Cause Club March Selection

We are so excited to be kicking off our concept of Cause Clubs! It seems fitting to choose a book released TODAY by Lisa Genova. With More or Less Maddy, Genova maintains her status as my favorite writer! I met her in 2022 at an event to benefit Rick Sharp’s Alzheimer Foundation. I awkwardly and nervously had her sign a copy of the book Remember and told her she was my favorite author. It was as awkward as it sounds. During her presentation, she spoke of the book she was working on and I have been waiting and waiting for it. If you don’t know Genova’s work, she is an author and a neuroscientist. She uses her scientific knowledge combined with her empathy and humanness to help the reader understand in easy terms how the disease impacts the character’s physical and mental health and then uses her words to help the reader understand the emotional effect of the condition on the character and his or her family. Because of this, her latest book is the PERFECT selection to kick off our Cause Clubs.

I had the opportunity to read More or Less Maddy early and am so glad I did. It is written in a way that truly gives the reader insight into what it must be like to not only have a family member with bipolar, but also the experience of the newly diagnosed. For someone who may not know about bipolar, this book may not seem like a realistic depiction of the illness and the mania and depression. However, I have family members who have bipolar and found this to be spot on. As a society we use “bipolar” to describe moodiness and people acting “crazy” but that is not how this illness truly plays out. This book is eye-opening with its honest and raw portrayal of life with bipolar leading to better understanding and empathy for someone facing it. The characters are likable and well-developed. I won’t say more because I don’t want to ruin it, but buy the book here and join us in March for our Cause Club!

-Andie