Before I Forget

Starred review from November 23, 2015
With the assistance of Vanity Fair contributing editor Shnayerson, spouses Smith (a restaurateur and model) and Gasby (a marketing exec) explain the slow, grinding stages of Alzheimer’s disease as it is affecting Smith. The couple recently went public about Smith’s degenerative disease after a revealing Today Show segment and a frantic missing-person search that turned the East Coast upside down. Over the course of Gasby’s loving narrative as the chief caregiver and Smith’s compelling inserts as the courageous patient, they take the reader through the early stages of forgetfulness, the horror of the diagnosis, and the mood swings and inappropriate behavior of the later symptoms. The doctors try to keep the couple abreast of drug trials and new research in the pipeline, but acknowledge it’s an uphill fight. However, underneath the grim march of the disease, there is an enduring love story of care and adoration, anchored by their campaign for new funding for research into possible cures.

November 1, 2015

Diagnosed with early onset Alzheimer's at age 64, Smith found herself in a role she never pictured. The author gained popularity in the 1970s as a supermodel, and in the 1980s pursued a career as a celebrity chef and restaurateur. Currently well known as African American lifestyle doyenne, B., alongside husband Dan Gasby, chronicles her family's journey though her Alzheimer's diagnosis and beyond. Part memoir and part narrative self-help guide, the book comprises ten chapters, moving mostly between Sag Harbor, NY, and New York City from fall 2010 to early 2015. Each concludes with a "Lessons Learned" section offering a summary of takeaway points. Helpful background on the condition combines with heartfelt recounts of the family's story, resulting in a tale of love, hope, and optimism. The personal writing makes this memoir approachable, practical, and relatable. VERDICT Recommended for patients and families struggling with memory disorders.--Carolann Curry, Mercer Univ. Lib., Macon, GA

Copyright 2015 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

December 1, 2015
Of the estimated five million-plus Americans currently diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease, some 200,000 are afflicted with what is called early-onset Alzheimer's. That is, the deteriorating cognitive disease shows its first symptoms before a person turns 65. Such is the misfortune of glamorous, intelligent, creative restaurateur and cookbook-author Smith. In what to the layperson, given the advanced phase of her disease, seem remarkably lucid essays, Smith discusses what it feels like to stand by as one's memory and former life begin to slip away. These accounts are interspersed with passages written by her husband, best friend, and business partner, Gasby, as he comes to terms with lifestyle adjustments made necessary by his true love's illness. Neither person makes any bones about the situation. It is what it is: the moodiness, the depression, the angry outbursts, all uncharacteristic and yet now commonplace. The couple is loving, insightful, and, most importantly, instructive about the realities of life with Alzheimer's. The included tips and recommendations plus a list of resources will all be helpful for patients and their families.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2015, American Library Association.)