Best this month
By Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat
Julianne Moore stars in Still Alice as a woman who “struggles” with early-onset Alzheimer’s disease.
have three adult children. After noticing memory problems, she sees a neurologist and is diagnosed with early-onset Alzheimer’s disease. Having been a take-charge person all her
Still Alice Alice Howard is a 50-year-old world famous linguistics
professor at Columbia University who has worked hard to achieve her goals. She is happily married to John, and they
The Book With No Pictures We live in a culture where people prefer pictures
over words. Even small children are immersed in media and deluged by visual images coming at them from all directions. So you might think you could never interest your child or grandchild in a book that has absolutely no pictures. Well, think again. As a popular You- Tube video of author B.J. Novak reading the book at a school proves, kids can really get into this one. Why? Because there’s a rule that anyone reading the book
Author bio:
The Brussats publish the website www.SpiritualityandPractice. com where you can find more information about the items reviewed in this column.
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www.thelutheran.org
has to say it all, including some very funny words and phrases. This children’s book is a real lark and will leave you all laughing together. When was the last time you truly gave in to sil- liness with children? Pick up this book and let it take you on a fun-filled journey (Dial Books for Young Readers,
www.penguin.com).
life, Alice tries to figure out the best ways to cope with this progressive and debilitating disease. She wants John, a medical researcher, to take a sabbatical before she loses the self she has been. She worries about her children, especially her youngest Lydia, who has cho- sen an acting career over college. But Lydia
turns out to be the one who becomes her caregiver and treats her like she is still Alice. Julianne Moore puts in an Acad- emy Award caliber performance as this valiant woman, who describes herself as “struggling,” not “suffering.” Someone in the U.S. is diagnosed with Alzheimer’s every
68 seconds, and current estimates predict that 7.7 million people here will have the disease by 2030 (Sony Pictures Classics, PG-13—mature thematic material, brief language including a sexual reference).
Slowing Time: Seeing the Sacred Outside Your Kitchen Door
Barbara Mahany is a former reporter and columnist
for the Chicago Tribune. In this fresh and lyrical work, she takes us on a joyride through the four seasons. Along the way, she tutors us in the art of everyday spirituality. She is enchanted by the depth of winter, the quickening of spring, the plenitude of summer and the awesomeness of fall. For each season, she picks a
wonderlist of things to notice and savor with gratitude. She then presents 14 blessings that intertwine with characteristics of that season. Mahany encourages us to marvel at the world of this and that. She keeps us alert to the parade of delights in nature and
in our homes. Best of all, her enthusiasm is highly con- tagious (Abingdon Press,
www.abingdonpress.com).
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