November is National Alzheimer’s Awareness Month — a time to reflect on how memory shapes who we are and how we hold on to hope. Dive into stories — fiction, nonfiction and films — that explore the beauty, fragility, and resilience of memory.
Fiction
Geneva / Richard Armitage
Sarah Collier, a Nobel-winning scientist, faces early signs of Alzheimer’s while caring for her father with the same disease. As she navigates family life and memory loss, she is drawn into a high-stakes biotech conference in Switzerland, where groundbreaking technology could save her life. Amid media scrutiny, wealthy investors, and hidden agendas, Sarah and her husband must confront danger, deception, and ethical dilemmas, testing how far they will go to protect each other and the future of medicine.
Other format: ebook (hoopla)
The Story of Forgetting / Stefan Merrill Block
Elderly Abel Haggard lives in isolation, haunted by memories of loved ones long gone. Meanwhile, teenage Seth Waller embarks on a quest to uncover his mother’s family history after her early-onset Alzheimer’s diagnosis. Though strangers, Abel and Seth are connected by a shared legacy of loss, memory, and the imagined world of Isidora—a place without remembrance or sorrow. Their intertwined stories explore the pain and beauty of what it means to remember and forget.
Other format: audio (hoopla)
Erasure / Percival Everett
Thelonious “Monk” Ellison’s writing career stalls as he watches a first-time author achieve sudden fame, while grappling with his mother’s Alzheimer’s and his father’s past suicide. In anger, he pens a scathing novel under a pseudonym, never expecting it to succeed—but it does, becoming a cultural sensation. The story explores ambition, grief, family, and the unexpected consequences of creative expression amid personal and professional turmoil.
Other formats: ebook and audio (Libby)
Wide Circumference of Love / Marita Golden
Diane Tate faces the devastating effects of her husband Gregory’s early-onset Alzheimer’s, navigating the challenges of assisted living and fading memory. As their children grapple with honoring the father they knew and reconnecting with the man he has become, Diane strives to keep the family together. Amid shifting relationships and unexpected love, she must confront an uncertain future and discover her own capacity for resilience, compassion, and love in the wake of Alzheimer’s.
Other formats: ebook and audio (hoopla)
The Things We Keep / Sally Hepworth
Anna Forster, diagnosed with early-onset Alzheimer’s at 38, is moved to an assisted living facility where she finds unexpected love with fellow resident Luke. As her memory fades, she struggles to hold on to their connection. When a tragic event separates them, new caregiver Eve Bennett is inspired by their bond and must decide how far she’s willing to go to help them. The story explores love, memory, and resilience in the face of disease.
Other formats: ebook and audio (Libby)
Silver Alert / Lee Smith
Herb, struggling with age and his wife Susan’s early Alzheimer’s, resists moving into assisted living. With the help of Renee, a young caregiver hiding her own past, they embark on a spontaneous road trip up the Florida Keys, triggering a Silver Alert. Through humor, heart, and unexpected adventures, the story explores family, secrets, and self-discovery, showing how seizing life’s narrative can empower both the young and old to embrace their own paths and possibilities.
Other format: large print
Nonfiction
Remember: The Science of Memory and the Art of Forgetting / Lisa Genova
Ever walked into a room and completely forgotten why you’re there, or drawn a blank on an actor’s name? If you’re over forty, it can feel alarming, but these memory lapses are usually normal. In Remember, neuroscientist and novelist Lisa Genova explains how memories form, why some vanish quickly while others last a lifetime, and how factors like emotion, sleep, and stress shape recall. She shows the difference between everyday forgetfulness and memory loss from Alzheimer’s, helping readers set realistic expectations, improve recall, and feel less anxious about the occasional slip. Forgetting is human—and not something to fear.
Other format: audio (Libby)
HOPE for the Alzheimer’s Journey: Help, Organization, Preparation, and Education for the Road Ahead / Carol B. Amos
H.O.P.E. for the Alzheimer’s Journey guides caregivers with practical tools, insights, and support for navigating Alzheimer’s care. Using personal family emails, Carol B. Amos introduces The Caregiving Principle™, offering a framework to better understand those with Alzheimer’s and strengthen caregiver connections. The book emphasizes self-care, shares real-life examples, and provides encouragement to make the caregiving journey less stressful, more meaningful, and ultimately more rewarding for both caregivers and their loved ones.
Other format: ebook (hoopla)
Caregiving with Love and Joy: An Expert’s Guide to Providing the Best Alzheimer’s Disease and Dementia Home Care / Patricia A. Boswell
Caring for a loved one with Alzheimer’s or dementia can be challenging, but the right approach can transform the experience. In this practical guide, nurse and dementia expert Patricia Boswell shares evidence-based routines, creative hacks, and proven strategies to make daily care easier and more meaningful. Whether you’re the hands-on caregiver or managing someone else’s support, Boswell’s advice focuses on reducing stress, improving quality of life, and nurturing both the person with dementia and the caregiver. It’s a compassionate, empowering resource that redefines caregiving as something purposeful, balanced, and even rewarding.
