New Books about LBD

A couple of books are coming out soon that might just be good competition for A Caregiver’s Guide to Lewy Body Dementia. Both are resource books rather than the personal stories that most books about LBD have been up to now. Both are by knowledgeable physicians and both are directed more towards the family than the medical community. Click on the book to go to Amazon and learn more about it.


Making the Connection Between Brain and Behavior, 2nd Edition. Coping with Parkinson’s Disease by Joseph Friedman, MD. This book is due out on July 23rd.  Dr. Friedman is a member of the LBDA Scientific Advisory Council. I’ve read parts of the first edition of his book (published in 2006) and found it excellent, if dated. Dr. Friedman’s writing is clinical enough for professionals but fairly easy to read by families as well.  You can order this book from Amazon now for $13.63 and they will send it to you as soon as they get it in.

Dementia with Lewy Bodies and Parkinson’s Disease Dementia: Patient, Family and Clinician Working Together for Better Outcomes, by J Eric Ahskog, MD, PhD. It is due out in September and is already listed on Amazon. Dr. Ahskog has worked at Mayo Clinics for over 30 years and so he has that experience to draw from. I reviewed a previous book, written in 2005 (The Parkinson’s Disease Treatment Book: Partnering with Your Doctor to Get the Most from Your Medications). I found his writing is clinical but still easy enough for the lay person to understand. That book was aimed at the medical community as well as the family and I suspect this new one is too. It is pricy for caregiver books, almost $28, but very cheap for a haredcover textbook. Jim and I believe it is worth considering.

We’ve added two other books to our LBD Book Corner as well:


Twice a Child by Ann Elia Stewert came out in May. It is a novel about an 85 year old man with dementia, loosely based on her father, Poppy, who had LBD like symptoms. The Kindle version is only $4.99, and that’s what we’d recommend you choose if you can, for non-reference books like this.


Going Gentle into the Night by Sandra Ross also came out in May. This is another personal story with, Ms. Ross says, information that a caregiver can easily read and use.  It is great to see so many of these books appearing! This book costs $14.94 for paperback and $4.99 for the Kindle version.

Paper vs Kindle. We recommend paper when buying a book like the top two. You will likely want to refer to these books often, highlight information and write in the margins. However, for a good read, like most of the personal stories about LBD, Kindle versions are great—if you have an e-reader, of course.