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The Invisible Kingdom

Reimagining Chronic Illness
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( 6,312 ratings, 863 reviews)
Book Hero Magic crafted this summary to help describe this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Summary
The Invisible Kingdom by Meghan O'Rourke delves into the mysterious world of chronic illness. O'Rourke explores her personal journey with unexplained illnesses and the broader struggles faced by many in similar situations, offering a poignant look at the intersection of medicine, suffering, and human resilience.
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Format: Paperback / softback
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Book Hero Magic created this recommendation. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! IS THIS YOUR NEXT READ?

This book may appeal to you if you're interested in personal journeys through chronic illness and the medical mysteries surrounding it. Meghan O'Rourke blends her own experiences with scientific research, making it a compelling read for those who appreciate memoirs and explorations of health and the human body.

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The Invisible Kingdom

Book Hero Magic formatted this description to make it easier to read. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Description

The Invisible Kingdom by Meghan O'Rourke is a New York Times Bestseller and a finalist for the 2022 National Book Award for Nonfiction. It has been 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

The Invisible Kingdom is 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 marginalised, and can go undiagnosed and unrecognised 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. She synthesises 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. She 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. 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 colour.

Blending lyricism and erudition, candour and empathy, O'Rourke brings together her deep and disparate talents and roles as critic, journalist, poet, teacher, and patient, synthesising the personal and universal into one monumental project. She argues 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.

Book Hero Magic summarised reviews for this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! HOW HAS THIS BEEN REVIEWED?

The Invisible Kingdom by Meghan O'Rourke has been praised for its authentic voice and original perspective. The book is recognised not only as a personal memoir but also as a thorough document of years of research into chronic illness. Reviewers have highlighted its importance in articulating the frustrations and loneliness associated with poorly understood symptoms. Many commend O'Rourke for shedding light on the medical system's shortcomings and advocating for patient-driven change while merging memoir with rigorous scholarship and storytelling.

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Book Details

INFORMATION

ISBN: 9780399573309

Publisher: Penguin Putnam Inc

Format: Paperback / softback

Date Published: 28 February 2023

Country: United States

Imprint: Riverhead Books,U.S.

Audience: General / adult

DIMENSIONS

Spine width: 22.0mm

Width: 131.0mm

Height: 201.0mm

Weight: 255g

Pages: 336

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About the Author

Meghan O'Rourke is the author of The Long Goodbye and the poetry collections Sun in Days, Once, and Halflife. The recipient of a Guggenheim Fellowship and other awards, she is the editor of The Yale Review. Her writing appears in The Atlantic Monthly, The New Yorker, The New York Times, and more.

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