What's Wrong?: Personal Histories of Chronic Pain and Bad Medicine

by Erin Williams

“A humane and gripping work that illuminates how (and why) our treatments of chronic illness fail, and a devastating portrait of the ways our society fails to protect the bodies of its most vulnerable members.” —Melissa Febos, author of Girlhood , winner of the National Book Critics Circle Award

"Erin Williams' What's Wrong? is an utterly riveting, deeply moving, absolutely molecule-rearranging exploration of pain--individual and collective--suffused with wit, wonder, and mourning; textured by compassion and curiosity, and vibrating with the humanity of its dynamic subjects. Williams' sharp, nimble, tender prose, and her searing art--humming with insight and imagination--speak to veins of human experience so difficult to articulate we often shy away from speaking them at all. But in these dark places, she finds vitality, collectivity, and hope. This book and its subjects will live inside me forever." Leslie Jamison, author The Empathy Exams

What’s Wrong? is author, illustrator, and scientific researcher Erin Williams’s graphic exploration of how the American health-care system fails us. Focusing on four raw and complex firsthand accounts, plus Williams’s own story, this book examines the consequences of living with interconnected illnesses and conditions Western medicine, which intends to cure illness and minimize pain, often causes more loss, abuse, and suffering for those Americans who don’t fit within the narrow definition of who the system was built to serve—cis, white, heterosexual men. The book explores the many ways in which those receiving medical care are often overlooked, unseen, and doubted by the very clinicians who are supposed to heal them. What’s Wrong? is also a beautiful celebration of nontraditional modes of healing, of how we become whole not because of health care but despite it.

Genres: Nonfiction, Graphic Novels, Memoir, Health, Comics, Disability, Biography

256 pages, Hardcover

First published January 23, 2024

About the author

Erin Williams is a writer and illustrator from New York. She also works full-time as an Oncology Data Specialist for Flatiron Health.

She is the coauthor and illustrator of The Big Fat Activity Book for Pregnant People with Jordan Reid, published by Plume.

Her writing has also appeared on Salon, Huffington Post, Buzzfeed, Scary Mommy, Bustle, Ramshackle Glam, Sammiches and Psych Meds, and Pregnant Chicken.

She lives in Westchester, NY with her husband and daughter.

Reviews

[Maia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Williams illuminates, through memoir, interviews, and mixed media illustrations the extreme failures of the US healthcare system to address chronic pain. These failures are especially common for patients of color, patients who struggle with addictions, patients who are queer or survivors of assault and trauma. If you had any illusions that the systems of medical care are working in this country, shed them now. This book is half cathartic, half infuriating to read. I really appreciated the honesty and vulnerability of the interviewees and the trans and nonbinary inclusiveness of the language surrounding pain tied to the reproductive system.

[Shishuraj · Rating 4 out of 5]

Such a shame that the second most popular review on Goodreads is a TERF angry at the trans inclusive language used in this book

[Mariah Nelson · Rating 1 out of 5]

Love the art.

Would have ranked higher if not for the absurd and insulting avoidance of the word women in favor of "people with uteruses" - apparently an attempt to be inclusive of transgender females who now identify as "men with uteruses," but thereby unfortunately exclusive of all women who have had hysterectomies - and also all women, because how many of us think of ourselves as "people with uteruses"?

A chart called Women with Chronic Pain or some such even includes a footnote to explain the official title came from the data source - so the author should not be responsible for using the offensive word "women" -- in a book about women's chronic pain.

"Transwomen are women" is the political slogan - but actual women can no longer use the word women without offending trans rights activists, apparently.

How women are described matters. This author also uses AFAB, for "assigned female at birth," as if doctors randomly make such "assignments." Other authors have come up with contortions such as "uterus havers." No one is doing this on the men's side - avoiding the word men with contorted language about "people with prostate cancer," etc. It's anti-woman. Sexist.

Yes, a rant. Thank you for listening. Resist!

[Juno · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm sure this isn't for everyone but god I loved it

[Raina · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a really beautiful piece of art.
It's not a graphic novel in any sense of the word. More an illustrated narrative along the lines of Michelle Tea's Rent Girl. A grownup Picture Book. Most spreads have one full page illustration on one side, and a page of spare text on the other side.

