The Burning Side by Sarah Damoff

THE BURNING SIDE by Sarah Damoff is a beautifully written, character-driven story set in Texas and a LibraryReads selection for May 2026. The focus is on April and Leo whose house burns down and whose marriage is falling apart. They have two young children, Sadie and Otto, and move in temporarily with April’s parents, Deb and Billy. The narrative jumps around in time and there are many sad moments and missed opportunities for clearer communication in this book, only intensifying the “feels” and affection for these characters. Deb and Billy have their own poignant story as they adjust to the impact of his Alzheimer’s diagnosis, reflecting throughout on their long, not always happy marriage. April and her siblings, Josie (dramatic middle child involved in theater) and Cameron (with girlfriend Rachel) also need to cope with selling the family home (“We live in homes until we leave them, and then they live in us. … I miss it. But we can only return to a place, not a time.”) and decisions about their own Alzheimer testing. There are plenty of issues and shifts in the characters’ reality, but that contributes to the realistic feeling of family life: “It doesn’t go fast, but it will have gone fast.” Having myself just returned from a memorial service for a dear Aunt who loved to read, Deb’s musings resonated: “In a flash, I'll be gone, my own children recalling their favorite things about me in some new house at some new table with some new iteration of family. So I dance now as if time is the music. This, I know, is how you dream. This is how you live forever.”

The Official MIND Diet by Martha Clare Morris

THE OFFICIAL MIND DIET by Martha Clare Morris outlines “A Scientifically Based Program to Lose Weight and Prevent Alzheimer's Disease.” The majority of the text is about the science behind the diet; there are chapters on research and benefits of specific foods.  In terms of application, there is a toolbox section which suggests tracking your consumption, using a calendar for reminders, and menu planning.  Only about twenty-five percent is devoted to the sixty or so recipes which are included. Morris led a team of researchers at Rush University Medical Center and the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health to develop the MIND Diet. Her daughter, a professionally trained chef, has worked with a registered dietician to compile this text and includes recipes with nutrition information for dishes like Veggie Hash with Eggs or Smoked Paprika Chicken with Seared Green Beans. However, there are NO pictures in this section of the preview (despite its appealing cover). The final ten percent of the book contains notes, references, and a poorly formatted six week at a glance chart. As valuable as this scientific and health information may be, my impression is that readers who are interested in exploring this diet will largely be convinced of its merits and be more interested in trying to develop motivation to prepare some of the recommended foods. I am tempted to look instead at titles like MIND Diet for Beginners (with 85 Recipes and a 7-Day Kickstart Plan), The 30-Day Alzheimer's Solution, or Blue Zones Kitchens. They seem to have many more appealing images and less text and tasks.

The Problem of Alzheimer's by Jason Karlawish

THE PROBLEM OF ALZHEIMER'S by Jason Karlawish received starred reviews from Kirkus (“an outstanding primer”) and Library Journal (“a must-read”). I have ordered a copy for our library since this is a high interest topic for many of our students.  They are watching parents face tough choices with respect to care for grandparents as well as dealing with their own feelings of missing the grandparent they once knew and fear about the disease in general. Karlawish, University of Pennsylvania professor and co-director of Penn Memory Center, has subtitled his book “How Science, Culture, and Politics Turned a Rare Disease into a Crisis and What We Can Do About It.”  He divides the book into sections titled Alzheimer’s Unbound; The Birth of Alzheimer’s Disease; Living Well in the House of Alzheimer’s, and A Humanitarian Problem. He reviews key points in the history of the disease (including founding of Alzheimer’s Association in 1979 and scientific papers labeling it the “disease of the century” in 1981 and a 2009 report titled A National Alzheimer’s Strategic Plan), tracing “the story of how once upon a time, Alzheimer’s was a rare disease, and then it became common, and then it turned into a crisis.” As with climate change, scientists have been warning us about the physical, emotional, and economic impact of dementia as members of our society age, leading to questions of policy and government involvement. Karlawish describes scientific advances, opportunities in social, environmental, and psychological interventions for patients and caregivers, as he “explains why and what we have to do.” This call to action is an extremely valuable resource written in an accessible manner, complete with notes, a glossary, selected bibliography, and helpful index.