Letter #58: Books About Pain and Medicine
Recent reads
Dear reader,
I realized at the time of writing this, while in the midst of the graphic novel What’s Wrong?: Personal Histories of Chronic Pain and Bad Medicine by Erin Williams, that I had been reading quite a few books about the intersection of pain and medicine recently.
As someone who has lived with chronic pain off and on since high school, this is a subject close to me but also distant in a way. Everyone’s bodies are different. Everyone’s conditions are different. The way bodies respond to things are different, even if people might have the same condition.
So I find myself in this weird space of wanting to learn about other conditions and other people’s pain to understand and to learn and to grow. And on one hand, this makes me feel seen, like Oh, yeah, I have this experience too. But in so many ways, it feels so alien, like Oh jeez, this person’s experience is so different from mine.
I think part of why I love to read and research so much is because I want to learn about things so I can approach the world and the people in it with more understanding. If I can understand a bit better, maybe I will be able to care in a “better” or more meaningful or more helpful way.
I think that’s the goal of me reading these types of books, even though they’re painful. I wince reading them sometimes. Sometimes I cry. But I want to know, so I read.
I suppose if you’re in a similar boat, maybe you’ll be interested in this topic too? It’s not in the happiest vein, but I find it worthwhile. I want to know about other people’s life experiences that they want to share. I’m not sure if I’m looking for something specific other than knowing and understanding. Maybe one day I’ll find it.
Until then, here are some books on the topic of pain and medicine that I’ve been reading.
Pain Woman Takes Your Keys by Sonya Huber
I have learned that I really appreciate this style of writing. It’s very lyrical and moving, partially poetry, partially personal narrative essay, partially diary entry. This one also bears a lot of similarities to some of my experiences, so reading the way this author describes similar moments and feelings to mine is a really interesting lens to view from.
I’d highly recommend this one as one of my favorite reads from 2025 so far!
Bonus: I learned that this author also has a Substack newsletter!
What’s Wrong?: Personal Histories of Chronic Pain and Bad Medicine by Erin Williams
Content warnings here. (This books covers a lot of dark topics and is definitely not for everyone. Take care and avoid this book if you need to!)
This one was much more of a challenge for me, to the point where I debated not finishing it. As the pull quote from reviewer Melissa Febos states on the cover, this book is “humane and gripping” (Febos). I read the whole thing in one sitting, but it is a difficult read in the emotional sense. The book goes through multiple people’s awful experiences with pain and the medical system, similarly to the general theme of Pain Woman Takes Your Keys. There is less humor in this book and more gripping, painful narrative.
While I find the illustrations throughout the book very compelling, they are also very hauntingly unsettling. I think this is probably the point, is fitting for the book, and heightens the reading experience, but the illustrations also may haunt my dreams.
It's Not Hysteria: Everything You Need to Know About Your Reproductive Health (But Were Never Told) by Karen Tang and 4. Blood: The Science, Medicine, and Mythology of Menstruation by Dr. Jen Gunter
I discuss It’s Not Hysteria and Blood in more detail in Letter #51 about the best things I’d read in the past year at the time!
That’s it for me today. I’m sure there are plenty of other books in a similar vein, but these are what I’ve read and can think of currently. Feel free to let me know if you know of any others!
Until next time,
Works Cited (MLA)
Febos, Melissa. Review excerpt on front cover. What’s Wrong?: Personal Histories of Chronic Pain and Bad Medicine, by Erin Williams, Abrams ComicArts, 2024.
Bless your heart for sharing your vulnerability. Chronic pain is real, and it statistically affects women more than men. Like you, I live with chronic pain. You are not alone. You are brave and loved.