Williams bookends the narrative with her own chronic pain, addiction, and trauma journey. She also includes the stories of four other people. Each one has a heart-breaking story. Lots of abuse (including one of the victims of Olympic Gymnastics Doctor Larry Nassar), screwed up medical care, and other triggers.
Thought-provoking imagery and art. Really really great.

[Ellen Scheid · Rating 5 out of 5]

I feel seen!

I needed this book more than I realized. Once I got over my tears, I couldn't put it down. Reading these stories reminded me so much of what I have been going through for the past three years.... My own chronic pain and illnesses that multiple specialists, several surgeries, painful treatments, ER visits, and a whole cabinet full of medications has been unable to remedy IS REAL. My thoughts, feelings, and pain are valid. I am not crazy. It's not all in my head!

If you need something to let you know you're not crazy, read this book with a box of tissues and know that you are not alone.

[Rebecca Winter · Rating 3 out of 5]

I’m very conflicted about this book and have spent the last week processing my thoughts. I deal with chronic illness and it has definitely shaped my life. I can relate to many things in this book, especially being dismissed and gaslit by doctors and having to be extremely proactive about my health and finding treatment options. I really appreciate that this author includes two stories from women of color and that she explains how being part of a marginalized demographic usually leads to poorer treatment by doctors and poorer medical outcomes. Also, unlike previous reviewers, I appreciate that the author used inclusive language where possible.

My concern is how this book will be perceived by those who do not have chronic illnesses or who already have negative bias towards people with chronic illness. This book barely scrapes the surface of this topic, so it’s disconcerting to me that the author chose to tell five stories that all link mental health to physical health. Yes, there is absolutely a mind-body connection and mental health issues can cause physical symptoms and physical issues can cause deteriorated mental health. It is important to tell those stories.

However, most of us with chronic illness have also been told by doctors that it’s all in our heads and struggle to be taken seriously. Since every single story was about someone with mental health issues, in addition to chronic physical health issues, it is plausible to draw the false conclusion that all chronic illness stems from mental health disorders. The author even presents statistics pointing out high numbers of people with chronic health issues who were abused as children, claiming that some of the major physical health issues were caused by abuse. This is such an important time to remember that correlation does not equal causation. I personally do not have a mental health disorder, but I have chronic health issues. I suffered no abuse as a child. I also have a friend with EDS who did suffer abuse as a child. Is she supposed to believe her EDS, which is now understood to be genetic, to be caused by abuse? How do you rationalize that her unabused child has the same illness?

I would have loved to see more diverse stories. Please tell the ones linking abuse and mental health — AND, include stories from those of us who are mentally healthy but physically unwell. I was excited to read a book I could relate to and instead I once again felt invisible.

[elise (the petite punk) · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 stars

this is one of those instances where i walk out of the library with a random book that i know nothing about and checked out solely because of the cover.

this was great. like, stayed up til 1am reading kind of great. such a compelling format with illustrations that truly contribute to the meaning of the text. i appreciated how personal this was; i’m sure some readers will want more (i.e. potential solutions to the healthcare problems explored), but i don’t think that was the purpose. this is an acknowledgment of ignored voices. this is not a step-by-step plan to solve medical injustice, and that’s okay. i think just the willingness to share personal stories is enough.

i didn’t realize this was the same author as commute, which i didn’t love as much due to the art style and flow even though the themes were great, but what’s wrong is such an improvement. the flow at the beginning was a little bit hard to follow from chapter to chapter, but those technical issues seemed to smooth out in the second half. the art was beautiful and haunting.

definitely recommend.

[Joy Williams · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a beautiful and timely book. As a collection of stories interwoven with approachable research and meaning making, this book should be a required co-read between pre-med, disability studies, crime and victim studies, and women and gender studies. Erin Williams easily and poetically addresses major injustices and realities of the critically ill, integrating stories of black, white, young, old, cis, and queer women in this anthology.

My first exposure to Williams' work has radically shifted how I have thought about publishing my own research into an approachable form and I may use this book as a demonstration of methodology.


Trigger warnings: sexual abuse and violence, addiction, neglect and abuse, transphobia

[Elizabeth A · Rating 5 out of 5]

"We have to honor ourselves and everyone else as sites of trouble, grief, suffering, injustice, recovery, and hope."

Slowly made my way through this difficult and enlightening read. Wonderfully illustrated. Should be required reading for anyone in healthcare.

