It’s been over a year since I’ve featured a fictional book for My Therapist’s Book Club which is way too long! This month I am recommending Inside the O’Briens by Lisa Genova.
It’s been several years since I read this title, but I put it squarely in the camp of what I like to call empathy fiction. That is, by reading, you can flex your empathy muscles and really learn what it is like to be in someone else’s shoes.
You may be familiar with Lisa Genova’s most popular title, Still Alice, which I also love. Still Alice is about a woman who gets Early Onset Alzheimer’s Disease and what that experience is like for her and her family. Similarly, Genova (who is trained as a physician), writes about a family dealing with Huntington’s Disease.
As a family therapist, one reason I like this book is that it shows how the disease of one person affects the whole family. If you want to explore more about family dynamics, learn more about Huntington’s Disease, and grow your capacity for empathy, grab a copy of this book soon!
