Thursday, January 22, 2009
7:00 pm Discussion/Signing
Barnes and Noble

On Sunday, January 22, 2009, Barnes and Noble will be hosting a book signing and discussion with Dr. Nicolas Bazan about his impassioned new novel, Una Vida. Dr. Bazan is one of the nation’s leading neuro-researchers and the head of Louisiana State University’s prestigious Neuroscience Center of Excellence in New Orleans and provides unique insight into personal identity, the nature of memory and cognitive decline.

Una Vida: A Fable of Music and the Mind (Jan 2009, Five Star Publications) leads its readers on a tantalizing journey through pre-Katrina New Orleans, where a recurring dream leads neuroscientist Alvaro Cruz on a compelling personal quest. His mission? To preserve the life history of Una Vida, a New Orleans musician stricken with Alzheimer's Disease, before her memories fade forever. As he works to unravel Una Vida's intricate past, Dr. Cruz' interactions with the alluring performer yield profound lessons about the human psyche -- messages of optimism and hope that transcend neurodegenerative illness and unlock the deepest mysteries of the mind.

Leeza Gibbons, founder of Leeza's Place for the families of Alzheimer's victims, calls Una Vida "… a hero's journey that leads a haunted neuroscientist through the mystery of jazz, the alleys of New Orleans … and the labyrinth of the mind."

"Una Vida, mirrors many facets of my own personal and professional life," explains Dr. Bazan. "Alzheimer's Disease is a slow journey, often fraught with setbacks and unexpected twists and turns, through a complicated maze. I wrote Una Vida to express my own worries, motivations, doubts, aspirations, joys, and reflections about the work we do on the always-expanding frontiers of neuroscience."

Una Vida: A Fable of Music and the Mind, (ISBN: 978-1-58985-112-2, hardcover) will be released by Five Star Publications in January 2009. The book retails for $25.95 and can soon be purchased through BarnesandNoble.com, Borders.com, Amazon.com, Walmart.com, Target.com, indiebound.org and www.FiveStarPublications.com. Visit www.UnaVidaNovel.com for more information.