Rating for Erin Williams books:
Commute: An Illustrated Memoir of Female Shame - 4
What's Wrong?: Personal Histories of Chronic Pain and Bad Medicine - 5

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

This non-fiction graphic novel delves into various stories of individuals who have chronic pain and have had to ensure fighting the medical industrial complex. I work in healthcare, as a social worker, and knowing the failings of the healthcare system is not new to me. Many in the book deal with not just stigma due to their diagnosis but also face biases related to race, gender, sexuality that also interface with their chronic pain and it creates a perfect storm for them to have to try to fight for effective medical care. The graphics and layout of the book make for a very accessible format to read pretty heavy information and be consumable.

[Sophie Lucido · Rating 5 out of 5]

To be truthful, this beautiful, powerful, fraught book took me longer to read than most graphic texts I pick up, but that was only because its material is dense and important, and it doesn’t want to be breezed through. It’s a meditation on chronic pain and Western medicine, as it relates to addiction, racism, transphobia, sexual assault, and all kinds of institutionalized injustices that knit up the way we try to stay alive. It’s told through five individual stories, including Williams’ own. The stories are heartbreaking, but what you’re left with is an impression of the resilience of human beings. This book reminded me to be empathetic and understanding about pain. People won’t always tell you what they’re going through; it can be unimaginable.

[Ethan Ksiazek · Rating 1 out of 5]

What a canned and deflating attempt at what could be an excellent project. Readers with chronic pain beware; this book turns the other cheek at acknowledging intractable debilitation with literary care and nuance, and instead spews a bunch of woke bullshit. Simply put, this was painful to read.

[Tanya Dreke · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thank you to the author, publisher and Goodreads Giveaways for the complimentary copy of this book. Excellent read - highly recommended.

[Kay · Rating 3 out of 5]

"Why do I see one doctor for my mind and one for my body? Why are they treated like two separate things? Why don't specialists across specialties talk to one another? Why did one esophageal specialist see pre-pre-cancer and the other see delicate nerves?
If medicine is science, and science is objective, why can't anyone agree on what's wrong with me?" Pg.33

This was a tough book to rate.
I really disliked reading it, but I really loved the idea of it, and enjoyed hearing Williams speak about it in person. She's done her research and is passionate about highlighting how medicine has ignored women and those who identify with a different gender or no gender.
She explained why this book is "graphic; "to have a soft place for your eyes to land after reading pretty heavy/upsetting text. While that's a pretty cool idea, I personally found the art to be disruptive, and mostly distracting.
She also explained that the publisher and her editor didn't really know what to do with this book, which I kind of felt while reading. It's an ethnography, but it's also full of research, and also partly autobiographical, with modern graphic art. And when a book is a little bit of everything, it can also feel (at least to me) that it's not really anything.
I wish it had been heavier on the research and lighter on everything else. The art, the autobiographical bits, and the heavy-handed way she tells other people's stories.

This book had/has a lot of potential (highlighting people's struggles to get medical care and treatment is immeasurably important!!), but I found it to be generally sloppy and unenjoyable to read.

One of my biggest problems with the book is Williams' avoidance of the word women (and girls). Especially in Alex's chapter about sexual assault and endometriosis.
In an effort to include non-binary people and transgender men (maybe a generous 1% of the population), she has chosen to exclude upwards of 90% of girls and women. Which was incredibly upsetting to me, as a woman with endometriosis, like Alex, who also struggled with breastfeeding postpartum, like Williams.

Take this quote from the chapter What's Wrong With Dee?
"People with uteruses who report having experienced childhood sexual abuse are more likely to have early onset menarche (periods before age eleven) compared with those who were not abused. Early menarche increases risk for all kinds of health problems, everything from gynecologic disorders to cancer." Pg. 47
This is just one example of an important and informative blerb that totally dismisses females/girls. It's upsetting and distracting. Like a lot of the rest of the book.

