Jennie Erin Smith—Valley of Forgetting: Alzheimer's Families and the Search for a Cure

VALLEY OF FORGETTING:
ALZHEIMER'S FAMILIES AND THE SEARCH FOR A CURE
Jennie Erin Smith
Riverhead Books (Penguin Random House), April 1, 2025
Hardcover, $30.00, eBook, $15.99, Audio Book, $22.50
Hardcover ISBN-13: 9780525536079
eBook ISBN-13: 9780525536093
Audiobook ISBN: 9798217021352

Smith reports:

This is a book about a remarkable research effort in Medellín, Colombia, where an extended family of nearly 6,000 people carries a genetic mutation called the Paisa mutation that causes early-onset Alzheimer’s disease. It is the story of neurologist Francisco Lopera, who discovered the family in the 1980s and went on to study them for 40 years until his death in 2024.

In 2013, members of this extended kindred took part in a landmark drug trial to see if Alzheimer’s disease could be prevented. Valley of Forgetting follows that trial through to its end and also gives an intimate look at the lives of the families that have participated in this research for generations.

The book is the product of seven years of reporting, most of it in Colombia, where I moved in 2018 to be closer to the researchers and families. I was led to the story by a 60 Minutes segment that aired in late 2016, after which I contacted the researchers to lay the groundwork for my long-term reporting.

After signing a three-year contract with Riverhead Books in 2017—my editor at the time was Cal Morgan, and my agent was (and remains) Lynn Johnston—I learned that the clinical trial I was following had been extended another three years. Fortunately, I was able to remain in Medellín the whole time, keeping myself going financially by working as a freelance writer for Medscape, The New York Times, and other outlets.

I believe the book is richer from the extra time invested and from my extended contact with the researchers and the families. I had a worm’s eye view of many exciting findings between 2017 and 2024, including the discovery in Colombia of some landmark cases of people who carried the Paisa mutation but got sick decades later than anticipated.

In the end, this story became quite complex and hard to streamline into a coherent narrative. With the help of my editor Courtney Young at Riverhead, who took over the project after Cal left, I was able to find its focus. To any author pursuing a daunting, long-term reporting project, I advise you to keep a very detailed diary. It will guide you as you proceed.

Contact Info:

• Jennie Erin Smith, 561-282-7833, jennieerinsmith@gmail.com
• Book: Valley of Forgetting: Alzheimer's Families and the Search for a Cure
• Publicist: Shailyn Tavella: stavella@penguinrandomhouse.com
• Agent: Lynn Johnston: Lynn@lynnjohnstonlit.com

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