This assignment has been developed to give students an opportunity to explore an area of special interest, while at the same time developing the skills set out in the learning objectives. Students will choose one of the following novels and answer several discussion questions. This assignment is worth 60 points and is 10% of your course grade.
Step 1: Choose one of the two following novels. Both novels are available in text or audio format, new and used on Amazon or at your local bookstore.
- Genova, Lisa. (2010). Still Alice : A Novel. (Alzheimer’s Disease)
- Genova, Lisa. (2011). Left Neglected: A Novel. (Traumatic Brain Injury)
Step 2: Answer all three Discussion Questions for the novel you chose.
Still Alice:
1. When Alice becomes disoriented in Harvard Square, a place she’s visited daily for twenty-five years, why doesn’t she tell John? Is she too afraid to face a possible illness, worried about his possible reaction, or some other reason?
2. Were you surprised at Alice’s plan to overdose on sleeping pills once her disease progressed to an advanced stage? Is this decision in character? Why does she make this difficult choice? If they found out, would her family approve?
3. Alice and the members of her support group, Mary, Cathy, and Dan, all discuss how their reputations suffered prior to their diagnoses because people thought they were being difficult or possibly had substance abuse problems. Is preserving their legacies one of the biggest obstacles to people suffering from Alzheimer’s disease? What examples are there of people still respecting Alice’s wishes, and at what times is she ignored?
Left Neglected:
1. Sarah’s Type A personality seems like it should help her through her physical therapy, but her friend and therapist Heidi believes she needs to stop trying to “win” and learn how to “adjust.” Do you agree? Do you think by adjusting to her new limitations, Sarah holds herself back from a quicker recovery?
2. The second time Sarah and Bob meet with Charlie’s teacher about his progress in class, they learn that he is the target of some bullying. Ms. Gavin tells them many children experience this whether or not they have disabilities. Do you agree with Charlie’s teacher? Do disabilities like ADHD make a child more of a target than other kids?
3. After Sarah’s accident, Bob uses his cell phone at least once while driving in the car with Sarah and their kids. Why do you think he does that? Do we sometimes make exceptions for ourselves and do something unhealthy or risky in the interest of saving time or getting more done (like texting or using a cell phone while driving) even when we know it is dangerous? Why do you think that is?