Travelers to Unimaginable Lands: Stories of Dementia, the Caregiver, and the Human Brain / Dasha Kiper
This book blends science and storytelling to explore the intense, often heartbreaking relationship between people with dementia and their caregivers. Drawing on her experience as a live-in caregiver for a Holocaust survivor and years counseling families, psychologist Dasha Kiper examines why caring for a loved one with cognitive decline is so challenging. Through vivid, unsentimental case histories, she shows how our “healthy” brains struggle to make sense of a mind altered by dementia, and why caregivers can fall into frustration, blame, or emotional exhaustion. It offers both insight and comfort, revealing the neurological and emotional dynamics at play.
The 36-Hour Day: A Family Guide to Caring for People Who Have Alzheimer Disease and Other Dementias / Nancy L. Mace
The 36-Hour Day is a trusted guide for families and caregivers supporting people with Alzheimer’s or other dementias. Now in its fifth edition, it offers practical advice, emotional support, and updated information on safety devices, symptom management, healthcare laws, palliative care, and residential options. Grounded in the latest research, it emphasizes that much can be done to improve quality of life for both individuals with dementia and their caregivers. This essential resource remains the definitive handbook for navigating the challenges and compassion of dementia care.
Mayo Clinic on Alzheimer’s Disease and Other Dementias / Jonathan Graff-Radford, M.D., Angela M. Lunde, M.A.
Dementia affects over 55 million people globally, with numbers expected to more than double by 2050. While Alzheimer’s is the most common type, other forms also impair memory, reasoning, and judgment. Once seen as relentless and untreatable, recent scientific advances offer hope, highlighting emerging possibilities for understanding, managing, and potentially slowing the progression of these cognitive disorders.
Other formats: ebook and audio (hoopla)
Dignity for Deeply Forgetful People: How Caregivers Can Meet the Challenges of Alzheimer’s Disease / Stephen Garrard Post
Stephen G. Post explores how to recognize and affirm the continuing selfhood of people with Alzheimer’s and related dementias. Challenging society’s bias toward memory and rationality, he emphasizes dignity rooted in consciousness, emotion, creativity, and interdependence. Through narratives and practical guidance, Post highlights communication strategies, the power of art, music, and nature, and ethical caregiving approaches, advocating for relational dignity and caregiver support as essential in enhancing the lives of those affected by cognitive decline.
Other format: audio (hoopla)
Before I Forget: Love, Hope, Help, and Acceptance in Our Fight Against Alzheimer’s / B. Smith
At 64, renowned chef and lifestyle icon B. Smith faces an unexpected challenge—Alzheimer’s disease. With her husband, Dan, she candidly shares their journey, blending personal reflections with practical advice for coping with the daily realities of dementia. Their story offers insight into family dynamics, caregiving, and emerging research while celebrating resilience and enduring love. At its core, it’s a moving testament to identity, hope, and connection amid memory’s slow fading.
DVDs
Moments in Spacetime
An adopted Thai immigrant cares for her grandfather, who suffers from dementia, while also searching for information about her past.
Sing to Remember: Defying Dementia
A documentary about a choir formed by conductor Jason Lai to explore if singing can slow the cognitive decline associated with dementia. The film follows nine individuals with dementia and their loved ones as they rehearse for a Christmas concert over three months, highlighting the cognitive and emotional benefits of music. The documentary investigates the power of music to unlock memories and improve cognitive function, even though there is no cure for dementia.
Still Alice
Alice Howland, happily married with three grown children, is a renowned linguistics professor who starts to forget words. When she receives a diagnosis of Early-Onset Alzheimer’s Disease, Alice and her family find their bonds thoroughly tested. Her struggle to stay connected to who she once was is frightening, heartbreaking, and inspiring.
Supernova
Sam and Tusker are traveling across England in their old RV to visit friends, family and places from their past. Since Tusker was diagnosed with dementia two years ago, their time together is the most important thing they have.
Understanding the Brain / Great Courses. Science & Mathematics. Biology
This course takes you inside this astonishingly complex organ to show you how it works. Recent decades have seen unparalleled advances in understanding how the brain does what it does. Today we can pinpoint the specific regions, or nuclei, where some of life’s most mysterious processes take place, including: where light that enters the eye is converted into the subjective experience of sight; where pressure waves that reach the ear are processed into sound; where fear originates; which nuclei are involved in language and the ability to read; and where the ineffable chemistry of love is kindled.
Determined: Fighting Alzheimer’s / PBS
Three women at risk of developing Alzheimer’s join a groundbreaking study to try to prevent the disease. The major study tracks the health and memory of thousands of people over many years, as researchers hunt for lifestyle changes and medicines that could improve all our chances and ultimately protect the brain and body from one of the world’s deadliest diseases.