Other incredibly important points Williams tries to make gets buried in "woke" but truly not inclusive writing. For example, America's clinical management of Black women's ("people with uteruses") birth control with Depo-Provera, which has increased risk of breast cancer and osteoporosis (pg 51-53); or how Black Americans are not treated for pain, which is why white Americans are more affected by the opioid epidemic (pg. 65); or how "hysterectomies used to be nicknamed 'Mississippi appendectomies,' because of the frequency with which white doctors practiced them on unconsenting southern Black people with uteruses. More than seven hundred thousand hysterectomies were performed on Black people in the 1970s and '80s alone." (pg. 66); or how Black people of any gender have higher mortality rates for bladder cancer (pg. 72); or writing about invisible disabilities and how people "live" through medical poverty/not being able to afford their medications (Rain's chapter); or that physical pain and trauma are intimately connected. "People with uteruses who report a history of trauma are far more likely to develop several chronic pain conditions, everything from migraines to back pain (pg. 124); or the connection between the central nervous system and the gut: "A lack of microbial diversity in the gut has been associated with all kids of central nervous system disorders, including autism, anxiety, and depression, along with functional gastrointestinal issues." !! (pg. 143); or how crazy common it is for "postpartum people" with postpartum depression to go undiagnosed by their doctors, mental healthcare providers, OBGYNs, and GPs (pg. 183).

I found Dee's and Alex's chapters to be so heartbreaking and distressing (and informative). But also so distracting when you won't call a woman a woman.


2.5 stars.


P.s. Williams also calls Neil deGrasse Tyson problematic now (in a hand-drawn image on page 17). Why??

[Doreen · Rating 3 out of 5]

1/28/2024 3.5 stars. V thought-provoking, but also v American. Full review tk at TheFrumiousConsortium.net.

1/30/2024 subtitled Personal Histories of Chronic Pain and Bad Medicine.

After a lifetime of anxiety and self-medication, Erin Williams realized that the American health system had failed her. At best, it focused on symptoms instead of attempting to treat her as an entire person, leaving her to suffer with chronic pain and, finally, to search for answers as to not only how to feel better physically but how to cope with the mental, emotional and spiritual despair that she was constantly told were merely aftereffects of her physical disease. If they were considered at all a source or contributor to her maladies, it was clearly because she was mistaken or, worse, making these symptoms up. If they couldn't see the problem, the medical system insisted, then the problem couldn't possibly be real.

One thing before I continue: while the back cover makes it very clear that this is an American healthcare issue, the contents do not. I understand why: the point of the author constantly saying "our" without specifying who "we" is makes the contents feel more immediately relevant to the reader. But anyone with experience of medicine in foreign countries -- or at least the countries with decent medical systems like Malaysia, tho anywhere else feels truly exemplary compared to the hellscape that is American medicine with its demon master of for-profit health insurance -- will feel immediately how alien and awful the treatment depicted here is. As someone who's experienced both systems, I can attest to both the veracity of Ms Williams' depiction, as well as the uniquely frustrating misery of being unable to access life-saving care because of paperwork and price-gouging when other countries somehow manage it just fine!

In her search for answers, Ms Williams discovered the power of community healing. She put out a call for other sufferers of chronic pain to share their stories, and compiled this book from their confessions. Through the stories of Dee, Rain, Alex and Adriana -- along with her own extensive experiences not only as a patient but as a medical researcher -- she narrates an extraordinary, sensitive exploration of the ways in which American medicine fails the patient, especially if that patient isn't a cis white male.

Ms Williams hints that in this respect the medical system is merely an extension of American society, selfishly centering the most privileged to the detriment of all. Those on the margins must rely on folk medications or self-medication for relief from a pain some doctors refuse to believe exists, leading, ofc, to worse outcomes later on. But that's the problem when an evidence-based system refuses to count testimony as evidence, and too often dismisses patient self-advocacy as drug-seeking. Compassion, too, is so often missing from mainstream healthcare that the ill become susceptible to any dubious claim offering relief (exacerbated by the underfunding of American education) so long as it's given with seeming concern for the individual.

The book's many illustrations underscore the somber message of the text. As someone without a genetic predisposition for addiction, I did have trouble relating to some of the passages Ms Williams highlights. But I did very much appreciate her recounting of raw emotions and experiences, as it expands my own understanding of the human condition. A relatively quick read, this book should be required reading for all healthcare professionals, so they can better understand where the current system is failing society and where we can all work together, making small changes to improve everyone's quality of life.

What's Wrong? by Erin Williams was published January 23 2024 by Abrams Comicarts and is available from all good booksellers, including Bookshop!

[Rachel · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book profiles the struggles of five people, including the author, to get appropriate health care. When your body (which includes to a large extent, your mind) is in pain, you might expect that the medical system can help. The book shows that people often can't get that help here in the US, but I imagine there are similar issues in other countries. The main difference here is the lack of accessibility without better-than-average insurance or plenty of money.

