.[6]
Adaptations
The book was 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, starring Julianne Moore as the lead, and co-starring Alec Baldwin, Kristen Stewart, and Kate Bosworth.[8]
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.
Love Anthony
Love Anthony was published by Gallery Books in September 2012; it offers a unique perspective in fiction—the extraordinary voice of Anthony, a nonverbal boy with autism. Anthony reveals a neurologically plausible peek inside the mind of autism, why he hates pronouns, why he loves swinging and the number three, how he experiences routine, joy, and love. And it is the voice of this voiceless boy that guides two women in this powerfully unforgettable story to discover the universal truths that connect us all.
TV and film
Since her first novel was published, Genova has become a professional speaker about Alzheimer's disease.[6] 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.
Personal life
Genova married and had a daughter in 2000. By 2004 she was divorced, and that was the year she started writing full-time.[6]
Awards
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.
References
- ↑ "Lisa Genova", Simon & Schuster site
- ↑ Lisa Genova, PubMed
- ↑ "Still Alice". Lisa Genova Official Site. Retrieved 28 March 2013.
- ↑ "Still Alice: Self-published novel, NYT Best Seller and Oscar-winning Motion Picture". iUniverse.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 Beverly Beckham, "Despite monster, she is 'Still Alice'", Boston Globe, 16 March 2008, accessed 1 June 2014
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 "Total Transformation", Cape Cod Magazine, March 2011, accessed 1 June 2014
- ↑ "'Still Alice' at the Lookinglass Theatre". Lookingglass Theatre. Retrieved 26 March 2013.
- ↑ "Kristen Stewart confirmed for Still Alice Movie". Movie That Matters.