Four million people have been diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease in this country, yet most live in silent shadows, their stories untold.

In Speaking Our Minds, seven diagnosed individuals of various ages and backgrounds express their thoughts and feelings about what it is like to have Alzheimer's disease, to live with it day to day, and to cope with its impact on their lives. Although afflicted with the same disease, each person's experience is unique. Told with honesty and insight, their stories cover personal history, diagnosis, family and social interactions, philosophical and religious perspectives, and the many neurological and psychological dimensions of the disease that permeate their lives.

Transcribed from taped, in-home interviews, the seven narratives are interspersed with the author's own thoughts and observations about the different lives unfolding before her and of the disease whose common themes bind them all together. What emerges is a powerful and compassionate portrait of people forced to define themselves in new ways, not just by what has been lost, but also by what endures.

A unique and illuminating exploration of the subjective experience of Alzheimer's disease, Speaking Our Minds offers hope and understanding to anyone whose life has been irrevocably touched by it.