Books like Left neglected by Lisa Genova

The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks follows the story of Henrietta Lacks, a poor black tobacco farmer whose cancer cells were taken in 1951 without her consent and later became the first immortal human cell line, HeLa, driving major scientific breakthroughs while raising questions of ethics, race, and medical exploitation.

Neurosurgeon Paul Kalanithi’s poignant memoir chronicles his battle with stage IV metastatic lung cancer and his reflections on life, medicine, and mortality.

When a fatal crime shatters his family, former detective Amos Decker must use his impossible photographic memory to uncover the truth behind the murders that defied him, while facing the painful past he cannot escape.

A contemporary family drama in which a mother‑child relationship is complicated by a companion chimpanzee, raising questions of identity, secrecy and moral responsibility.

A frail Lucy Barton slowly recovers from a minor operation, and the arrival of her estranged mother turns a simple hospital visit into a heartfelt exploration of mother‑daughter bonds.

A burn‑injured cynic in a hospital burns through despair and falls in love with a stone‑carving sculptress who revives his hope by telling tales of ancient lovers and reincarnation.

A once-celebrated concert pianist who is gradually succumbing to ALS is forced to accept help from the estranged wife he pushed away, a situation that forces the couple to reconcile their past before time runs out.

A widowed doctor’s family is shattered when his stepdaughter Anna is murdered, thrusting his new wife into a desperate search for the truth and uncovering a dark secret that shakes their home to its core.

"Still Alice" follows a Harvard professor who confronts the sudden onset of Alzheimer’s disease, depicting the emotional and cognitive challenges of losing one’s memory while striving to maintain independence.

This important book provides a firsthand account of a university professor who experienced traumatic brain injury. It tells the story of Michael Arthur, who had recently accepted a position as vice principal of a new high school. After only two weeks on the job, he was involved in a car accident while driving through an intersection in northern Utah. Through his personal account, he takes the reader into the dark interworkings of his mind as he tries to cope with his new reality. He provides insight into how he learned how to process information and even speak without stumbling on his words while also sharing how his significant relationships suffered as he tried to navigate the restless seas of doubt while trying to circumvent his unyielding symptoms. The book is about finding optimism and gaining insight into the struggles of the brain-injured patient and about trying to understand the perspectives of loved ones who can’t quite grasp the idea of an invisible injury. From the sudden onset of garbled speech to the challenges of processing information, the changing dynamic of the author’s life is highlighted to help family members and healthcare workers better understand.

Two women on a Nantucket island find solace in their friendship after the loss of their own children to autism.

Police officer Joe O’Brien, a proud Irish‑Catholic family man, is diagnosed with Huntington’s disease, forcing him and his four adult children to confront a genetic fate that threatens their futures and bonds.