Both of my grandfathers had Alzheimer's, and I experienced firsthand the toll long-term caregiving takes on families. It has taken me over a decade to reach a point where I can comfortably read about this topic, and I've been eager to learn the details. Beyond the factual content, I was particularly impressed with Smith's journalistic dedication. She immersed herself in the community and in the mountain area for an extended period, and the authenticity of her fact-finding truly resonated. Valley of Forgetting is a multifaceted book, highlighting Lopera's discovery, the oral histories of families affected by Alzheimer's, the intricacies of Alzheimer's research, and the impact it has on both grieving families and the researchers themselves. The scientific aspects are presented accessibly, and I hadn't considered the unique challenges of clinical trial recruitment, particularly in such a hard-to-reach area, or the scientists' lifelong commitment to the community. Smith fosters empathy for the families, and having recently read Doctored by Charles Piller, which outlines significant issues in Alzheimer's research, my heart went out to them, as they desperately need hope.

review is posted now to my IG (@stepintomyladylibrady) and Goodreads (@stepintomyladylibrary) but was unable to locate the author’s social media for tagging and instead tagged riverhead books.

this book is a heartbreaker. anyone who has loved or cared for a loved one with dementia or alzheimer’s will feel very seen when they read this. told from the perspectives of researchers looking to find a cause and, potentially, a cure to this wretched disease by studying large familiar groups of sufferers. the family members watch their siblings, aunts, uncles, parents, cousins waste away to this wretched disease and wonder if they will share the same fate. as science, and life, progress we see researchers’ and families’ attitudes evolve. importantly, we can see firsthand the exploitation of a vulnerable population for research, but little reward. it’s gutting, it’s dork, it’s flawed, and it’s deeply human.

Alzheimer's (or any form of dementia) are one of my top fears. A very human fear, for what are we known for if not our large brains capable of cool things like art, science, and creating fake languages for entertainment with all of the bits and pieces a real one would require.

Anyway, this book is both heart wrenching and incredibly touching. Over the course of a several year clinical trial, we follow a particular grouping of Colombian families that are known to get early-onset Alzheimer's at a seemingly very high rate. Any given generation has multiple family members gone too soon after early-onset symptoms. Despite knowing that there's a good chance they each may develop the disease, the younger family members choose to live their lives fully and without (much) fear, caring for their relatives when needed and donating their brains when they're not [needed].