It's well documented that people with uteruses (the term the author uses, which is a bit unwieldy), nonwhite people, trans and queer people, poor people, and other marginalized groups are not taken as seriously as non-poor white cis men. The stories in the book illustrate some of that inequity, and some of the hard limitations of the system. When someone has a physical problem that's not easy to diagnose, doctors are often dismissive, more so to people from marginalized groups. When someone has physical and emotional damage from childhood abuse, leading to significant psychological problems, leading to attempts to self medicate with alcohol or drugs, and also has some possibly-related physical problems, it's almost impossible to find a practitioner who even attempts to look at how this all fits together. And even less likely to get appropriate treatment.

It's not hard to get outraged while reading the book. These people deserve much better than they got. Their stories are compelling, and the art is very nice. So why do I give it three stars? I'm not sure. It's not supposed to be enjoyable to read. The first few stories made me upset enough that I put the book down for a day. But, I've already felt so much outrage at this system that all I could muster was some empathy (painful) and sadness. If the author's intent was to illustrate a problem, the book is successful. But where do we go for solutions?

[Geraldine Miller · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book has left me conflicted on how I feel about it because it's personal stories I don't want to be to critical. However there is a lot of problems I have with this book. This book seems to say that over generalizing is dangerous while over generalizing. It felt like the author was saying that because these people's experiences with doctors and psychiatrists were bad that all doctors and psychiatrists are bad. While I sympathize with their pain I don't necessarily agree with the take that medical care is insufficient because of racism, sexism, and transphobia. Not all medical professionals have that bias. I'm not saying that the people didn't experience those things I'm sure they did but you can't judge a group by the individual.

The accounts of how abuse has lasting medical effects I thought was interesting and important information.

One major problem I had with this book was Rain's account. For the most part it was just like the others until the part were it talks about how Rain who is trans gets blood transfers and wonders if the donors would even want them to live. They wonder if the get part of the essence of the donors and absorb the donors transphobia. Rain then says they want to gather all (I believe thousand) of their donors into one room and tell the donors that they are a trans woman who their blood has been donated too and they practice blood magic. I just thought that was creepy and disrespectful to the donors to automatically assume the worst of them.

[Tady · Rating 4 out of 5]

Loved the book on the whole, but I wish that the author would've also addressed illnesses that weren't caused because of mental health issues. So many women have real issues with pain that aren't linked to trauma, but doctors believe it's all mental instead of physical and these women are "overreacting." I've been in that situation; freshman year of college my gallbladder went ka'put but even when I got tests that showed it wasn't functioning normally, I was still told my nausea and pain was from stress from my classes and it was all in my head. It took several months to find a doctor who listened to me. He read those test results and said that I was actually sick and couldn't believe why I wasn't treated sooner. Physical symptoms from mental illness and physical symptoms being dismissed as mental illness are two sides of the same coin. The author didn't need to focus on it too much, but just one story about a woman in this kind of situation would've been a valuable addition to the book.

[Liz · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a really good luck about chronic pain and health problems in the United States. Erin Williams herself struggles with alcoholism, but this book also talks about immunodeficiency, cancer, endometriosis, severe depression, post-partum depression, and PTSD.

This isn't a graphic novel. It just happens to have illustrations, which are beautiful and felt very intentional in terms of the content and placement. The stories themselves are well written and clearly paint each person as an individual with their own marginalizations.

This book doesn't shy away from depicting sexual assault, depression, alcoholism, and detailed medical stuff, so readers who are particularly sensitive around any of those subjects should feel warned.

Williams bookends all of the stories with her own story, and she ends on an important note about how those who suffer from chronic illness need to find tenderness and love to get through. Definitely a worthwhile read.

[Edward · Rating 5 out of 5]

okay i did sit down and go 'i have enough time before i have to leave to just read one chapter' and then promptly read the whole thing. oops. i did cry a little at the end of this i really thought this was going to be a sort of history text about over time how things have been, didn't realize it would be short biographies? that's not quite the word but it's close. anyways god. yeah i absolutely get it idk i really enjoyed this and the part at the end of like. refuing god and then turning to science and realizing science isn't a fully answer either & the thing of just. hoping and praying to and channeling the essence of someone sweetly taking care of you it hits me hard. the art is so good and the stype fits so well with what's going on in the book it just gets to me. i really adored this and im glad i grabbed it from the library!!!!!

