Sarah Ramey recounts the decade-long saga of how a seemingly minor illness in her senior year of college turned into a prolonged and elusive condition that destroyed her health, but that doctors couldn't diagnose or treat. Worse, as they failed to cure her, they hinted that her problems were all in her head.
In her agony, Ramey deduced that the problem went far beyond women being disbelieved; it stemmed from humanity’s rejection of the feminine as valid ... A visceral, scathing, erudite read that digs deep into how modern medicine continues to fail women and what can be done about it.
In the last 30 years, instances of autoimmune illnesses have tripled, and our medical system has not yet developed a respectful, effective way of working with such patients. Instead, skepticism and dismissiveness (the classic it’s-all-in-your-head response) is the norm, writes Ramey, and people, predominantly women, are staying sick ... Ramey’s angry about that, and she explains why with intelligence, humor and impressively thorough and far-ranging research ... a stirring and inspiring rallying cry, an engaging and often harrowing personal story...and an eminently worthwhile read.
...[an] illuminating debut memoir ... Though this medical saga is disturbing in the many miscalculations her doctors made, Ramey’s hilarious and upbeat sense of humor lightens even the direst of circumstances ... Ramey’s uncanny grit and fortitude will deeply inspire the multitudes facing similar issues.
