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The invisible kingdom : reimagining chronic illness / Meghan O'Rourke.

By: Material type: TextTextPublisher: New York : Riverhead Books, 2022Copyright date: ©2022Description: 324 pages ; 24 cmContent type:
  • text
Media type:
  • unmediated
Carrier type:
  • volume
ISBN:
  • 9781594633799
  • 1594633797
  • 9780593541456
  • 0593541456
Subject(s):
Contents:
Part one: Obstacles. Introduction ; "Gradually and then suddenly" ; What is an autoimmune disease? ; Disease concepts ; Impersonation ; The doctor-patient relationship ; Alternatives ; Downward spiral ; The woman problem ; The immune system gone awry -- Part two: Mysteries. Autoimmunity as metaphor ; Mind/body ; Positive thinking ; Possibility ; Nadir ; Lyme disease ; Futurity ; Uncertainty -- Part three: Healing. Silence and healing ; Solutions ; The wisdom narrative.
Summary: "A landmark exploration of one of the most consequential and mysterious issues of our time: the rise of chronic illness and autoimmune diseases. A silent epidemic of chronic illnesses afflicts tens of millions of Americans: these are diseases that are poorly understood, frequently marginalized, and can go undiagnosed and unrecognized altogether. Renowned writer Meghan O'Rourke delivers a revelatory investigation into this elusive category of "invisible" illness that encompasses autoimmune diseases, post-treatment Lyme disease syndrome, and now long COVID. Drawing on her own medical experiences as well as a decade of interviews with doctors, patients, researchers, and public health experts, O'Rourke traces the history of Western definitions of illness, and reveals how inherited ideas of cause, diagnosis, and treatment have led us to ignore a host of hard-to-understand medical conditions, ones that resist easy description or simple cures. And as America faces this health crisis of extraordinary proportions, the populations most likely to be neglected by our institutions include women, the working class, and people of color. Blending lyricism and erudition, candor and empathy, O'Rourke brings together her deep and disparate talents and roles as critic, journalist, poet, teacher, and patient, synthesizing the personal and universal into one monumental project arguing for a seismic shift in our approach to disease. The Invisible Kingdom offers hope for the sick, solace and insight for their loved ones, and a radical new understanding of our bodies and our health." -- Provided by publisher.
Holdings
Item type Home library Collection Call number Materials specified Status Date due Barcode Item holds
Adult Book Adult Book Dr. James Carlson Library NonFiction 616.044 O74 Available 33111010640866
Adult Book Adult Book Main Library NonFiction 616.044 O74 Available 33111010801005
Total holds: 0

Enhanced descriptions from Syndetics:

A NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER

FINALIST FOR THE 2022 NATIONAL BOOK AWARD FOR NONFICTION

Named one of the BEST BOOKS OF 2022 by NPR, The New Yorker, Time, and Vogue

" Remarkable." -Andrew Solomon, The New York Times Book Review

"At once a rigorous work of scholarship and a radical act of empathy." -Esquire

"A ray of light into those isolated cocoons of darkness that, at one time or another, may afflict us all." -The Wall Street Journal

"Essential."- The Boston Globe

A landmark exploration of one of the most consequential and mysterious issues of our time- the rise of chronic illness and autoimmune diseases

A silent epidemic of chronic illnesses afflicts tens of millions of Americans- these are diseases that are poorly understood, frequently marginalized, and can go undiagnosed and unrecognized altogether. Renowned writer Meghan O'Rourke delivers a revelatory investigation into this elusive category of "invisible" illness that encompasses autoimmune diseases, post-treatment Lyme disease syndrome, and now long COVID, synthesizing the personal and the universal to help all of us through this new frontier.

Drawing on her own medical experiences as well as a decade of interviews with doctors, patients, researchers, and public health experts, O'Rourke traces the history of Western definitions of illness, and reveals how inherited ideas of cause, diagnosis, and treatment have led us to ignore a host of hard-to-understand medical conditions, ones that resist easy description or simple cures. And as America faces this health crisis of extraordinary proportions, the populations most likely to be neglected by our institutions include women, the working class, and people of color.

Blending lyricism and erudition, candor and empathy, O'Rourke brings together her deep and disparate talents and roles as critic, journalist, poet, teacher, and patient, synthesizing the personal and universal into one monumental project arguing for a seismic shift in our approach to disease. The Invisible Kingdom offers hope for the sick, solace and insight for their loved ones, and a radical new understanding of our bodies and our health.

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Part one: Obstacles. Introduction ; "Gradually and then suddenly" ; What is an autoimmune disease? ; Disease concepts ; Impersonation ; The doctor-patient relationship ; Alternatives ; Downward spiral ; The woman problem ; The immune system gone awry -- Part two: Mysteries. Autoimmunity as metaphor ; Mind/body ; Positive thinking ; Possibility ; Nadir ; Lyme disease ; Futurity ; Uncertainty -- Part three: Healing. Silence and healing ; Solutions ; The wisdom narrative.

"A landmark exploration of one of the most consequential and mysterious issues of our time: the rise of chronic illness and autoimmune diseases. A silent epidemic of chronic illnesses afflicts tens of millions of Americans: these are diseases that are poorly understood, frequently marginalized, and can go undiagnosed and unrecognized altogether. Renowned writer Meghan O'Rourke delivers a revelatory investigation into this elusive category of "invisible" illness that encompasses autoimmune diseases, post-treatment Lyme disease syndrome, and now long COVID. Drawing on her own medical experiences as well as a decade of interviews with doctors, patients, researchers, and public health experts, O'Rourke traces the history of Western definitions of illness, and reveals how inherited ideas of cause, diagnosis, and treatment have led us to ignore a host of hard-to-understand medical conditions, ones that resist easy description or simple cures. And as America faces this health crisis of extraordinary proportions, the populations most likely to be neglected by our institutions include women, the working class, and people of color. Blending lyricism and erudition, candor and empathy, O'Rourke brings together her deep and disparate talents and roles as critic, journalist, poet, teacher, and patient, synthesizing the personal and universal into one monumental project arguing for a seismic shift in our approach to disease. The Invisible Kingdom offers hope for the sick, solace and insight for their loved ones, and a radical new understanding of our bodies and our health." -- Provided by publisher.

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