[Tor · Rating 5 out of 5]

“Medicine, at its peak objectiveness, becomes science by the careful unraveling and rewinding of context. The gold standard clinical trial is an example of these measures—the blinding and placebo-ing and dice-rolling are all attempts to remove bias from the date, to unearth empirical fact from the messy, context-rich, narrative-laden, chaotic wildness of human bodies.” pg 226

I LOVED this book. It articulated so many things I have been trying to put into words myself about my own experiences and observations and I saw so many of my own experiences reflected in the lives of others who shared their stories. Highly, highly recommend.

[Hailey Stalter · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book came for me in the first 8 pages. Falcon kicked me right in the chest as I sat up in bed, hooked up to my TENS machine, detoxing from my latest bout with gabapentin for my chronic pain. I made a zillion calls to all the specialists and doctors and FINALLY found a therapist after searching for 2 years, yesterday. Though that therapist cancelled on me this morning.
I took a walk today, as walking is one of the few things my body can seem to tolerate these days. I suffer from POTS, HEDS, anxiety, depression, CPTSD, ADHD and am looking at further diagnosis in the realm of endometriosis or PCOS.
I am tired and this book healed part of me I didn't know need healed.

[Hannah MacLeod · Rating 3 out of 5]

Sigh. This book had so much potential. The art is beautiful, but in looking for fellow chronic pain sufferers who have dealt with medical trauma, I did not expect representations of holistic/"natural" medicine and a dive into religion. Most of the book doesn't include those things, but it left me feeling hollow and cheated.

This is a memoir of sorts, so there is not impetus to be factually or scientifically accurate, but as it's targeting an extremely vulnerable group of people who are poised to disbelieve medical professionals because of past trauma, it feels reckless.

Fellow chronic pain sufferers, maybe give this one a pass.

[Chloe · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5/5 stars! I really liked hearing the stories of each individual and how different ACEs shaped experiences that they went through later in life. I think it’s a good narrative about how robotic healthcare has become (maybe bc of practitioners themselves, but I think it’s mostly due to the system put in place to overwork MDs and force them to pump out patient care quotas). I enjoyed how vulnerable all the people were in sharing their lives because it really does remind you how human we all are and how if you don’t have access to the equitable health opportunities available to you, you’re really not set up for success at all

[Puravive Review - Customer Reports [2024] · Rating 5 out of 5]

So many things to rave about in this beautiful book of lyrical prose and stunning watercolors. Ultimately, it is about the human need to be seen, to know we are not alone, especially when our bodies send out the distress signals of chronic pain. The author shares detailed sagas of five individuals, including herself, struggling with symptoms of undiagnosed physical misery linked to toxic experiences. It raises important questions about culture, philosophy, pharmacology, and gender through a “show don’t tell” set of intimate stories. Highly recommend.

[Yvonne Smith · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received a free copy for an honest review.
If you want to understand what can go wrong with our medical system, listen to people who are in pain all the time. That is what this book does. Through several stories of real people trying to live with chronic pain and the misdiagnosis and mistreatment by the current medical system you will understand the failure of modern life. I highly recommend this book.

[Ogi Ogas · Rating 3 out of 5]

My ratings of books on Goodreads are solely a crude ranking of their utility to me, and not an evaluation of literary merit, entertainment value, social importance, humor, insightfulness, scientific accuracy, creative vigor, suspensefulness of plot, depth of characters, vitality of theme, excitement of climax, satisfaction of ending, or any other combination of dimensions of value which we are expected to boil down through some fabulous alchemy into a single digit.

[Willow Brooks · Rating 4 out of 5]

To comprehend the flaws within our medical system, one should listen to those enduring constant pain, which is precisely what this book accomplishes. Through real-life accounts of individuals navigating chronic pain and the shortcomings of current medical practices, readers gain insight into the failures of modern healthcare. I strongly endorse this book.

[Lael O · Rating 5 out of 5]

Read this tonight in one sitting. Fascinating and tough to read, but beautiful and thought provoking. This is less of a graphic novel and more of a long narrative nonfiction piece supplemented with art. I have not thought much about chronic pain, who it affects and what it entails, and I think Williams did a fantastic job here tackling the weighty topics of pain, medicine, and care