Valley of Forgetting
Valley of Forgetting by Jennie Erin Smith is one of 2026's most credible books, appearing on 1 of the year's most respected lists, including The Wall Street Journal, for a Consensus Score of 17 out of 100.
Appears on these lists
Our take
AI-draftedSmith, a science journalist, spent years embedded with families in rural Colombia carrying a rare genetic mutation that triggers early-onset Alzheimer's, and the intimacy of that access is the book's defining strength. The book avoids two familiar failure modes of medical journalism: it never goes maudlin, and it never abandons the hard science for sentiment.
In the press
“Solid medical reportage with a hopeful conclusion that science may soon bring a cure for a devastating disease”
Kirkus Reviews
How the Consensus Score is calculated
Our Consensus Score is our own transparent editorial metric — not a user rating. It weighs each list by the credibility of its source, how recent the listing is, and any award status. Here is the full breakdown.
| Source | Authority | Recency | Award | Contribution |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Wall Street Journal | 0.92 | 0.85 | 1.00× | 0.78 |
| Weighted sum → Score | 0.78 → 17 | |||
Similar consensus books
Because they appear on some of the same lists.
Frequently asked
What lists is Valley of Forgetting on?
Valley of Forgetting appears on 1 list in our 2026 corpus, including The Wall Street Journal.
What is its Consensus Score?
Valley of Forgetting has a Consensus Score of 17 out of 100, our transparent editorial measure of how many credible lists agree on it.