A healthy life is the most beautiful bounty. Unfortunately, not everyone is blessed with this gift. The CDC estimates that one in six Americans experience chronic illness. While the illness may last, there are ways to minimize suffering. To provide hope and insight, I’ve compiled 14 books about chronic illness. Each of these carries powerful messages about healing and overcoming physical and emotional pain even under the shadow of a chronic disease.
Brave New Medicine: A Doctor’s Unconventional Path to Healing Her Autoimmune Illness – by Cynthia Li MD, 2019
Like a house of cards, Dr. Cynthia Li’s happy world came crashing down when she was diagnosed with autoimmune thyroid disease. After the doctors failed to treat her, her own belief in modern medicine came under scrutiny. Finally, she decided to take a bold step towards finding new methods of healing. Brave New Medicine is not just the miracles of alternative medicine. The book offers invaluable insights from the point-of-view of a doctor. It helps us understand precisely where modern science is lacking, and how we can begin our own healing journey in the right direction.
Dancing In The Narrows: A Mother Daughter Odyssey Through Chronic Illness – by Anna Penenberg, 2020
A touching story of a loving mother who travels through hell and back for her daughter. “Dancing in the Narrows” is not just any chronic illness book, it’s about the beautiful bond between parents and children. The book narrates the story of Dana, who suffers from a chronic illness. Her mother, Anna, decides to move beyond conventional medicine and find true healing for her daughter. Dancing In The Narrows is literary journey through pain, suffering, hope, self-discovery and adventure.
There I Am: The Journey from Hopelessness to Healing A Memoir – by Ruthie Lindsey, 2020
Seventeen-year-old Ruthie meets a terrible accident, leaving her on the verge of death. She defies odds and recovers, only to suffer that pain again a few years later. This time, Ruthie decides not become a slave of drugs again. Instead, she braves a journey to find herself and her goal in life. There I Am shows the true power of optimism – not just the words, but its actual effect. It offers perspective into a life closer to nature instead of the pharmacist and a blue print for how to change your life.
The Lady’s Handbook for Her Mysterious Illness: A Memoir – by Sarah Ramey, 2020
Sarah Ramey first got ill in her senior year of high-school. Over the next decade, doctors consistently failed to diagnose the chronic illness that anguished her. Worse, they decided that it was “all in her head.”
Sarah never gave up, ultimately finding a mission in her life. Her book about disease is an attempt to help millions of women who suffer from conditions that are not yet named by modern science. She hopes to become an inspiration for women to find and amplify their voices.
I’m Good – by Olivia Gaynor, 2020
Chronic illness is vast and can be difficult to discuss. I’m Good offers a deep and wide understanding of what it’s like to live with chronic illness. Olivia Gaynor narrates stories from various walks of life and types of chronic disease. She discusses the “invisible” illness – one that others can’t see, yet impacts every second of your life. This book also covers topics like finding joy amidst the illness, dating, cultivating hobbies and more. In short, it is one of the best chronic illness books for guidance.
In the Kingdom of the Sick: A Social History of Chronic Illness in America – by Laurie Edwards, 2014
Over 130 million Americans live with some type of chronic illness. They account for the majority of the financial demand for healthcare. The condition itself and its treatment cost are not their only worries. Many diseases are stigmatized in society. Others are thought to be the patient’s fault. Some are considered “not that serious.” In the Kingdom of the Sick details the full extent of chronic illness in the USA and portrays the deep effect it has on countless lives.
Beauty Rising from Brokenness: Journey Through Childhood Trauma to Chronic Illness Into Healing – by Elizabeth M Clamon, 2018
Since the beginning, Elizabeth Clamon’s life was filled with pain. She grew up in a dysfunctional family where she was fed lies about her parents. One day, she decided to leave it all behind and start a new life.
Despite her departure, her childhood trauma never left her. For most of her 30 years in the world, she suffered pain and depression. After a nervous breakdown, Elizabeth decided to get her life together. Her story is one of courage, determination and sheer willpower. She shows what overcoming trauma entails and how you can do it too.
