Welcome to Litsy!

⭐️⭐️⭐️ This is Ramey‘s experience as a white, cis, economically privileged female who‘s been misdiagnosed, gaslighted, and ignored for years. It‘s appalling. She inserted one-sided social commentary, but memoir has no rules. It‘s not touted as an in-depth study on how shitty the US healthcare industry is to marginalized individuals. That book would be the thickest ever written. That aside, the writing is meh, and it could‘ve been half the length.

Pick with a caveat. This is a very important, absolutely infuriating, and deeply honest look at one woman‘s struggle with the shitty shitty shitty American medical system, asshole misogynist doctors, and an alternative medical culture full of as many hucksters as well-meaning cynics. It‘s a very real look at what millions of women go through and should be read but also it‘s melodramatic AF at some points so prepare yourself.

Another book on #womenshealth. A good read if you‘re looking for alternatives to western medicine.

quietly expert in the art of fruitful despair

Nonfiction about a woman and her illness. But more broadly about women and health and how the healthcare system treats people with things that are not easily diagnosed.

When all your bookish goodies get here on the same day...🥳🥳🥳 Party time! Reading time! Looking fine!

Okay...so I overdid 🤷🏻‍♀️😂

I started this late last night just to try it, see if maybe I‘d return it to the library unread, and now I‘m over 100 pages in. While I don‘t have some of the same symptoms/issues that Sarah does, I can‘t remember ever feeling more seen by a non fiction book before. If you‘re a lady and you‘ve had illnesses that ultimately result in doctors telling you it‘s all in your head and throwing antidepressants at you, read this book. You are not alone!

I adore memoir and this book is so very important for everyone to read. Especially, but not only, people with chronic illness. I wish I could make this required reading for medical schools everywhere.

Thank you for the tag @Eggs and @Emilymdxn 🥰🥰😘🤗

1. Water. I don‘t even need a quiz!
2. Tagged. I am definitely one of her “women of mysterious illness” and it‘s spurred me to move into trying a new doctor in July. 🤞🏻🤞🏻
3. I am picking up A Burning (my #bookspin) when I put this phone down.

#wondrouswednesday

I just hit 40% because I‘ve been reading this in bites, and I started crying because I feel so seen.

I‘m not crazy. I‘m not lazy. I am super sick.

And there‘s an answer. And there are a dozen doctors within 150 miles who can treat me.

I am so overwhelmed and so happy. And the explanation makes sense to me as a doctor. It‘s a straight up Easter miracle!! 🙏🏻🙏🏻🌈🌈

I can‘t wait to keep going.

1. Thanks Parnassus and Ann for having this on the table in your Insta videos.
2. That made me pick it up when I was randomly scrolling through the library‘s nonfiction choices.
3. Lordy, if you are a lady with an amorphous illness or set of diagnoses/symptoms, this book is for you. It‘s more about the journey than a specific plan/illness, but that‘s a bit there too. 20% in and LOVING it.

For 4. See first comment.

5/5

This book resonated with me so much. I don't know much it will mean for most people, but as someone with a chronic illness, this book made me feel incredibly seen and much less alone. It's both a memoir of Sarah Ramey's experience and the research she did to help herself and other women affected by mysterious chronic illnesses who no one will help. If either you, or someone you know, has a chronic illness give this book a read.

#netgalley

DNF at 20% - This started off great. Quirky writing style, dark humor. Great points about how doctors often brush off women's health issues. But the humor wore thin as she made the same points over and over again. For 432 pages! (I skimmed ahead before giving up on this one.) This could have been a much, much shorter book. Plus, there's soooo much privilege in being able to doctor hop and explore alternatives insurance won't cover.

This is nonfiction, which I admittedly don't read much, but this book just sounded so up my alley!
#arc #bookmail #newin