Mr. Kolker has written the biography of a family, making sure that each member is memorialized as a full person before disease enters the picture. Yet even as the siblings lose their sophistication and their self-control to a degree that mortifies their loved ones, Mr. Kolker sees more than tragedy in his subjects’ second selves. 'All people who suffer from dementia . . . remain alive and, in their new way, conscious,' he writes. They have joys and desires, just not their former ones. Mr. Kolker handles complex neuroscience deftly but also remains attuned to the unique philosophical questions raised by FTD.
Barb’s heart-wrenching story, and that of her family, is compassionately told in The Vanishing Family ... Interspersed throughout the book, Kolker skilfully weaves in the history of how researchers, often via extreme case studies (such as a man whose brain was punctured by a pole), unravelled the function of the frontotemporal lobes of the brain, which are most affected by FTD ... a profoundly human account of what it is like to face dementia – as well as how we might one day end it.
...a gold mine for readers, providing endless insights into the many ways individuals react to an ongoing health crisis, especially one as devastating as FTD. With this book, Kolker can claim the title of the Ann Patchett of nonfiction family dramas: He infuses intimate, cataclysmic moments with emotional acuity, allowing readers to feel both embedded and invested in his subjects’ unimaginable challenges.
Kolker’s trademark empathy is evident on every page ... The Vanishing Family is an important, compelling, compassionate, and breathtaking journalistic achievement.
Throughout, Kolker skillfully translates complex neuroscience into accessible prose and balances scientific discovery with intimate family drama. His compassionate reporting illuminates the ethical dilemmas surrounding predictive genetic testing while underscoring the profound impact of neurodegenerative disease on patients and their loved ones. It’s a powerful examination of inheritance, resilience, and the human cost of medical uncertainty.