Everest Strong: Reaching New Heights with Chronic Illness – by Rob Besecker, 2017
How does it feel to have the perfect physique then see your body deteriorate? Rob Besecker was an amazing athlete. He entered early adulthood with sports scholarships behind him and a bright future in football ahead. Then his body began to fail him. He suffered from a rare type of muscular atrophy that left him fractured and with a pacemaker. Rob never gave up, always trying to defeat his physical limitations. His ultimate goal? Hiking to the base camp of Mount Everest, the tallest mountain in the world. This book covers Rob’s internal and external climb through illness.
This Too Shall Last: Finding Grace When Suffering Lingers – by K.J. Ramsey and Kelly M. Kapic, 2020
Most disease books are about defeating a chronic illness and coming out healed and strong. This isn’t that story. K.J. Ramsey delves into her personal experiences and knowledge of neuroscience to understand what living with suffering means. While most people look forward to the time when all their pain would end, for many, that day may never come. More often than not, we have to live with suffering for the rest of our lives, with no end in sight. This Too Shall Last is a therapeutic book about learning to live with the pain and still find happiness.
GUTS: A Memoir – by Janet Buttenwieser, 2018
Few lives have as many roller coasters as that of Janet Buttenwieser. Janet started as a young blue-eyed girl, determined to change the world. In a few years, she was left with an intestinal illness, followed by misdiagnosis and failed surgeries. If it wasn’t for her friend Beth, she might have given up on life. Beth became her eternal caretaker, until she herself was diagnosed with brain cancer and had to be cared for by Janet. After Beth passed, Janet decided to show her guts and conquer the disease that had crushed many before her.
Rise and Thrive: A Guide for Transforming Your Mood, Cultivating Inspiration, and Living Vibrantly with Chronic Illness – by Masumi Goldman, 2019
While many books talk about healing and thriving, Masumi Goldman lays out a step by step guide to transformation. Through simple changes in routines and small goals, Goldman lights the pathway to achieving happiness. Instead of talking about faith or hope, the book offers actionable tasks that could tangibly make your life better. Physical suffering might persist but the mind can find positivity nonetheless. Rise and Thrive is an excellent guide to discovering joy amidst pain and taking control of your life.
Lies of the Magpie: A Mother’s Healing Journey Through Postpartum Depression, Hashimoto’s and Epstein-Barr Virus – by Maleah Day Warner, 2020
Postpartum depression is an often-overlooked aspect of motherhood, even by mothers. Lies of the Magpie follows the journey of Maleah, stay-at-home mother struggling with insecurity, inferiority and postpartum depression. As she decides to overcome her fears and save her family life, Maleah embarks on a brave and beautiful journey of self-discovery. Warner’s wit and humour is the highlight of this book that makes even the most painful experiences sprinkled with chuckles. The book narrates a story that just might transform your life.
Not If, When: Lyme Disease in Verse – by Gail Tierney, 2020
Nearly 300,000 cases of Lyme disease are reported every year in the United States alone. The deadly disease unsuspectingly attacks and poses intense challenges. What exactly does it mean to live with Lyme? Not If, When takes an authentic look at the horror of Lyme disease and the pain it causes. This chronic disease book pulls no punches in describing what living with Lyme (and its variants) looks like. It also helps prepare you to make peace with the condition.
The Way Through Chronic Pain: Tools to Reclaim Your Healing Power – by Elizabeth R. Kipp, 2019
What would you do to end pain from chronic illness that’s persisted for decades? Elizabeth Kipp struggled with a chronic illness for four decades, until she decided to look for answers beyond modern science. One day, she found them. This book goes beyond alternative medicine treatments, it also narrates what the system is doing wrong when it comes to healing chronic disease. Unless we look beyond physical pain and try to heal the brain, we can never end our sufferings.
Books to cope with chronic illness
Suffering from a chronic illness can feel like a curse. The quest to overcome the pain of a chronic illness is often long and never easy. Hope through the darkest times is the most beautiful thing in the world; hope and books. My hope is that you found this list of books about illness useful in your own healing journey and that you share it with anyone else that might benefit from it.
About the author
Anna Penenberg is the author of Dancing In The Narrows. She harnesses wisdom from her years of working as a therapist, trauma healer and mothering Dana through chronic illness.
