MEDIA MATERIALS

FACT SHEET
SUGGESTED INTERVIEW QUESTIONS
NEWS RELEASE
Dr. Ken Atchity, Literary Manager for Dr. Nicolas Bazan

FACT SHEET

WHAT IS THIS BOOK ABOUT?

In Dr. Nicolas Bazan's brilliant first novel, neuroscientist Alvaro Cruz finds himself haunted by a recurring dream of a banjo player in an elusive cornfield that leads him on a personal quest to uncover the mysterious past of a New Orleans street singer known as Una Vida. Stricken with Alzheimer's, Una Vida can only offer tantalizing clues about her past through her mesmerizing vocals, incredible recollection of jazz lyrics, and the occasional verbal revisiting of a fascinating life that's fading quickly and forever into the recess of her mind. As Cruz searches for Una Vida's true identity, he learns profound lessons about the human psyche, the nature of memory - and himself.


WHAT MAKES THIS BOOK UNIQUE?

Una Vida is filled with delightful twists and unexpected turns, all centering around one of the greatest gifts New Orleans has offered the world - jazz. But the story will also deeply touch anyone who has had to witness the heartbreaking deterioration of a loved one's memory as it is consumed by the unforgiving encroachment of Alzheimer's.

In the end, Una Vida represents a triumph of the spirit and sends an intensely personal message of hope to the world even as scientists like Dr. Bazan continue the search for the answers to one of life's most devastating diseases.

SUGGESTED INTERVIEW QUESTIONS

1. What personal life experiences inspired you to write Una Vida?



2. What message would you like readers to get from Una Vida?



3. Una Vida takes place in New Orleans. How is it that someone born in Argentina, who spent a good portion of his life there, came to know so much about the culture of New Orleans?



4. Una Vida is fiction, yet it is rooted in science. Was it difficult for a Neuroscientist such as your self to work in the scientific aspects of Alzheimer's and still maintain a moving, fast-paced story that the general public would enjoy?



5. Currently you are a renowned neuroscientist who has lived in New Orleans for a while, which gives you the experience and background to write about the city and diseases of the mind; but was there anything in your book that you included that you had to research? If so, what?



6. How long did it take you to write the book and what was the process like?



7. There is a love story of sorts in Una Vida, but the book is not a "romance." Tell us about the heart-felt emotional component of the story.



8. To what author would you compare your unique writing style and why?



9. Anything exciting on the horizon for you or your book?



10. Do you plan to write another book? If so, where do you think it would take place?